The protestant Museum
in the Wassy barn
On the 1st March 1562, the Duc de Guise went to celebrate mass in Wassy and on his way back, forced open the doors of the barn where a thousand unarmed protestants were holding a religious service. The troops of the Duc de Guise killed at least a hundred men, women and children.
This incident started off the religious wars
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Massacre at Wassy (March 1562) © B.P.U. Genève
The massacre in Wassy immediately triggered off the religious wars which were later to divide Europe – catholic and protestant armies were locked in battle until the Edict of Nantes was signed by Henri IV in 1598.
In 1980, a decision was taken to bring this historic site back to life by converting it into a Museum, where people could discover the history of French Protestantism and where Freedom of Conscience could be shown to be an essential value in the modern world.
In 1990, the vicarage was pulled down for safety reasons and a Square of the Reformation created in its place. The Temple has been restored and now houses the protestant Museum of the Wassy barn.
The protestant Museum in the Wassy barn
Office de Tourisme
Square Eppingen
F-52130 Wassy
Tel. +33 (0) 3 25 07 64 47
Contact : info.wassy@tourisme-saintdizierderetblaise.com
The protestant Museum
in the Wassy barn
Rue du temple 52130 Wassy
Associated notes
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The French Protestant Museum of the West of France
12 kilometers south-west of Pouzauges, in “Le Bois Tiffrais” (or Tiffray), in the commune of Monsireigne, the Société d’histoire du protestantisme français has set up a museum in a building... -
Albert Schweitzer's House in Gunsbach
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Protestant Museum of the Dauphiné
The protestant museum of the Dauphiné is situated in a XVth century building which became a temple two centuries later. Together with the temple of Collet de Dèze in Lozère,... -
International Museum of the Reformation (Geneva)
An interactive introduction to Protestantism from the XVIth to the XXIst century -
The House of Protestantism in Poitou
Since 1987, The House of Protestantism in Poitou, in the Inter-regional Park of the Marais Poitevin, has been a useful source of information abut the history of protestantism in Poitou...