Wood Engravings
of  the
19th Century

Inquisition
against the
VAUDOIS

1870
 

"Pope Pius IV and His Cardinals
Witnessing the Death of (John Lewis) Paschal
From an Ancient Engraving"
Wood engraving
Image: 11.5 x 15 cm
 

"Martyrdom of a Vaudois"
Wood engraving
Image: 11.5 x 15 cm
 

"Blazing Ovens Filled with Vaudois (1655 - 1665)"
Image from the time of the events
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Thrown from a Precipice
A Picture Taken at the Time (1655 - 1665)"
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Impalement (1655)"
Image from the time of the events
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Vaudois Burned Alive in Pairs"
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Vaudois Women Buried Alive -
From a Contemporary Engraving"
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Children Torn to Pieces by Papists (1655)"
Image from the time of the events
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

"Heads Blown off With Powder (1655)"
Image from the time of the events
Wood engraving
Image: 8.8 x 11.5 cm
 

The Inquisition

Beginning in the 12th century,  the Roman Catholic Church initiated formal prosecution against anyone dissenting with the teachings of the Church and/or authority of the Papacy.  Baptized Christians who erred in their faith could be accused of heresy, and secular non-Christians could be charged with blasphemy.  Torture and death were the common punishments for those found guilty.  The institution was known as The Inquisition, which in its various forms has lasted over 800 years.  The surviving, present day form of this institution is The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, renamed such in 1965.

The Vaudois

One of the earliest and most persistently hounded targets of the Inquisition were the Waldenses, a North Italy community of faithful who questioned aspects of official Church doctrine and practice.  Founded by one Peter Waldo in 1177, the Waldenses suffered for nearly 700 years for their particular form of piety. The Vaudois, as they were called in French, were particularly persistent in their beliefs, and suffered with focused intensity.  Thousands and thousands were tortured and murdered by the emissaries of the Pope and it was not until 1848 that they were granted religious and civil rights by King Charles Albert of Sardinia.  A ragtag remnant of Waldenses or Vaudois formed a settlement in North Carolina and still thrives there.

The Images

The images presented here were published in 1870 in Harpers New Monthly Magazine (No CCXLII - July 1870 - Vol. XLI).  They were collected from the work of several 19th century artists who chose to vividly illustrate the horrors of the persecution of the Vaudois.  They are original wood engravings.

For further information about the engravings, or the Vaudois,
Contact the gallery by email

Imagi Gallery

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