Nancy (Lorraine, France)

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Nancy (pop. 121,000 in 1955), capital of the former province of Lorraine, is a city in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, in northeastern France. In the second half of the 18th century some Mennonites located in the vicinity of this city. They had been expelled from Alsace by Louis XIV in 1712. Many of them turned to Lorraine, which was at that time not a part of France. Several families had also settled on farms in the bishopric of Metz, and lived there unmolested; since they were considered Swiss.

In 1766, when Lorraine became French, Louis XV inquired about the Mennonites. Since the reports were favorable, they were left in peace until the Revolution brought freedom of religion to all.

The families lived widely scattered on isolated farms and mills; they met as a congregation in the homes of the more prosperous members. As is often the case with small groups, they were subject to disintegrating influences and the congregation declined steadily. The union of part of the congregation with Luneville-Dieuze in 1893 did not stem the decline. In World War I the congregation was in the zone of battle. Meetings were disrupted. The elders of the congregation died during or right after the war; the congregation was unable to organize again. Although there were still several families in the city and the vicinity in the 1950s, there have been no services there since the war. The Mennonite Central Committee operated a children's home at Nancy in 1945-1950.

Bibliography

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 199.


Author(s) Pierre Sommer
Date Published 1957

Cite This Article

MLA style

Sommer, Pierre. "Nancy (Lorraine, France)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Nancy_(Lorraine,_France)&oldid=76088.

APA style

Sommer, Pierre. (1957). Nancy (Lorraine, France). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Nancy_(Lorraine,_France)&oldid=76088.




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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 811. All rights reserved.


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