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112-518: The Parchment is dated 17–20 August 1308 at Chinon , France , and was written by Bérenger Frédol , Etienne de Suisy  [ Wikidata ] and Landolfo Brancacci , Cardinals who were of Saints Nereus and Achileus, St. Cyriac in Thermis and Sant'Angelo in Pescheria respectively. The Vatican keeps an authentic copy with reference number Archivum Arcis Armarium D 218, the original having

224-535: A book on the subject, Il papato e il processo ai templari . In 2007, The Vatican published the Chinon Parchment as part of a limited edition of 799 copies of Processus Contra Templarios after centuries of obscurity, with an eight-hundredth (unnumbered) copy being presented to Pope Benedict XVI . Another Chinon parchment has long been known to historians, having been published by Étienne Baluze in 1693 and by Pierre Dupuy in 1751. This other parchment

336-493: A form accepted by the Church, the mercy of pardon from the verdict of excommunication that had been incurred by the aforementioned deeds, restoring him to unity with the Church and reinstating him to the communion of the faithful and the sacraments of the Church. (Chinon Parchment dated August 17–20, 1308) Also interrogated on August 17 were Geoffroy de Charney and, third, Geoffroy de Gonneville. On August 19, 1308, Hugo de Pérraud

448-654: A homosexual nature, "out of the order of nature". "Strange" is understood to mean "outside the moral law", ( Romans 7:3 ; Galatians 1:6 ) while it is doubted that either Lot or the men of Sodom understood that the strangers were angels at the time. The Jewish historian Josephus used the term "Sodomites" in summarizing the Genesis narrative: "About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God, in so much that they did not call to mind

560-651: A large and highly decorated church and a square of canons' residences. Closure and partial demolition during and after the Revolution of 1789 have damaged this once very important church. The imposing second façade still stands, with its nave dating from the year 1000 A.D. Its important remains have been restored as historical monument and a cultural centre. During the Middle Ages, Chinon further developed, especially under Henry II (Henry Plantagenêt , Count of Anjou , and crowned King of England in 1154). The castle

672-659: A large group of previously arrested Knights Templar appeared before Pope Clement V and his commissioners in Poitiers. Five high-ranking members of the Order, including its Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were also supposed to be delivered to the Curia, but they were diverted to Chinon (less than 60 miles away from Poitiers). After the Knights Templar present in Poitiers were questioned and confessed their sins (generally following

784-573: A letter exists, supposedly written by the three cardinals to King Philip IV , in which they inform him of the absolution granted to the high-ranking officers of the Knights Templar (published by Étienne Baluze ). The text of the Chinon Parchment is also supported by records in register Avignonese 48 of the Vatican Secret Archives, published in Processus Contra Templarios . In late June and early July 1308,

896-474: A more hard and hateful behavior toward strangers. For the Sodomites did not receive those, whom they knew not when they came: but these brought friends into bondage, that had well deserved of them. ( KJV ) The Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, Philo (20 BCE – 50 CE), described the inhabitants of Sodom in an extra-biblical account: As men, being unable to bear discreetly a satiety of these things, get restive like cattle, and become stiff-necked, and discard

1008-558: A series of intertextual interventions in which histories become stories, fabrications and reconstructions in lively debate with, and around, 'dominant' heterosexualities ... Deconstructing what we think we see may well involve reconstructing ourselves in surprising and unanticipated ways. The modern English word " bugger " is derived from the French term bougre , that evolved from the Latin Bulgarus or "Bulgarian". The word

1120-481: A shunning or archaic connotation to its use. In modern German the word Sodomie has no connotation of anal or oral sex and specifically refers to bestiality . The same goes for the Polish sodomia . The Norwegian word sodomi carries both senses. In Danish , sodomi is rendered as "unnatural carnal knowledge with someone of the same sex or (now) with animals ". In Arabic and Persian ,

1232-531: A significant role in the struggle for the throne between the French and the English during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) when the heir apparent, the future Charles VII of France sought refuge and installed his court there in 1425. The province remained faithful to him and he made lengthy stays with his court there. In 1429, the 17-year-old Joan of Arc came to Chinon to meet and to acknowledge him as

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1344-482: A timber ceiling. Remains of richly painted decoration from the period subsist around the upper windows and in the northern arcade. It is now a Historical Monument, and since 2002 it has housed a small wooden frame theatre used for musical and theatrical events. The imposing façade, or west front, actually the second one built, dates from 1050 AD. It has a central portion, once richly decorated with carved stones depicting figuratives scenes that were largely mutilated during

1456-513: Is also a participant in the Loire Valley cycling tourism circuit. Saint Mexme is the patron saint of Chinon, credited with having saved the town and its inhabitants in the 5th century from dying of thirst during a siege with a massive rain and thunder storm. This moment is depicted in one of the stained glass windows of the apse in the church of Saint Etienne in Chinon by the atelier Lobin in

1568-460: Is dated August 20, 1308, also at Chinon; it was written by cardinals Bérenger Fredol (cardinal priest of Saints Nereus and Achileus), Etienne de Suisy  [ Wikidata ] , and Landolfo Brancaccio (deacon of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria). Addressed to Philip IV of France , the parchment states that absolution had been granted to all those Templars who had confessed to heresy, and that

