People still remember the St Bartholomew Day Massacre because it is an important piece of history. Although the incident happened many years ago, this day is observed every year to commemorate the horrors of that day. At that time the Catholic majority conducted violence against the French Protestant minority. In the first two months of 1572, they killed more than a thousand people.

There is much more to know about this day that you are going to know through this article. Especially as a Christian community you should know about the events of this time. Moreover, you may not know much about how the day is celebrated and what is commemorated. However, take a look at the later sections of the article to get a complete idea about it.

When St Bartholomew Day?

The day is basically observed on 24th August every year. Ever since that massacre, the day has gained immense importance and people have been observing it ever since. Basically, a list of those who were planned to be killed was prepared in advance and they were brutally beaten and then killed before dawn on 24th August.

History of St Bartholomew Day

This incident happened when Charles IX was the king of France. Originally Charles IX and his mother Catherine de Medici planned and then ordered the assassination of the Huguenot Protestant leaders. They began a massacre that killed thousands of Huguenots all over France.

They had already planned this. In fact, two days earlier Catherine had ordered a Huguenot leader to be arrested who was taking her son to a possible war with Spain. Although he planned to assassinate the Huguenot leader, Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, Coligny was not killed but wounded. Coligni did not know that Charles and his mother planned to kill him.

Furthermore, in order to appease the Huguenots, he said that he would investigate it, but did not because his mother prevented it. Later, Catherine tries to convince her son that the Coligni will turn rebellious at any moment so they should be killed. As a result, Catherine later ordered the execution of all Huguenot leaders.

Unfortunately, most of the Huguenots were staying in France at the time and as a result, most of them were massacred. The massacre continued until October of the same year and spread throughout France. You may be surprised to know that only 3,000 French Protestants died, and about 70,000 people lost their lives throughout France.

How to Observe?

Various plans are made to celebrate Bartholomew Day and the day is celebrated with various activities. Both children and adults participate in various activities on this day. One of the most popular children’s events is the Bun Race. It is basically a competition where each participant gets a bun. St. Bartholomew, There are many ruins in Rome that people visit to relive that fateful day.

Besides, going to church and praying to God in honor of the day when thousands of religious leaders died. In England, this day was celebrated primarily as a harvest festival for farmers. But before the celebration, no doubt its history will thrill you as a religious civil war broke out during that time.

5 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

• In 325 A.D., Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• Jesus is accepted as a prophet by Islam.
• The first mass-produced “Bible” was issued in 1455.
• The Philippines has the largest Christian population in Asia.
• John 3:16 is the most frequently cited “Bible” verse worldwide.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Wishes

• _St. Bartholomew’s Day reminds us of the dreadful massacre that took place in the name of religion. We should learn from the past and avoid such intra-religion strife and factionalism in the future.
• _History has seen a lot of massacres but nothing can be compared to that of St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _On St. Bartholomew’s Day we pray that peace and harmony prevail all over the world.
• _All of us should remember one thing on St. Bartholomew’s Day, we all are the children of the same Almighty Lord and therefore it is pointless to fight against each other in the name of religion.
• _Let us all pray to the Lord and ask for his blessings on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _On the occasion of St. Bartholomew’s Day, we should try to bridge all the gaps between Catholic and Protestant groups. It gives us the opportunity to promote brotherhood in Christianity.
• _St. Bartholomew’s Day points out the need to show tolerance and respect to the beliefs and views of different religions.
• _Let us all spread the message of peace and love on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _We should stop spreading hatred and violence in the name of religion on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _On St. Bartholomew’s Day we should recognize the fact that freedom of conscience and religion is an essential component of any civilized society and all of us should try our best to protect it.
• _The biggest religion of this world is human and all of us should remember this fact on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _Today is St. Bartholomew’s Day, the day on which it was proved that human beings can go to any extent to further their vested interests.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Quotes, Messages

• If Lord Jesus was alive then he would have been ashamed to see what happened on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _People seek peace and spiritual emancipation in a particular religion but if that religion indulges in violent activities then all of us should abandon it on the occasion of St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _On St. Bartholomew’s Day we should learn to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong.
• _True religion will always preach forgiveness, tolerance, and empathy.
• _Today is St. Bartholomew’s Day and all of us should come together to celebrate the diversity in our thoughts and religious views.
• _Let us say goodbye to religious fundamentalism on St. Bartholomew’s Day and try to promote the message of friendship and peaceful coexistence.
• _We should be brave in confronting any kind of religious fanaticism that is taking place in any part of the world on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _Let us abandon all kinds of superstitious thoughts and beliefs from our mind on St. Bartholomew’s Day.  It is the day on which we should start leading a life based on scientific values.
• _We should avoid being communal and try to be religious on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _St. Bartholomew’s Day is an undoubtedly a black dot in the history of the sixteenth century Reformation movement.
• _History will never forgive and forget the heinous crime committed by the Catholics on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _Let us begin our search for the ultimate truth on St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _The religion of Christianity appears to be the most tolerant but when we go through its history we come across the massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day.
• _We all wish to see a world in which people can practice and propagate their religion without any fear.
• _On St. Bartholomew’s Day let us educate everyone about the need to show compassion towards other religions.
• _Let us put an end to the dogmatic religious thoughts on St. Bartholomew’s Day and try to promote pluralism.

However, you probably now have enough idea about St Bartholomew Day. So many protestant leaders have been killed in history. Imagine the terrible situation in France at that time. Even some common people lost their lives due to this violence. Such a civil war is never desirable and to commemorate this day various activities including prayers are being celebrated in the church year after year. Even if you are not a Christian, such a great history will surely surprise you.