Catherine Repond
Catherine Repond (also called La Catillon ) (born August 18, 1663 in Villarvolard ; † September 15, 1731 in Freiburg im Üechtland ) was one of the last women accused of witchcraft and executed in Switzerland .
Life
Catherine Repond, called La Catillon, lived with her two sisters in the village of Villarvolard on Lac de la Gruyère . She lived on begging and from time to time spun wool from Protestant Bern, which was suspiciously observed in the Catholic region. When rumors of alleged witchcraft made the rounds, the Vogt Beat-Nicolas von Montenach opened an investigation to check the veracity of the statements.
In April 1731 he interviewed the 68-year-old Catillon for the first time. In particular, he asked about the origin of her injury to her left foot, which is missing the toes. She said two men and a woman cut her off when she was staying in a barn in Gibloux . This statement reminded the Vogt of an event that had taken place some time before: While hunting, he shot a fox and injured the animal's leg. Despite an extensive search, the fox was not found. So the Vogt concluded that the Catillon must have the ability to change shape and therefore be the fugitive fox in human form. On May 20, Catherine Repond was thrown in the prison of Corbières Castle , where the bailiff resided, to await her trial.
The residents accused her of not attending mass and practicing witchcraft that prevented her from making cheese or that made cattle sick. She was charged with the death of a child; it had touched a rose that it had received from the defendant. The first questioning took place on June 4th, in which the Catillon made the same statement as in April. The bailiff tried to involve her in contradictions and when he did not succeed, he had the woman questioned embarrassingly in order to bring the truth to light. Under the torture, Catherine Repond said what they wanted to hear from her and admitted to being a witch. She was sentenced to death and transferred to Freiburg, where she was tortured again and confirmed the statements she had previously made. On September 15, 1731, she was strangled and her body burned at the stake.
Rehabilitation
In February 2009, a motion from the Freiburg parliament called for the restoration of Catherine Repond's honor. After the rehabilitation of Anna Göldi in August 2008 , who was executed in Glarus for alleged witchcraft in 1782 , the cantonal government of Freiburg wants to rehabilitate all those who have made confessions under torture. The requested rehabilitation was rejected by the cantonal parliament on May 8, 2009 on the grounds that rehabilitation in the legal sense was not possible; the state of today is not responsible for crimes in the ancien régime . Instead, a non-binding resolution was passed. In 2010 the city took up the matter again and decided to name a square after Catherine Repond.
literature
- Nicolas Morard: Le procès de la sorcière Catherine Repond dite Catillon: superstition ou crime judiciaire in: Catherine les fribourgeoises, publication de la société d'histoire du canton de Friborg 1969–1970, t. L, Friborg, 1970
- Josiane Ferrari-Clément: Catillonet les écus du diable. Editions La Sarine, Friborg 2009
- undated: Catherine Repond alias Catillon; the last Freiburg witch , in: From Duchesses, Witches and Midwives. In the footsteps of women in Freiburg III. Ed .: Pro Friborg, ISSN 0256-1476 , Issue 163, 2009-II, pp. 40–43
Web links
- Life story of Catherine Repond , Freiburg State Archives (PDF file; 619 kB)
- Kathrin Utz Tremp : Repond, Catherine. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Corbières Castle
- ↑ Dossiers justice (French)
- ↑ blick.ch
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Repond, Catherine |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Catillon, La |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss justice victim |
| BIRTH DATE | August 18, 1663 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Villarvolard |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 15, 1731 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Freiburg im Üechtland , Switzerland |