1680-763: Is derived from sodomite . It is a general-purpose insult term for anyone the speaker dislikes without specific reference to their sexual behaviour. Sod is used as slang in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and is considered mildly offensive. (The word 'sod' also has a meaning of "(clump of) earth" with an unrelated etymology, in which sense it is rare but not offensive.) Many cognates in other languages, such as French sodomie (verb sodomiser ), Spanish sodomía (verb sodomizar ), and Portuguese sodomia (verb sodomizar ), are used exclusively for penetrative anal sex, at least since

1792-552: Is derived from the Ecclesiastical Latin peccatum Sodomiticum , "sin of Sodom", which in turn comes from the Ancient Greek word Σόδομα (Sódoma). Genesis (chapters 18–20) tells how God destroyed the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah . Two angels sent to the cities are invited by Lot to take refuge with his family for the night. The men of Sodom surround Lot's house and demand that he bring out

1904-652: Is located in the heart of the Val de Loire , 47 km (29 miles) southwest of Tours and 305 km (189 miles) south west of Paris . It extends on both the banks of the Vienne , with the historic town mainly on the northern bank, at the foot of the medieval castle. Chinon's importance derives in great part from its geographical position, located on the Vienne just before it joins the Loire . From prehistoric times, rivers acted as

2016-601: Is not used elsewhere in the New Testament, but occurs in the Septuagint to denote whoredom (Genesis 38:24 and Exodus 34:15). Some modern translations as the NIV render it as "sexual immorality". The Greek words for "strange flesh" are heteros, which almost always basically denotes "another/other", and sarx , a common word for "flesh", and usually refers to the physical body or the nature of man or of an ordinance. In

2128-453: Is on the banks of the river Vienne about 10 kilometres (6 mi) from where it joins the Loire . Settlement in Chinon dates from prehistoric times, with a pronounced importance for both French and English history in the Middle Ages. At this period rivers were the main trade routes, and the Vienne joins both the fertile regions of the Poitou and the city of Limoges , and is a tributary of

2240-486: Is the parish church of the eastern quarter, not far from the collegiate church of Saint Mexme. It was completely reconstructed in the Flamboyant Gothic style, with the exception of the lower portion of the bell tower, in the 15th century. It has a large single aisle covered by ribbed vaults. The apse contains stained glass windows depicting scenes of religious importance in Chinon and the surrounding regions:

2352-404: Is translated "strange flesh" or "false flesh", but it is not entirely clear what it refers to. One theory is that it is just a reference to the "strange flesh" of the intended rape victims, who were angels, not men. Countering this is traditional interpretation, which notes that the angels were sent to investigate an ongoing regional problem (Gn. 18) of fornication, and extraordinarily so, that of

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2464-680: Is used to describe many sins. The Authorized King James Version translates Deuteronomy 23:17 as: "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel," but the word corresponding to "sodomite" in the Hebrew original, Qadesh ( Hebrew :קדש), does not refer to Sodom, and has been translated in the New International Version as " shrine prostitute "; male shrine prostitutes may have served barren women in fertility rites rather than engaging in homosexual acts; this also applies to other instances of

2576-483: The Bastille and the police lieutenant d'Argenson, as well as other sources, show that many who were arrested were exiled, sent to a regiment, or imprisoned in places (generally the hospital) associated with moral crimes (such as prostitution). Of these, a number were involved in prostitution or had approached children, or otherwise gone beyond merely having homosexual relations. Ravaisson (a 19th-century writer who edited

2688-710: The Offences against the Person Act 1828 , which had replaced the 1533 Buggery Act . Laws criminalizing sodomy rarely spell out precise sexual acts, but are typically understood by courts to include any sexual act deemed to be unnatural or immoral. Sodomy typically includes anal sex , oral sex , and bestiality . In practice, sodomy laws have rarely been enforced against heterosexual couples, and have mostly been used to target homosexuals. As of February 2024, 66 countries as well as three sub-national jurisdictions have laws criminalizing homosexuality. In 2006 that number

2800-690: The Old Testament , references Sodom as a place of God's anger against sin, but the Epistle of Jude provides a certain class of sin as causative of its destruction, the meaning of which is disputed. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto

2912-748: The Trial of the Knights Templar . Some of these charges were specifically directed at the Grand Master of the order, Jacques de Molay . The Adamites were a libertine sect also accused of sodomy. The early-modern witch hunts were also largely connoted with sodomy. Persecution of Cathars and the Bogomiles in Bulgaria led to the use of a term closely related to sodomy : buggery derives from French bouggerie , meaning "of Bulgaria". The association of sodomy with hereticism, satanism, and witchcraft

