The Constance Tower

The story of Marie Durand – Imprisoned 38 years for her faith in Jesus Christ

Marie Durand is an emblematic figure among the French Protestants of the 18th century. She was born on July 15th, 1711 and died at the age of 65 in July 1776 in her house in Bouschet-de-Pranles (Ardèche, France). At 19 years old, she was imprisoned inside the Constance Tower, at the corner of the fortified walls surrounding the city of Aigues-Mortes. [NOTE: The walls and tower still exist to this day: https://www.google.com/maps/@43.568594,4.1892842,3a,75y,96.41h,110.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6ViXkO9AqCAhSj2CSupWZQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en]

She would remain a prisoner in this tower from August 25th, 1730 until April 14th, 1768 or nearly 38 years of captivity.

Marie is the daughter of Etienne Durand, a consular clerk, and Claudine Gamonet. Her parents had to adopt officially the Catholic Religion but they kept they reformed faith and gave their children a protestant religious education. Marie was baptized 2 days after her birth and registered in the catholic church of her village so that her existence would be legal. Marie’s brother, Pierre Durand (1700-1732), after being trained in theology in Geneva, became one of “Pastors of the Desert” [a movement of clandestine Pastors who decided to remain in France and risk their lives after protestants were made outlaws in France].

To really understand the circumstances that led to Marie and Pierre Durand’s imprisonment, we have to understand the historical context. October 18th, 1685, Louis XIV, King of France, just signed the Edict of Fontainebleau. It rescinds the Edict of Nantes of 1598 where King Henri IV had given liberties to protestants to worship in the kingdom. With this new Edict, Louis XIV forbids all gathering and worship for all protestants in France. Those discovered to be in infraction had to either recant or be sentenced to forced labor aboard ships for men, convent for children or prison for women.

The Durand family held strong to their protestant faith and for them, recanting was not an option. Their faith was anchored deeply in the Word of God, thanks to Etienne and Claudine’s discipline in teaching their children, the same discipline that will be the basis of Marie’s hope during her 38 years in prison. So they kept worshiping in hiding.

In 1715, the house prayer meeting is discovered by the authorities. Marie’s mother is arrested immediately and nobody ever heard from her again. Peter leaves for Switzerland to study and to become a Pastor. Etienne remains alone with her 4-year-old daughter. For 10 years, he will make Marie read and learn the Bible diligently as well as teach her his protestant convictions.

In 1729, Etienne Durand was arrested and imprisoned in an island fortress 60 miles away. He would stay there 14 years. When he was released in 1743, his daughter Marie had been prisoner for 13 years in the Constance Tower. They would never see each other again.

In 1730, Marie’s brother Pierre was arrested during a home worship service and imprisoned. He was 30 years old. Two (2) years later, on April 22nd, 1732, he was hanged.

Marie got married to Mathieu Serres in May 1730. Two months later they were both arrested during a home worship service. Her husband is sentenced without trail to life imprisonment and joins his father-in-law Etienne in the same jail. He would remain there for 20 years. Marie is now alone and finds herself in the Constance Tower jail for women where, as we know, she would spend the next 38 years of her life.

Those who visited that tower, with its 19ft thick stone walls, can barely begin to imagine the conditions in which Marie spent all those years: humidity, cold winter winds, constant darkness, promiscuity. Sometimes the prisoners were allowed to breathe fresh air on the terrace. A lot of women died in the Constance Tower from illness, fever, starvation and sorrow. In 1755, in one of her letters to her niece, Marie writes: “We suffered terribly this winter. We did not have any food save for some green wood. The most we received was some snow on the terrace; nobody came to our help”. And then she quoted Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him”

All those years, Marie never renounced her beliefs, would encourage, support her fellow prisoners and wrote numerous letters to those who would send help and to her niece in Geneva. In January 1767, a local governor visiting the prison was horrified by the living conditions. He orders their release and although a minister of Louis XV tried to oppose him, 14 women were freed on April 14th, 1768, including Marie Durand and another lady, Marie Robert who was there for 41 years. It would take another 8 months for the last two women to be freed.

Marie Durand was free but had nothing but the clothes on her back and full of rheumatism. She returned to her empty family house and died 8 years later, aged prematurely by her years in captivity.

Marie Durand is an emblem of resistance and perseverance. Despite her persecutions and her imprisonment, she never renounced her faith and beliefs in Jesus Christ. To God be the glory that her story is not forgotten, as testimony to us, some 250 years later.