Observations placeholder
Lengley-Dufresnoy - 1 February 1620, Quimper-Corentin, France - Green flying creature
Identifier
028957
Type of Spiritual Experience
None
Background
A description of the experience
As quoted in Wonders In The Sky - Unexplained Aerial Objects From Antiquity To Modern Times - and Their Impact on Human Culture, History, and Beliefs - Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck
Many witnesses: thunder falls on the cathedral. A green "demon" is seen inside the fire.
"On Saturday a great disaster took place in the town of Quimper-Corentin; namely that a beautiful and tall pyramid (note: bell tower) covered with lead, being atop the nave of the great church, and over the cross of that said nave, was burnt by the lightning and fire from the sky, from the top down to the said nave, without any way to remedy it.
"And to know the beginning and the end, it is that about seven and a half to eight in the morning, there was a clap of thunder and terrible lightning, and at that instant was seen a horrible and frightening demon, taking advantage of a great downpour of hail, seizing the said pyramid from the top under the cross, being the said demon of green color, having a long tail of the same color. No fire or smoke appeared on the said pyramid, until about one in the afternoon, when smoke started coming out from the top of it, and lasted a quarter of an hour, and from the same place fire appeared, while it ran higher and lower, so that it became so large and frightening that it was feared the whole church would burn, and not only the church but the whole town.
"All the treasures of the church were taken outside; neighbors (of the church) had their goods transported as far as they could, in fear of the fire. There were more than 400 men to extinguish the fire, and they could not do anything to stop it. Processions went around the church and other churches, all in prayers. Finally, for all resolution, holy relics were placed on the nave of the said church, near and before the fire. Gentlemen of the Chapter (in absence of Monsignor the Bishop) began conjuring this evil demon, which everyone could see clearly in the fire, sometimes green, yellow, and blue. (They) threw Agnus Dei into it, and nearly a hundred and fifty barrels of water, forty or fifty carts of manure, yet the fire went on burning.
"For an ultimate resolution a loaf of rye bread worth four sols was thrown into it, within which a consecrated host had been placed, then holy water with the milk of a wet nurse of good morals, and all that was thrown into the fire; at once the demon was forced to leave the fire and before getting out it made such trouble that we all seemed to be burned, and he left at six hours and a half on the said day, without doing any damage (thank God) except for the total ruin of the said pyramid, which is of the consequence of twelve thousand ecus at least.
"This evil being out, the fire was conquered. And shortly afterwards, the loaf of rye bread was found still intact, without any damage, except that the crust was somewhat blackened. And about eight or nine and a half, after the fire was out, the bell rang to assemble the people, to give graces to God. The gentlemen of the Chapter, with the choir and musicians, sang the Te Deum and a Stabat Mater, in the chapel of the Trinity, at nine in the evening."
Source: Lengley-Dufresnoy Vol. I, Part 2, 109, citing La Vision Publique d'un Horrible et tres Epouvantable Demon, sur l’Eglise Cathedrale de Quimper-Corentin, en Bretagne, le Premier Jour de ce mois de Fevrier 1620. Lequel Demon consuma une pyramide par le feu, etysurvlnt un grand tonnerre etfeu du Ciel (A Paris, chez Abraham Saugrain, en l'lsle du Palais, jouxte la copie imprimee a Rennes par Jean Durand, rue Saint Thomas, pres les Carmes, 1620).