3024-949: The Tuileries , even then a known "cruising area". But, as with much sexual behaviour under the Old Regime, discretion was a key concern on all sides (especially since members of prominent families were sometimes implicated); the law seemed most concerned with those who were the least discreet. In 1730, there was a wave of sodomy trials in the Netherlands ; some 250 men were summoned before the authorities; 91 faced decrees of exile for not appearing. At least 60 men were sentenced to death. The last two Englishmen that were hanged for sodomy were executed in 1835. James Pratt and John Smith died in front of Newgate Prison in London on 27 November 1835 or 8 April 1835. They had been prosecuted under

3136-522: The 19th century. The hermitage, then monastery founded by Saint Mexme was destroyed in the 10th century, thus requiring reconstruction around the year 1000 A.D. It is at this date that it became a collegiate church . Its importance was confirmed not only by its architecture, but that it was subject directly to the Holy See in Rome. The collegiate church of Saint Mexme was the main religious edifice of

3248-463: The 1st millennium. In 2006, the window openings were embellished with stained glass, following the designs of the painter Olivier Debré . They provide an unbroken view of the surrounding landscape. Around the collegiate church are several former canonical residences, dating from the Ancien Régime. The Chapelle Sainte-Radegonde is half built into the rock face on the eastern outer limits of

3360-477: The Bastille records) suggested that the authorities preferred to handle these cases discreetly, lest public punishments in effect publicize "this vice". Periodicals of the time sometimes casually named known sodomites, and at one point, even suggested that sodomy was increasingly popular. This does not imply that sodomites necessarily lived in security – specific police agents, for instance, watched

3472-539: The Benedictine monastery of St. Theofred, in the diocese of Annecy), Master Berard (or Bernard?) de Boiano (archdeacon of Troia ), Raoul de Boset (confessor and canon from Paris), and Pierre de Soire (overseer of Saint-Gaugery in Cambresis ). According to the surviving Parchment, the other notaries public made three other, more detailed copies. All documents were sealed and signed by the participants. According to

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3584-595: The Bulgarians were heretics "as belonging to the Greek Church, sp. Albigensian ". Webster's Third New International Dictionary gives the only meaning of the word "bugger" as a sodomite "from the adherence of the Bulgarians to the Eastern Church considered heretical". Bugger is still commonly used in modern British English as an exclamation, while "buggery" is synonymous with the act of sodomy. In

3696-573: The Christian expansion of the prophets, they further linked Sodom to the sins of impenitence ( Matthew 11:23 ), careless living ( Luke 17:28 ), fornication ( Jude 1:7 KJV ), and an overall "filthy" lifestyle ( 2 Peter 2:7 ), which word ( aselgeiais ) elsewhere is rendered in the KJV as lasciviousness ( Mark 7:22 ; 2 Corinthians 12:21 ; Ephesians 4:19 ; 1 Peter 4:3 ; Jude 1:4 ) or wantonness ( Romans 13:13 ; 2 Peter 2:18 ). The Epistle of Jude in

3808-461: The Hebrew Bible, Sodom was a city destroyed by God because of the evil of its inhabitants. No specific sin is given as the reason for God's great wrath. The story of Sodom's destruction – and of Abraham 's failed attempt to intercede with God and prevent that destruction – appears in Genesis 18–19. The connection between Sodom and homosexuality is derived from

3920-513: The Loire, which acted as a traffic thoroughfare. The site was fortified early on, and by the 5th century a Gallo-Roman castrum had been established there. Towards the mid 5th century, a disciple of St Martin , St Mexme, established first a hermitage, and then a monastery to the east of the town. This religious foundation bearing his name flourished in the medieval period, being rebuilt and extended four times. The eventual complex contained

4032-460: The New Testament echoes the Genesis narrative and potentially adds the sexually immoral aspects of Sodom's sins: "just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" (v. 7, English Standard Version). The phrase rendered "sexual immorality and unnatural desire"

4144-546: The Order". And only Hugo de Pérraud claimed to see the "head of an idol" the Templars were accused of worshipping, in Montpellier , in the possession of Brother Peter Alemandin, Preceptor of Montpellier. All other Templars mentioned in the Chinon Parchment denied being encouraged to "join" with other brothers, and none of the others was asked about an idol. All added that, as with any Roman Catholic, any transgressions of

4256-473: The Parchment, Their words and confessions were written down exactly in the way that they are included here by the notaries whose names are listed below, in the presence of witnesses [also] listed below. We also ordered that these things be drawn up in this official form and validated by the protection of our seals. (Chinon Parchment dated August 17–20, 1308) The Chinon Parchment details a failed attempt by

4368-457: The Pope to preserve the Templars from the machinations of King Philip IV of France , through establishing that the Order was not heretical and was capable of reform under the aegis of the Church. However, as it became apparent that Philip had determined upon the extermination of the Order (and the confiscation of its considerable wealth and property within his kingdom), the Pope was forced to abandon

4480-420: The Pope's ) presence" three cardinals were sent out to perform the necessary inquiries at Chinon. The commissioned envoys were instructed to create an official record of their investigations and, according to the bull, upon returning they presented the Pope with "the confessions and testimonies of the aforementioned Master and Commanders written down as spoken as a legal record by notarial attestation". In addition,

