The papal triumvirate: de Perillos, de Luna & Ferrer

 

A family history

Avignon

The origins of the Perillos family remain shrouded in controversy. Some believe that they came to the region from elsewhere in France, others that they already were the local landlords from ca. 1100 AD. Still, it is from the early 14th century onwards that the lords of Perillos will quickly rise to the highest offices – both in Spain and in France.

At the start of the 14th century, the genealogy of the Perillos family is largely unknown. There are various possibilities offered by the experts, as well as the Perillos family itself, but in the best of interpretations, there remains a gap of two centuries, ending in the early 14th century.
By 1352, the head of the family, Francois de Perillos, had become chamberlain of king Peter of Aragon. The king would create the viscouncy of Roddes in 1366, giving it to de Perillos. The sphere of influence of this noble family, located on the borders between the kingdoms of Spain and France, would also go to the French king Charles V, as Francois became Admiral of France in 1368, until his death shortly afterwards.

His son and successor Ramon would continue to move in the circles of the Aragon and French courts, as well as the papal offices. It were such alliances that made John of Aragon create the viscouncy of Perillos. Ramon himself married Violentina de Luna and was the centre of the political power in the area around Perpignan – which included the village of Perillos itself. After the death of John of Aragon and a pilgrimage to Ireland, Ramon would become a chief advisor to the Pope, with whom he shared family connections.

Papal Support

Anti-pope Clement VII, elected in 1378, sent Pedro de Luna as legate to Spain for the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, and to Portugal, in order to win them over to the obedience of the Avignon pope. Owing to his powerful relations, his influence in the Province of Aragon was very great. Why should it not be? Doña Maria de Luna, Queen of Aragon, was his father’s cousin.
In 1393, Clement VII appointed him legate to France, Brabant, Flanders, Scotland, England and Ireland. As such he stayed principally in Paris, this at a time when Ramon de Perillos was also there, on his way to Ireland. We can only wonder whether Ramon’s pilgrimage might have had a political component, as he would, upon his return, work for the pope.

Pedro de Luna was elected Pope in 1394, taking the name of Benedict XIII. His election on September 28 was unanimous, based on his desire to put an end to the schism, even if he had to renounce the papal dignity. After his election he solemnly renewed his promises given during the conclave, to work for the re-establishment of unity, and if necessary to renounce the papacy in order to put an end to the schism. As he was only a deacon, he was made a priest on October 3, and on October 11 was consecrated bishop and enthroned as pope.
He would reign as an antipope of Avignon until 1417, when he was deposed at the Council of Constance. He died at Peniscola, near Valencia, either on November 29, 1422 or May 23, 1423.

Benedict’s relationship with France was rocky at best and often he or his cardinals felt they had to leave Avignon – or were forced to leave. On May 25, 1408, the king declared that France was neutral towards both papal pretenders. A number of cardinals thus met to discuss the abdication of both popes. Benedict XIII himself fled to the Roussillon, and called a council at Perpignan which opened on November 21, 1408.
Both popes, Benedict XIII and Gregory XII, were deposed at the Council of Pisa. By February 1, 1409, the 18 remaining bishops advised him to send ambassadors to Pisa to negotiate with Gregory. The delegation arrived too late. In spite of this, the Avignon pope was still recognized by Scotland, Aragon, Castile and Sicily.

With Avignon no longer accessible to him, Benedict resided at Perpignan from 1408 onwards. It became the new “Vatican”. Emperor Sigismund went there, on September 19, 1415, an emissary from the Council of Constance, in order to urge the abdication of Benedict, but without avail.

Vincent Ferrer

Vincent Ferrer no doubt would never have been a famous Dominican missionary if it had not been for Benedict XIII. His brother was Boniface Ferrer, the General of the Carthusians Order. Boniface himself was employed by Benedict XIII in important diplomatic missions. He was one of the delegates sent by Benedict to Pisa in 1409.

Vincent studied for the priesthood and preached in Barcelona. In 1377, he continued his studies in Toulouse. In 1379, Vincent was retained by then Cardinal de Luna. Ferrer was convinced of the legitimacy of the claims of the Avignon pontiffs and was one of their strongest champions. After a five-year spell (1385 to 1390) teaching theology in the cathedral of Valencia, he continued his apostolic work while in Pedro de Luna’s suite. He became the personal confessor of Queen Yolanda of Aragon (1391-5), a period when Ramon de Perillos had been both at the Aragon court and later at the papal office.
About this time, Ferrer was cited before the Inquisiton for preaching publicly that “Judas had done penance”, but Pedro de Luna, now Benedict XIII, cited the case before his tribunal and burned the papers. Benedict then called him to Avignon and appointed him confessor and Apostolic penitentiary.

