The Waldensians, also known as Waldenses or Vaudois, were a Christian movement that emerged in the late 12th century in Lyon, France. They were founded by Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant who gave up his possessions to live a life of poverty and preach the Gospel. The name comes from Valdo, Waldo’s name in Latin.
The key beliefs of the Waldensians were:
- They rejected the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and saw the Bible as the sole authority for Christian faith and practice.
- They emphasized preaching and made efforts to translate the Bible and teach it in the common language of people, not just Latin.
- They sent out missionaries, called the “Poor of Lyon”, who traveled and preached in pairs.
- They lived lives of voluntary poverty and austerity, focused on preaching repentance.
- They criticized perceived abuses and unbiblical practices within the medieval Catholic Church, such as selling of indulgences, purgatory, devotion to saints, etc.
- They opposed war, oaths, capital punishment, prayers for the dead, etc. and called for nonviolence.
- They believed in lay ministry and preaching by both men and women.
The Waldensians emerged within the context of increased attention on apostolic poverty and criticism of clerical corruption in the 12th and 13th centuries. As they became more visible, they quickly faced opposition from local bishops and the Papacy, who saw them as heretical. They were condemned at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. Persecution forced the movement underground, but it continued to grow in strength.
Geographically, the Waldensian movement was centered in southeastern France and northwestern Italy. As persecution intensified, Waldensians sought refuge in the mountainous areas of the Cottian Alps straddling France and Italy. They established networks of mountain communities and underground churches there. The secluded valleys provided protection and allowed their movement to survive several centuries of persecution.
Early history and founding
The Waldensian movement was started by Peter Waldo (c. 1140 – c. 1205), a wealthy merchant in Lyon, France in the 1170s. Waldo underwent a religious conversion and was inspired by Christ’s command to the rich young ruler to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor” (Mark 10:21). Around 1173-1176, he disposed of his wealth and belongings and began preaching repentance and living in poverty. He attracted a growing number of followers who also renounced worldly goods to live a life of preaching, voluntary poverty and strict interpretation of Scripture.
Waldo and his followers developed a system for translating sections of the Bible into the vernacular, the local language people spoke. This was unusual at the time, since the Bible was almost exclusively in Latin, which only clergy understood. They traveled in pairs to preach and spread translations of these Biblical passages, walking the country roads of France, Italy, Germany and other regions. The group became known as the “Poor of Lyon” or the “Poor of Lombardy.” The Waldensian motto was “The light shineth in darkness.”
Beliefs and practices
The Waldensians held several distinctive theological and religious beliefs. Their core beliefs included:
- Bible as sole authority: The Waldensians rejected the authority of popes and priests, and viewed the Bible as the sole source of spiritual authority. They sought to study it directly.
- Lay preaching and ministry: Unlike the Catholic church which restricted preaching to clergy, the Waldensians encouraged all followers, including the non-ordained, to preach. This expanded reach of preaching to common people was part of their missionary focus.
- Voluntary poverty: They took Christ’s words in Matthew 19:21 literally and sought lives of material simplicity, voluntary poverty and austerity in order to focus on spiritual rather than earthly riches.
- Rejection of oaths, violence: The Waldensians rejected the use of oaths and participation in warfare or violence, based on a literal interpretation of Christ’s teaching in Matthew 5:33-39.
- Critique of Catholic practices: They criticized perceived excesses and unbiblical practices within the Catholic church at the time, such as the selling of indulgences, purgatory, transubstantiation, veneration of saints, relics, etc.
This emphasis on Bible study, lay preaching, and criticism of Church practices brought them into conflict with Catholic authorities. They were declared heretical and faced intense persecution from the 13th century onwards.
To avoid detection and spread their message, Waldensians would sometimes attend Catholic mass regularly but meet separately for their own services. Their traveling preachers dressed poorly and went barefoot so they could blend in as wanderers and begrudgers. They shared their message discreetly and only with people they felt they could trust.
Despite persecution, Waldensian ideas and Bible translations continued to spread, including to parts of Germany, Austria and other regions. Their critiques of Catholicism also influenced later Protestant Reformers.