4592-486: The Revolution, flanked by two side towers partially rebuilt in the 15th century. Some decorative interlacing and plant motifs can still be seen. This second façade was most likely architecturally influential in the region at the time. It forms, with the first façade from the year 1000 AD conserved in the interior, a narthex with a large barrel-vault with semicircular arches; the walls present blind arcades. Visible in

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4704-487: The Roman Catholic faith were fully confessed to a priest or bishop, penances made, and absolutions granted. The Chinon Parchment itself was prepared by Robert de Condet, cleric of the diocese of Soissons and an apostolic notary ; the other apostolic notaries public were Umberto Vercellani, Nicolo Nicolai de Benvenuto, and Master Amise d’Orléans le Ratif. Witnesses to the proceedings were Brother Raymond (abbot of

4816-615: The Templars to their fates by the threat of military force from the King. Outside France, the dissolution of the Order was achieved with far less bloodshed, and surviving members of the order were absorbed into other religious institutions. In September 2001, Barbara Frale , MA, found a copy of the parchment in the Vatican Secret Archives . Frale published her discoveries in the Journal of Medieval History and has written

4928-425: The advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices" "Now when the Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence; and when Lot exhorted them to sobriety, and not to offer anything immodest to

5040-408: The architectural presence and importance of its castle and town; from the interior of the historic town itself; and from the rocky outcrop, either from the castle itself, or along the high narrow roads along it that lead past semi-troglodytic homes and caves to the chapel of Saint Radegonde, giving a panoramic view of the historic town and the valley that opens up on the other side of the river. Chinon

5152-579: The banks of the Vienne River are the caves , or wine cellars, for Chinon's well-known Cabernet Franc -based red wines. The historic town of Chinon presents an interesting architectural ensemble, from the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance when the Loire Valley was the seat of the king's court. Topography has played a major role: the formerly fortified town was developed at

5264-523: The behavior of the alleged residents of Sodom and Gomorrah . However, the status of LGBT people in early Christianity and early Islam is debated. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good . Classical Jewish texts are seen by many as not stressing

5376-407: The boundaries of marriage over all other forms of human sexual activity , including autoeroticism , masturbation , oral sex , manual sex , non-penetrative and non-heterosexual sexual intercourse (all of which have been labeled as "sodomy" at various times), believing and teaching that such behaviors are forbidden because they are considered sinful , and further compared to or derived from

5488-451: The canon of great world literature. The region is the scene of these fantastic, critical and observant adventures. From the 16th century, Chinon was no longer a royal residence, and in 1631 it became part of the estates of the Duke of Richelieu , who neglected the fortress. Apart from townhouses and convents that were built, the city changed little up to the Revolution . In the 1820s, however,

5600-688: The castle in a siege in 1205 to the French king Philip II Augustus , from which date it was included in the French royal estates as the royal duchy of Touraine . The castle in Chinon served as a prison for a time when Philip IV the Fair ordered the Knights Templar arrested in 1307. Jacques de Molay , Grand Master, and a few other dignitaries of the Order of the Temple were incarcerated there prior to trial and eventual execution. Chinon again played

5712-417: The church of Saint Maurice to its end where it was formerly enclosed by the fortifications. It also, at the main crossroads of the "Grand Carroi", offered the only access to the castle from within the town, and is the street that Joan of Arc took to go up and meet the future Charles VII in 1429. The stone houses are made of the local tufa stone, a soft luminous limestone, easy to carve and lending itself to

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5824-520: The collegiate church of Saint Mexme. Here the houses are often larger, some presenting courtyards and gardens, dating from the late 15th century and on, a few fine examples of which were the canons' residences. To the south one can join the promenade along the river, or go up the rocky slope north east to the Chapelle Sainte-Radegonde . The quarters of the former fortified town and that of Saint Etienne-Saint Mexme are divided by what

5936-474: The conviction produced no advantage, since they were overcome by violent desire; and so by degrees, the men became accustomed to be treated like women, and in this way engendered among themselves the disease of females, and intolerable evil; for they not only, as to effeminacy and delicacy, became like women in their persons, but they also made their souls most ignoble, corrupting in this way the whole race of men, as far as depended on them. The New Testament , like

6048-460: The crucifix, their stories are inconsistent. Geoffroy de Gonneville, for example, stated that he had not succumbed under duress to denouncing and spitting on the Cross; despite this, he was admitted to the order, implying that the denial of the cross may have been a test of some sort. The other accused men admitted to "denouncing in words only, not in spirit". Gordon Napier thinks that the practice of

6160-600: The death penalty by beheading as punishment for homosexuality or adultery, Justinian's legal novels heralded a change in Roman legal paradigm in that he introduced a concept of not only secular but also divine punishment for homosexual behavior. Justinian's usage of the term was taken up around 850 CE by the Pseudo-Isidorian fabrications. Three Carolingian capitularies , fabricated under the pseudonym Benedictus Levita, referred to sodomy: Benedictus Levita broadened

