Vaudois

Vaudois (or Waldensians). Heretical Christian sect which grew out of an anti-sacerdotal movement begun by Peter Waldo of Lyon in the 12th c. Practising apostolic poverty and moral austerity, they established a strong presence in rural regions, particularly the Alps, and like the Cathars were much persecuted. In the 16th c. they began to make common cause with the Reformation. In spite of a ferocious massacre in Provence in 1545 and another in 1655 (which provoked Milton's sonnet ‘Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints’), they survived into the 20th c. on a small scale, mainly in Piedmont.

[Peter France]

Vaudois can have three meanings:

• The inhabitants of the Swiss canton of Vaud.
• A dialect of the Franco-Provençal language spoken in Vaud.
• The French language term for the Christian group the Waldensians.

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)