Xavier Maréchaux, associate professor of History & Philosophy and coordinator of graduate programs in History education, in September 2024 published his latest book, “Les prêtres réfractaires, l'Eglise contre la Révolution et l'Empire (1789-1815) [The Refractory Priests: The Church Against the Revolution and the Empire (1789-1815)]."
The book, printed in French by Honoré Champion, reviews the history of priests who rejected the French Revolution. In 1791, nearly half the secular clergy refused to recognize the Church reforms effected by the National Assembly. The rejection of Civil Constitution of the Clergy, condemned these men to persecution and exile, and would become one of the great political failures of French history.
Maréchaux earned his Ph.D. in History at Université de Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is a noted expert in the religious history of the Revolution and the Empire. This work adds to the other books Maréchaux, has completed, including ""Pie VII, Le Pape qui défia Napoléon” [Pius VII, The Pope who defied Napoleon] (published in 2024), "pLes noces révolutionnaires, le marriage des prêtres en France (1789-1815)" (published in 2017), and "Les prêtres mariés de la Révolution à l’Empire, Répertoire biographique, Fondation Napoléon" (published 2015).