6272-489: The denial of the cross was training for what the new knights might later face, were they taken prisoner by Saracens. All the accused denied practising sodomy or ever witnessing it; However, kisses were admitted, having been given as a sign of respect only during Templar initiation. Hugo de Pérraud alone stated that, during his initiation, he had been told "to abstain from partnership with women, and, if they were unable to restrain their lust, to join themselves with brothers of

6384-523: The described attempt by a mob of the city's people to rape Lot 's male guests. Some suggest the sinfulness for which Sodom was destroyed might have consisted mainly in the violation of obligations of hospitality, which were important for the original writers of the Biblical account. In Judges 19–21, there is an account, similar in many ways, where Gibeah , a city of the Benjamin tribe, is destroyed by

6496-412: The early 19th century. In those languages, the term is also often current vernacular (not just legal, unlike in other cultures) and a formal way of referring to any practice of anal penetration; the word sex is commonly associated with consent and pleasure with regard to all involved parties and often avoids directly mentioning two common aspects of social taboo – human sexuality and the anus – without

6608-510: The end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th, with Angevin Gothic style vaults. This style can be found in the Angevin territories, but not restricted to them. The vault is fairly bulbous in form, marked by very ornate sculptured and painted vault bosses, at the junction of the ribs and the capitols at the rib springs. A chapel from the 15th and a side aisle from the early 16th century mark

6720-461: The faithful and the sacraments of the Church. Chinon Parchment dated August 17–20, 1308 Analysis of the Chinon Parchment, as well as other materials of the Templar trials, enabled Barbara Frale to theorize on some of the secret initiation practices of the Templars. While three of the accused admitted to having been asked by their receptors during their initiation to denounce the Cross and spit upon

6832-533: The first statue of Joan of Arc in a church, placed there in 1900, two decades before her canonization. Sodomy Sodomy ( / ˈ s ɒ d əm i / ), also called buggery in British English , generally refers to either anal sex (but occasionally also oral sex ) between people, or any sexual activity between a human and another animal ( bestiality ). It may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity (including manual sex ). Originally

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6944-404: The foot of the castle on the rocky outcrop, protecting the northern side, with the Vienne River in the south. Apart from the natural defensive protection on both sides, this fact makes a long narrow urban space, with the main streets running parallel to the river. The town was developed on both sides of the river: the fortified town at the base of the castle; the canons' quarter to the east; and on

7056-422: The fortifications were pulled down and the banks of the river Vienne were opened up to the outside. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, Chinon grew to the east, towards the railway station, and to the north on the hill. The historic centre was registered as a conservation area in 1968, and since that time has been undergoing restoration in order to preserve its historic, natural and architectural identity. Chinon

7168-469: The foundations of old fortresses earned this part of the Loire Valley the nickname "The Garden of France." Chinon played an important and strategic role during the Middle Ages, serving both French and English kings. Chinon is known for its wine , castle , and historic town. Its part of the Loire Valley has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The historic town of Chinon

7280-598: The homosexual aspect of the attitude of the inhabitants of Sodom as much as their cruelty and lack of hospitality to the "stranger". The 13th-century Jewish scholar, Nachmanides , wrote: "According to our sages, they were notorious for every evil, but their fate was sealed for their persistence in not supporting the poor and the needy." His contemporary, Rabbenu Yonah, expresses the same view: "Scripture attributes their annihilation to their failure to practice tzedakah [charity or justice]." Prohibitions on same-sex activities among men (#157) and bestiality (#155–156) are among

7392-603: The humane Christian concept of forgiveness and mercy, it took several centuries before Benedictus Levita's demands for legal reform began to take tangible shape within larger ecclesiastical initiatives. During the Medieval Inquisition , sects like the Cathars and Waldensians were not only persecuted for their heterodox beliefs, but were increasingly accused of fornication and sodomy. In 1307, accusations of sodomy and homosexuality were major charges levelled during

7504-469: The issue of the Knights Templar trials . An investigation was carried out by agents of the Pope to verify claims against the accused in the castle of Chinon in the diocese of Tours . According to this document and another Chinon Parchment (see below), Pope Clement V instructed cardinals to conduct the investigation of the accused Knights Templar. The cardinals therefore declare through this official statement directed to all who will read it . . . [that]

7616-408: The judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The Greek word in the New Testament from which the phrase is translated "giving themselves over to fornication", is ekporneuō ( ek and porneuō ). As one word, it

7728-503: The law have had a fundamental role in the historical definition and punishment of sodomy, sodomitical texts present considerable opportunities for ambiguity and interpretation. Sodomy is both a real occurrence and an imagined category. In the course of the eighteenth century, what is identifiable as sodomy often becomes identified with effeminacy, for example, or in opposition to a discourse of manliness. In this regard Ian McCormick has argued that an adequate and imaginative reading involves

7840-426: The laws of nature, pursuing a great and intemperate indulgence of gluttony, and drinking, and unlawful connections; for not only did they go mad after other women, and defile the marriage bed of others, but also those who were men lusted after one another, doing unseemly things, and not regarding or respecting their common nature, and though eager for children, they were convicted by having only an abortive offspring; but