Persecution and seclusion in the Alps
As the Waldensian movement grew and became more visible, it faced intense persecution from Catholic authorities who saw them as heretical. Several events led to heightened suppression of the Waldensians:
- They were condemned as heretical at the Third Lateran Council in 1179, which led local clergy to move against them.
- In 1183, Pope Lucius III formally declared them heretical and initiated an intense campaign to stamp them out.
- The Albigensian Crusade against Cathar heretics in southern France from 1209-1229 also caught Waldensians in its net, leading to brutal massacres of Waldensian communities.
- The establishment of the Inquisition in the early 13th century led to organized pursuit of heretical groups like Waldensians across Europe.
To escape persecution, many Waldensians fled into the isolated valley and mountain areas of the Cottian Alps straddling Piedmont (northern Italy) and Dauphiné (southeastern France). These offered remote hideaways where Waldensian communities could survive. The difficult Alpine terrain also provided natural defenses against armed attacks.
Over the next several centuries, the secluded Alpine valleys became the heartland for the Waldensians. Dense networks of Waldensian mountain villages and underground churches developed here. The largest were the Chisone Valley, Germanasca Valley and Pra’ del Tor region in Italy, and the Val Louise, Argentière Valley and Freissinière Valley across the French border.
Remote as these Alpine communities were, armies and inquisitors would still sometimes undertake missions to root out and exterminate them. One of the worst massacres occurred in 1655, when an army led by the Duke of Savoy in Italy killed hundreds of Waldensian villagers and destroyed their homes and churches. Fearing extermination, some Waldensians migrated as refugees to Switzerland and parts of Germany at various times.
Survival and limited tolerance after the Reformation
The Waldensians continued to face threats and sporadic persecutions in their Alpine enclaves in the centuries after the Reformation. But they also benefited somewhat from the changed religious landscape of Europe and establishment of Protestant states which were opposed to Catholic hegemony.
Some key events in this period include:
- The Duke of Savoy in Italy alternated between limited tolerance and brutal repression of the Piedmont Waldensians. Persecutions and massacres occurred in 1655, 1686, and 1768-78.
- In 1689, the Duke of Savoy issued the Edict of Toleration granting some civil rights to Waldensians after intervention by English and Dutch Protestants on their behalf.
- In the French regions, Louis XIV unleashed the dragoonades – dragonnades in French – in the 1680s, aimed at forcibly converting Protestants including Waldensians.
- After the French Revolution, Waldensians received full civil rights and liberties as French citizens.
- In 1848, the ruler of Piedmont-Sardinia granted Waldensians legal freedom and rights in Italy, no longer treating them as heretics.
While these measures ended the Waldensians’ legal outlaw status, social discrimination and popular suspicion against them continued in many areas through the 19th century and even early 20th century.
But after centuries as a persecuted minority, the Waldensians could finally practice their faith freely. Their Alpine communities remained central to preserving Waldensian identity. At the same time, new possibilities opened to leave their mountain valleys and resettle in Italian cities or emigrate to other parts of Europe and even North and South America.
Waldensian theology and influence
The Waldensian theology and criticisms of Catholic dogma influenced Protestant Reformers centuries later. Some key theological views they shared include:
- Rejecting papal authority and Catholic ecclesiastical hierarchy
- Advocating individual interpretation of Scripture
- Emphasizing preaching and vernacular Bible translation
- Criticism of perceived excesses and unbiblical practices in the medieval Catholic church
- Call for general priests and laypeople to be able to preach
John Wycliffe, Jan Hus and other predecessors of Protestantism echoed many Waldensian views. There are some indications Luther was aware of Waldensian ideas, and Huss directly drew inspiration from them. The Waldensians are considered a forerunner of Protestantism.
Some thinkers also link the Waldensians to earlier Christian dissidents and thinkers deemed heretical by Catholic authorities, such as Peter Abelard in the 12th century, Arnold of Brescia in the 11th, or Berengar of Tours in the 11th. But direct connections are difficult to establish given the limited surviving sources.
Today, the Waldensian movement still exists, though it is very small with only a few thousand members, mostly in Italy. After centuries of persecution, the Waldensians were relieved to gain religious freedom. But intense persecution also took a heavy toll, making survival and regrowth difficult. Their influence and ideas, however, far exceeded their numbers.