In 1398, an attack of fever brought Vincent to death’s door, resulting in an apparition of Christ, accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Francis. It was a life-transforming moment, which apparently equipped the preacher with certain supernatural powers. It may not be a coincidence that in the 15th century, it would be the church of St Francis of Assisi in Perpignan that some of the nobles of the Perillos family would be buried.
Vincent was miraculously cured and sent to preach penance and prepare men for the coming judgment. The Apocalypse, Ferrer believed, was near… For twenty years he traversed Western Europe, preaching penance for sin and preparation for judgment. He was followed by an army of penitents drawn from every rank of society, who desired to remain under his guidance. Commentators have noted that Vincent was ever watchful of his disciples, and never did the breath of scandal touch this strange assemblage, even though his followers sometimes numbered 10,000.
It is also difficult to understand how he could make himself understood by the many nationalities he evangelized, as he could speak only Limousin, the language of Valencia. Many of his biographers hold that he was endowed with the gift of tongues, an opinion supported by Nicholas Clemangis, a doctor of the University of Paris, who had heard him preach.

In 1408, Vincent hoped that the meeting between the two popes would be successful, but when the encounter did not occur, Vincent returned to Spain, a disappointed man, but still preaching to each and all, leaving everyone impressed. From 1408 until 1416, he worked almost continuously south of the Pyrenees. It is believed that while in Spain, he converted 25,000 Jews and in the kingdom of Granada alone thousands of Muslims.
Throughout, he remained a trusted ally of de Luna. In 1409, he was commissioned by Benedict XIII to announce to Martin of Aragon the death of his only son and heir. He would later influence the king’s succession. In retrospect, it may very well be that it was Ferrer who allowed Benedict to rule, providing the antipope with a faithful following – won over by Ferrer. It was not until 1416, when pressed by Ferdinand, King of Aragon, that he abandoned de Luna. Preaching at Perpignan on January 6, 1416, he nevertheless still considered him to be the legitimate pope, even though his refusal to step down and bring peace to the Church was the reason why he could no longer support him. It is suggested that Vincent was the only person able to finish Benedict’s papacy – that he did.

After his deposition, Benedict retired to the castle of Peñiscola, which belonged to his family. He continued to consider himself the only legitimate pope and compared Peñiscola to Noah’s Ark. His few adherents gave him a successor, Muñoz, who for a time continued the schism.

La Sanch

Vincent felt that he was the messenger of penance sent to prepare Mankind for the imminent judgment. For twenty years he traversed Western Europe preaching penance. His austere life was the living expression of his doctrine. The floor was his usual bed; perpetually fasting, he arose at two in the morning to chant the Office, celebrating Mass daily, afterwards preaching, sometimes three hours, and frequently working miracles.
To the city of Perpignan, Ferrer left the brotherhood of “La Sanch”. It was founded on October 11, 1416 in the church of St James in Perpignan by Vincent. It seems as if the creation of the brotherhood itself was some form of penitence for his abandonment of de Luna.

The origin of La Sanch was to assist those that had been condemned to death. The habit wore in the procession was in part so that the members would not be recognised in the streets and become the subject of payback. The brotherhood of “la Sagrada Passio” was one of two brotherhoods in the district of St James, whose church’s dedication betrays its relationship with the many pilgrims that passed through it, on their way to Santiago de Compostella. Another brotherhood in the area looked after the passing pilgrims.
The Sanch Procession still takes place, each year on Good Friday. The whole procession commemorates the Passion and the Agony of Christ. At the head of the procession is a penitent dressed in red, punctuating the procession’s march with a bell and leading the “misteri”, called “ecce homo” (in reference to a sentence uttered by Pontius Pilate to Jesus) and the bust reliquary of Vincent Ferrer. Although the clergy once again takes part in the procession, the ceremony is not organised by the Church but by the brotherhood of “the very precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ” – La Sanch. In Perpignan, the Passion of Christ and Good Friday is still within the reaches of Ferrer…

