This strange story took place in Paris in the early 18th century. What happened so amazed everyone that rumors did not subside for a long hundred years. Now few people have heard of him, so it's time to remember this mysterious incident …
Religious movements within the Catholic Church were very popular in the 16-18 centuries, one of which was Jansenism. It would seem that another trend, which arose with the light hand of the Dutch bishop Jansen, is nothing unusual. The church, in fear of losing parishioners, had to quickly call him heresy and destroy, and on this close the case. The result would have been a very standard story, but then chance intervened …
Abbot Francois of Paris died, one of those who managed to "catch" Jansenism and preach it. In May 1727 he was buried in the Saint-Medard cemetery in Paris. Since François had a reputation as a saint, believers began to flock to his grave in the hope of a miracle.
And miracles really began to happen. A few healings in those days was not surprising, but the matter went much further. The believers who came to the cemetery began to experience massive involuntary spasms and convulsions, which spread like fire in the crowd. Soon the streets were filled with women, men and children who fell into a trance - writhed and writhed.
In this state, the "convulsions" (as they were later called) demonstrated amazing abilities. They could be beaten, strangled, tortured - not the slightest damage remained on their bodies and they did not feel pain. And, most interestingly, many themselves asked to be tortured, as this relieved the pain from the convulsions.
Some "suffering" acquired for a while the ability to clairvoyance, someone could read blindfolded, and claim that they even saw those who flew into the air!
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At first glance, the story is, of course, rather dubious. Especially considering the popularity of religious miracles at that time - they "happened" constantly and for the sake of church interests. However, in this particular case, there are several details that make you think …
First, thousands of people witnessed the Jansenite miracles, and information about them is found in many historical documents. In 1733, in one of the descriptions of this incident, it was mentioned that it took about three thousand people to look after the raging "convulsions"!
Secondly, many famous personalities of that time were imbued with these miracles. For example, in 1737, a member of the Parisian parliament, Louis Basile Carr de Montgeron, described what he saw in four volumes of his work "The Reality of Miracles."
Thirdly, even the Catholic Church, which was extremely negatively disposed towards heretical teaching, recognized their existence, however, explaining everything to the wiles of the devil.
Vatican.
One way or another, such a massive event mentioned in many sources most likely took place. Another question is what it was after all.
"Superpowers" of the body in a state of trance and hypnosis have been repeatedly confirmed by many researchers. The Jansenith miracles are surprising in their massiveness and duration, but their mechanism is similar to other known cases.
Modern specialists can also use hypnosis to make the human body "wooden" - with tense muscles and insensitive to pain. This once again speaks about the suggestibility of the psyche and the presence of "hidden reserves" that can be awakened in an altered state of consciousness.
I suppose that then in Paris there was a massive "surge" in the energy of the assembled believers, a kind of super-powerful release, which was perceived by sensitive people. This led to mass self-hypnosis and trance states, which, like an epidemic, swept the streets closest to the cemetery …