The Priest Who Loved the Revolution

We are in the middle of the French revolution in Brittany. Our ‘hero’, who has become a priest just before 1789, embraces the new philosophical ideas and finds it completely reasonable, unlike most of his colleagues, to support the political revolution, to get rid of the established order whilst preaching the Christian gospel. He is elected priest of the parish of St Broladre to replace his exiled predecessor who, like most Breton priests, could not agree to the new constitution of the clergy. He tries very hard to demonstrate, in this small parish on the bay of Mt St Michel, that one can be a good Christian whilst fighting for greater social justice. His enthusiasm for the revolution leads to his election on various local and regional assemblies. Leading a delegation to Paris to obtain much-needed subsidies from the central government, he comes back a very different man, full of his own importance, and a disciple of Danton—Robespierre’s best friend before he became his enemy. This radical change of attitude will cause our priest to take outrageous, even criminal decisions which will have a great impact in the local area. Will he be punished as he should be or will he evade his just desserts thanks to his powerful political network? His very real story has many ups and downs.