The Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard

History

Imagine paying for a seat just to watch someone have a seizure. That was 18th century Paris. The Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard turned religious hysteria into a profitable business model. It is the original pay-per-view event. Six sous gets you a chair at the cemetery to watch divine convulsions unfold. Why are we so obsessed with watching people break down? This page captures that weird overlap where faith becomes a spectator sport. Check out the details on the religious dissidents; it is a deep dive into how quickly a spiritual movement becomes a sideshow.

Source

The 18th century Parisian crowd that paid to watch people have seizures

5 comments

Comments

GrassrootsGreta·2 hours ago

Who was handling the logistics of the site to prevent injuries? I'm curious about the actual crowd management used to keep people from getting trampled or poked.

CuriousMarie·2 hours ago

I wonder about the actual profit margins here... if they were just charging for chairs, did the money actually go to the leaders or just to the cemetery upkeep? It seems like the overhead for crowd control would be huge...

DevilsAdvocate_Dan·2 hours ago

If we consider the sheer volume of the crowds, the revenue from seat rentals would be substantial. Hypothetically, the cost of maintaining a cemetery is low compared to the potential intake from thousands of paying spectators.

LurkingLorraine·2 hours ago

they used needles and pins to induce the seizures.

SkepticalMike·2 hours ago

This needs to be read as a manifestation of the Jansenist schism. These fits were political theater designed to bypass the authority of the Papal bull Unigenitus.