Baccarat (Lorraine, France)
Baccarat is a commune of perhaps 4,500 pop., approximately 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Nancy in the Meurthe Valley of French-speaking Lorraine, known chiefly in the 1950s for its production of crystal and cut-glass. A congregation of Amish Mennonite derivation took its name from the city, where its meetings have been held since 1882, in a room rented on the property of one of the members in the hamlet of St. Christophe. Before that time meetings were held in homes. The date of the organization of the congregation is unknown, but it was probably formed during the first half of the 19th century by members of the congregations of Salm and Hang in the Vosges and Bitsche and Zweibrücken in the Saar Valley. The common family names were Salzmann, Egli, Sommer, Haury, Kremer, Neuhauser, Ropp, Backer, Rüfenacht (written Riebenacht or Rouvenacht), and Schmoucker. The first known elder of the congregation, Pierre Sommer of Mignéville, died in 1880. The French language was introduced between 1875 and 1880 under the leadership of Jean Sommer, who was also responsible for a re-edition of the catechism booklet (translated from the Zweibrücken catechism) in 1898.
After its formation in 1907 a branch of this congregation, numbering originally 26, met quarterly in Gerbéviller for those members living farther west. The membership decreased steadily from 150 in 1888 to 75 in 1930; in 1952 there were approximately 40 members remaining, including children. Meetings were held monthly at St. Christophe, being served chiefly by the traveling ministers of the conference.
Bibliography
Sommer, Pierre. "Assemblee de Baccarat." Christ Seul (Feb. 1931): 6-9.
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. I, 101.
Additional Information
Address: Église Évangélique Mennonite, 28 rue de la Division Leclerc, Baccarat
Phone: 03 83 75 46 09
Denominational Affiliation: Association des Églises Évangéliques Mennonites de France
Maps
| Author(s) | John Howard Yoder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1955 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Yoder, John Howard. "Baccarat (Lorraine, France)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1955. Web. 23 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Baccarat_(Lorraine,_France)&oldid=143879.
APA style
Yoder, John Howard. (1955). Baccarat (Lorraine, France). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 23 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Baccarat_(Lorraine,_France)&oldid=143879.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 203. All rights reserved.
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