7952-408: The lines of their previous testimonies given to French inquisitors) they were granted plenary absolution by the Pope on July 2, 1308. Clement V understood that his inquiry could not be complete without interrogating the leaders of the Order who remained at Chinon. The Pope arranged for three cardinals to visit Chinon as his plenipotentiaries. This allowed Clement V to finalize another stage of addressing

8064-445: The meaning for sodomy to all sexual acts not related to procreation that were therefore deemed counter nature (so for instance, even solitary masturbation and anal intercourse between a male and a female were covered), while among these, he still emphasized all interpersonal acts not taking place between human men and women, especially homosexuality. Benedictus Levita prescribed capital punishment for sodomy. Burning had been part of

8176-615: The meeting of Queen and future Saint Radegonde and Saint John of Chinon in the 6th century; the miracle of Saint Mexme saving Chinon from a siege with a rain and thunder storm in the 5th century; the death of Martin of Tours in Candes-Saint-Martin in 397; and the meeting of Joan of Arc and the future Charles VII in 1429. They were produced on commission by the Atelier Lobin in Tours in the 19th century. It also houses

8288-520: The mercy of pardons for these acts to Brother Jacques de Molay, the Grandmaster of the said Order, who in the form and manner described above had denounced in our presence the described and any other heresy, and swore in person on the Lord’s Holy Gospel, and humbly asked for the mercy of pardon [from excommunication], restoring him to unity with the Church and reinstating him to the communion of

8400-535: The number D 217 (see below for the other Chinon Parchment published by Étienne Baluze in 1693). The existence of this document has long been assumed. In the bull Faciens misericordiam , promulgated in August 1308, Clement V explained that Templar leaders were supposed to be brought to Poitiers in order to be questioned by the Pope himself, but "since some of them were so unwell at that time that they could not ride and could not by any means be brought into our ( i.e.

8512-408: The often ornate sculpted decorations of the late Gothic and early Renaissance period. The roofs are of slate, another particular regional architectural element. The quarter to the east was enclosed as well. It too lost these elements in the 1820s in an effort to open the town up to circulation and commerce. In this quarter one finds the parish church of Saint Etienne, and further the canons' quarter of

8624-432: The other bank a suburb on the way to the southern regions of the Poitou , important to the 12th century Plantagenets . The former fortified town at the foot of the castle contains a significant collection of old houses and narrow streets, including some half timber houses dating from the end of the 14th or the 15th centuries. The majority of the houses line the main street of this quarter, the rue Voltaire that then becomes

8736-537: The other tribes of Israel in revenge for a mob of its inhabitants raping and killing a woman. Many times in the Pentateuch and Prophets , writers use God's destruction of Sodom to demonstrate His awesome power. This happens in Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 1 , 3 , and 13 ; Jeremiah 49 and 50 ; Lamentations 4 ; Amos 4.11; and Zephaniah 2.9. Deuteronomy 32, Jeremiah 23.14, and Lamentations 4 reference

8848-409: The papal legate Cesare Borgia to bring the annulment papers from Jeanne de France , enabling him to marry Anne of Brittany in 1498, and thus solidifying an even more coherent French territory. In 1490, the commune of Chinon was the birthplace of the writer, humanist, humorist, philosopher and satirist François Rabelais , author of Gargantua and Pantagruel amongst other works, which figure in

8960-537: The principal trade routes, and the Vienne not only joins the fertile southern plains of the Poitou and the city of Limoges , but joining the Loire, gives access to both the seaport in Nantes and the Île-de-France Paris region, thus providing not only a natural protective barrier, but a source of wealth. The natural rocky outcrop that dominates the northern bank provides not only a natural fort and defensive position; it also acts as protection from flooding. Carved into

9072-625: The rightful heir to the throne. After interrogation to prove she had been sent on a mission from God and with the men and arms then accorded to her, she would go on to break the siege of Orléans in June and open the way for Charles to be crowned at Reims in July 1429. The meetings in Chinon with the future Charles VII of France and his acceptance of her constituted the turning point of the war, helping to establish both firmer national boundaries and sentiment. Chinon also served Louis XII as he waited for

9184-605: The rock and the second made adjacent to it at a later date. The chapel conserves some mural paintings, notably the Royal Hunt , made towards the end of the 12th century, the time of the power and residence of the Plantagenet family in Chinon. The fresco figures 5 riders, two of whom are crowned, and another with a bird of prey on his wrist. It has been presumed that it depicts members of the Plantagenet family in Chinon,

9296-427: The rue Haute Saint Maurice, originally Gallo-Roman, and also presents a number of hôtels particuliers , or town manor houses, some with graceful turrets, winding staircase towers, and decorative elements form the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. Others, more sober and classical, date from the following periods, with some fine examples from the 17th and 18th centuries. This street continues on past

9408-481: The sinfulness of Sodom, but do not specify any particular sin. Specific sins which Sodom is linked to by the prophets of the Hebrew Bible are adultery and lying ( Jeremiah 23:14 ). In Ezekiel 16 , a long comparison is made between Sodom and the kingdom of Judah . "Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they." (v. 47, NASB ) "Behold, this