“The Mount of Olives”

Perillos’ highest mountain is enigmatically labelled “the Mount of Olives”. We note that it is the Confraternity of La Sanch which has a specific devotion for the Passion of Christ. As a consequence, the “misteris” – the penitents – showed various scenes from the Passion, in which the Mount of Olives is a cherished depiction, as it was the backdrop for so many scenes of the Passion.
When we note the close-knit relationship that existed between the Pope, Ferrer and La Sanch and the lords of Perillos, we should ask whether the mountain may have been named as such because of that group’s specific dedication to the Passion – and the Apocalypse.
Perhaps the mountain played a role in a procession itself. Old villagers of Perillos remember the pilgrimage from St Michael’s village church to St Barbara. It is believed that at one time, the procession may have carried onwards. The old villagers also note that another procession was longer, going all the way to Notre Dame d’Olive. That sanctuary clearly has a connection to the Mount of Olives also and we note that one possibility was that the procession may have passed over the Mount of Olives, on its way to Notre Dame d’Olive. Even if the procession chose to keep to lower grounds, the “Mount of Olives” would have been a beacon for those on the procession, from which they could judge their progress.

Angel of the Apocalypse

Vincent Ferrer believed that the world would soon end; that conviction, coupled with his gifts of preaching and miracles, led many to repent. He obtained permission to refer to himself as the Angel of the Apocalypse or the Angel of Judgment.
In the end, it is clear that the Day of Judgment did not arrive in his lifetime. Was he one of several people mistaken in that belief? Perhaps he believed that he himself, despite his apparently superhuman abilities, may have failed in bringing too little people to his cause.
Or was there more? Is there, for example, any connection with the postcode of 66600, which applies to Perillos and the surrounding area? Is it a coincidence that another Spanish visionary – Salvador Dali – may have cherished similar opinions about the Perillos region and also believed that it held the key to the “abduction of Europe” – the Apocalypse?

Ferrer is a key person, if only because he also has a strong connection with the Carthusians – his brother being their leader. As a consequence, a very small group of people had a very large powerbase. Issac Ben Jacob has argued that Saunière had a specific link with La Sanch. He has identified that the larger donations to Saunière originate from members who had strong links to that brotherhood or its affiliated organisations. There is Saunière’s enigmatic cry of penitence, written on a statue in his garden. There is his scale model itself, used to pass on his own conclusions on the subject, which displays the landscape of the Passion (the Mount of Olives), but also maps a landscape on the territories of Perillos, where he locates the presence of two enigmatic tombs.

The 17th century players

It is in the 17th century that we find another Carthusian, Polycarpe de la Riviere, who becomes interested in the mystery and who writes a history of the town of Avignon, which the Church condemns. We then see him disappear in the mists of time, apparently forsaking his confessed beliefs in an effort to follow and finish his private mission. He is last seen in the general area of Perpignan…
It is the century when the Roussillon is annexed to France, when the royal notary Courtade confirms the presence of an enigmatic tomb on the lands of the lords of Perillos. It is the century when the brothers Fouquet, advisors to the French king Louis XIV, exchange letters amongst them about something one brother has heard Nicolas Poussin mention while in Rome… he speaks about a “Great Secret”, which is of such magnitude that it would be able to “steer” kings.

Backwards in time?

There are clear convergences towards Perillos: Saunière at the turn of the 20th century; the 17th century events and the 15th century papal gathering in Perpignan in which an important but largely unreported role is played by the lords of Perillos. But does the story start in ca. 1400, or did it start earlier? Was it perhaps in the 14th century that something was realised, which was used by the lords of Perillos to progress their power? Or was the secret they had in their possession of such importance that they had to be pushed up to the highest ranks of the nobility, as the future of the world may depend on it?
It was our papal advisor Ramon de Perillos who, upon his return from Ireland, stated that now he understood that on his territory existed an “opening into another world”. If so, what could it be? Is there any relationship with the visions of Ferrer, who believed that the End of the World was near? Did Ferrer enter that “other world” and did he leave it convinced that this world would soon end? Alternatively, was it the threat of the end of the world, or the hope of the beginning of a New World that inspired these men? If it sits within the mists of the preceding centuries, how far back do we need to go to uncover the beginning of this story?

Filip Coppens