Antoine Court (27 March 1696 – 13 June 1760) was a French reformer called the "Restorer of Protestantism in France ." He was born in Villeneuve-de-Berg , in Languedoc , on 27 March 1696, although at least one source lists a different date. His parents were peasants , adherents of the Reformed church , which was at the time a target of state persecution following the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau .
2-683: Antoine (sometimes translated as Anthony) was ordained by Pierre Corties at a Synod in 1718. He founded a school for clergy and encouraged Paul Rabaut to join the ministry of the church. When he was 17 years old, Court began to speak at secret meetings of the Protestants , and in 1715 he convoked the first Synod of the Desert , or synod of the French Reformed Church. He was ordained in 1718, and continued holding religious gatherings for Protestants across France. His proposals for
4-534: The improvement of the French Protestant church were: In 1724, France issued a decree that further criminalized Protestantism, and made preaching punishable by death. A price was set on Court's head, and in 1729 he fled to Lausanne , Switzerland , where there was a seminary for Protestant clergyman. He founded a college there for the education of the clergy, and was the chief director there until his death on 13 June 1760. This college sent forth all of
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