9520-404: The south chapel are some 15th-century paintings that have been conserved, notably a Last Judgement , and a rare Fountain of Pity . A very fine 18th-century open-newel winding stone staircase leads from the narthex to the upper floor. The upper gallery contains mural paintings from the 13th century, and a rare and imposing crucifixion carved in stone near the top of the first façade also dating from

9632-747: The standard penalty for homosexual behavior, particularly common in Germanic protohistory (as according to Germanic folklore, sexual deviance and especially same-sex desire were caused by a form of malevolence or spiritual evil called nith , rendering those people characterized by it as non-human fiends, as nithings ). Benedictus Levita's rationale was that the punishment of such acts was to protect all Christendom from divine punishments, such as natural disasters for carnal sins committed by individuals, but also for heresy, superstition, and paganism. Because his crucial demands for capital punishment had been so unheard of in ecclesiastical history previously, based upon

9744-402: The strangers so that they may "know" them (a euphemism for sexual intercourse). Lot protests that the messengers are his guests and offers the Sodomites his virgin daughters instead, but then they threaten to "do worse" with Lot than they would with his guests. Then the angels strike the Sodomites blind, "so that they wearied themselves to find the door". (Genesis 19:4–11, KJV ) In current usage

9856-412: The strangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his house; and promised that if their inclinations could not be governed, he would expose his daughters to their lust, instead of these strangers; neither thus were they made ashamed." ( Antiquities 1.11.1,3 – c. 96CE). His assessment goes beyond the Biblical data, though it is seen by conservatives as defining what manner of fornication (Jude 1:7) Sodom

9968-517: The term sodomy , which is derived from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis , was commonly restricted to homosexual anal sex. Sodomy laws in many countries criminalized the behavior. In the Western world, many of these laws have been overturned or are routinely not enforced. A person who practices sodomy is sometimes referred to as a sodomite , a pejorative term. The term

10080-501: The term is particularly used in law. Laws prohibiting sodomy were seen frequently in past Jewish, Christian, and Islamic civilizations, but the term has little modern usage outside Africa, Asia, and the United States. These laws in the United States have been challenged and have sometimes been found unconstitutional or been replaced with different legislation. The word sod , a noun or verb (to "sod off") used as an insult,

10192-425: The text details the appearances of the accused, their swearings-in, the charges against them, and the modes of questioning to which they were subjected. In the interrogation of de Molay, When he was asked whether he had confessed to these things due to a request, reward, gratitude, favour, fear, hatred or persuasion by someone else, or the use of force, or fear of impending torture, he replied that he did not. When he

10304-401: The town until the Revolution when it was deconsecrated. A lack of necessary upkeep would lead to its partial collapse in 1817. The remaining largely Romanesque church retains its first façade , now found in the interior, and its nave , both from the year 1000 A.D. The nave is characterized by its horizontal lines: rows of large arcades and a series of high windows topped by a string course and

10416-406: The town. During Antiquity, a natural underground spring at the back of the actual chapel was a site used for pagan worship. The site was Christianized in the 6th century when Queen Radegonde , later named a Saint, supposedly came to visit the hermit John who lived there. The name of the sanctuary comes from this event. Two naves were created, starting in the 12th century. One is carved directly into

10528-606: The transition from Flamboyant Gothic to Renaissance architecture . The church was repainted in the 19th century, inspired by the restoration of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, and received new stained glass windows commissioned from the Atelier Lobin in Tours . The church of Saint Maurice is the most likely location of Joan of Arc 's prayer, while in Chinon in 1429. The church of Saint Etienne, or Saint Stephen in English,

10640-436: The truth by questioning the grandmaster and the aforementioned preceptors one-by-one and individually, having summoned notaries public and trustworthy witnesses. (Chinon Parchment dated August 17–20, 1308) Raymbaud de Caron was the first to be interrogated, on August 17, 1308. After this oath, by the authority of [the] lord Pope specifically granted to us for that purpose, we extended to this humbly asking Brother Raymbaud, in

10752-467: The two crowned figures possibly being Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine , or their son Henry the Younger, crowned during his father's lifetime in 1170. In addition to its subject matter, this painting is of outstanding quality in its execution, its vivacity and the variety of colours. Other paintings, depicting the story of Saint Radegonde and Saint John, were made during the 17th century. The chapel

10864-654: The very same lord Pope wishing and intending to know the pure, complete, and uncompromised truth from the leaders of the said Order, namely Brother Jacques de Molay, Grandmaster of the Order of Knights Templar, Brother Raymbaud de Caron, Preceptor [of] the commanderies of Templar Knights in Outremer , Brother Hugo de Pérraud , Preceptor of France , Brother Geoffroy de Gonneville, Preceptor of Aquitania and Poitou , and Geoffroy de Charney , Preceptor of Normandy , ordered and commissioned us specifically and by his verbally expressed will in order that we might with diligence examine

10976-481: The word "sodomy" to male homosexual intercourse were Emperor Justinian I 's amendments to his Corpus iuris civilis ; novels no. 77 (dating 538) and no. 141 (dating 559) declared that Sodom's sin had been specifically same-sex activities and desire for them. He also linked "famines, earthquakes, and pestilences" upon cities as being due to "such crimes," during a time of recent earthquakes and other disasters (see Extreme weather events of 535–536 ). While adhering to

11088-663: The word for sodomy, لواط (Arabic pronunciation: liwāṭ ; Persian pronunciation lavât ), is derived from the same source as in Western culture, with much the same connotations as English (referring to most sexual acts prohibited by the Qur'an ). Its direct reference is to Lot (لوط Lūṭ in Arabic) and a more literal interpretation of the word is "the practice of Lot", but more accurately it means "the practice of Lot's people" (the Sodomites) rather than Lot himself. While religion and

11200-495: The word sodomite in the King James Version. The Book of Wisdom , which is included in the Biblical canon by Orthodox and Catholics, makes reference to the story of Sodom, further emphasizing that their sin had been failing to practice hospitality: And punishments came upon the sinners not without former signs by the force of thunders: for they suffered justly according to their own wickedness, insomuch as they used

11312-600: The writers had "restored them to the Sacraments and to the unity of the Church". Chinon Chinon ( French pronunciation: [ʃinɔ̃] ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department , Centre-Val de Loire , France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine , became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginning in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Renaissance châteaux which they built new or erected on

11424-543: Was 92. Among these 66 countries, 44 of them criminalize not only male homosexuality but also female homosexuality. In 11 of them, homosexuality is punished with the death penalty. Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism , Christianity, the Baháʼí Faith , and Islam ) have traditionally affirmed and endorsed a patriarchal and heteronormative approach towards human sexuality , favouring exclusively penetrative vaginal intercourse between men and women within

11536-400: Was asked whether he, after being apprehended, was submitted to any questioning or torture , he replied that he was not. The text further details the denunciations, requests by the accused of absolution, and the granting of absolution by the agents of the pope. All this was always in the presence of witnesses. Part of the pardons given to Molay thus reads: After this, we concluded to extend

11648-419: Was deconsecrated following the Revolution and used as dwelling places. In 1878, it was bought and restored as a sanctuary by a benefactress of Chinon, Madame Charre. The church of Saint Maurice is the parish church of the town, going thru several architectural evolutions. The oldest portion, the bell tower, is Romanesque , dating from the beginning of the 12th century. The nave and the choir both date from

11760-659: Was given to. Homosexual intercourse between males was possibly denounced in pre-6th century Jewish and Christian writings, such as the Epistle to the Romans or John Chrysostom 's fourth homily on Romans and attributed to Sodom by the Jewish philosopher Philo (20 BCE – 50 CE) and the Christian bishop Methodius of Olympus (260–311) and possible by Flavius Josephus (37–100) Augustine of Hippo , (354–430) and some pseudepigraphacal texts. The first attested applications of

11872-468: Was not a capital offence. Sodomy crimes in England could mean "sexually assaulting a young child", and could result in a sentence of death recorded , i.e., not an actual death sentence at all. In 18th century France, sodomy was still theoretically a capital crime, and there are a handful of cases where sodomites were executed. However, in several of these, other crimes were involved as well. Records from

11984-555: Was rebuilt and extended, becoming his administrative center and a favourite residence. It was where court was frequently held during the Angevin Empire . On Henry's death at the castle in 1189, Chinon first passed to his eldest surviving son from his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine , Richard I the Lionheart . On Richard's death in 1199, it then passed to the youngest of their children, John Lackland . King John would lose

12096-542: Was supported by the Inquisition trials. An examination of trials for rape and sodomy during the 18th century at the Old Bailey in London shows that the treatment of rape was often lenient, while the treatment of sodomy was often severe. However, the difficulty of proving that penetration and ejaculation had occurred meant that men were often convicted of the lesser charge of "assault with sodomitical intent", which

12208-415: Was the fourth Templar to be interrogated. The Grandmaster was interrogated last, on August 20, 1308. According to the document, all interrogations of the accused, spanning August 17 to 20, 1308, were always in the presence of the notaries public and the gathered witnesses. Among the accusations were sodomy , denouncing God, illicit kisses , spitting on the cross , and worshipping an idol . The body of

12320-514: Was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. (vss. 49–50, NASB) (The Hebrew for the word "thus" is the conjunction "ו" which is usually translated "and", therefore KJV, NIV, and CEV omit the word entirely.) There is no explicit mention of any sexual sin in Ezekiel's summation and "abomination"

12432-430: Was the only open space during the Middle Ages which was developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the architectural elements date from this period. It now presents a square sheltered by trees with outdoor restaurants tables. The town of Chinon also offers an unusual variety of perspectives, allowing one to take its measure in several ways: from the bank opposite the castle, or river by boat, from which one can fully see

12544-566: Was used describe members of the Bogomils , a heretical sect originating in 10th century Bulgaria , as well as the related French Albigenses . The first use of the word "buggery" appears in Middle English in 1330 where it is associated with "abominable heresy"; though the sexual sense of "bugger" is not recorded until 1555. The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology quotes a similar form: "bowgard" (and "bouguer"), but claims that

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