Pierre Richier, also Pierre Richer, dit de Lisle, (circa 1506–1580) was a French

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

theologian, who accompanied Philippe de Corguilleray on a French expedition to Brazil in 1556, to reinforce the colony of

France Antarctique France Antarctique (formerly also spelled ''France antartique'') was a French colony in Rio de Janeiro, in modern-day Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567, and had control over the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio. The colony quickl ...

. He was a member of a contingent of 14 Calvinist people dispatched from

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

.''History of a voyage to the land of Brazil, otherwise called America'' by Jean de Léry, p.53''ff''
/ref> He later became the main actor in developing

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

as a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

capital. Pierre Richer was initially ordained as a

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

and was from the congregation of

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

. He was a member of a Paris convent, when he fled the Order for

in 1556. Pierre Richier accompanied Philippe de Corguilleray to Brazil in 1556 at the request of the French soldier and explorer Villegagnon. After the failure of the expedition, Pierre Richier returned in 1558 to the city of

, where his preaching became very influential.''Fortress of the soul'' by Neil Kamil p.133
/ref> Pierre de Richier became "''Ministre de l'église de la Rochelle''" ("Minister of the Church of La Rochelle", also "''Ministre de la parole de Dieu''" or "Minister of the Word of God"), and was able to grow considerably the Huguenot presence in La Rochelle, from a small base of about 50 souls who had been secretly educated to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

by Charles de Clermont the previous year. La Rochelle, together with a few other cities such as

Sancerre Sancerre () is a medieval hilltop town and commune in the department of Cher, Centre-Val de Loire, France, overlooking the river Loire. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association, no ...

, became the last Protestant strongholds in the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

, following the failure of colonization ventures in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

which

Gaspard de Coligny Gaspard de Coligny may refer to: * Gaspard I de Coligny (c. 1465 - 1522) *Gaspard II de Coligny (1519 – 1572) *Gaspard III de Coligny Gaspard III de Coligny, duc de Châtillon, (26 July 1584 – 4 January 1646) was a French Huguenot, who serv ...

had been promoting. In 1561, Pierre Richier published in

Genève Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

a pamphlet against Villegagnon's actions in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, entitled ''"Réfutation des folles resveries, excecrable blasphèmes, erreurs et mensonges de Nicolas Durand, qui se nomme Villagagnon"''. In La Rochelle, Pierre Richier virulently preached against the subversion of the January 1562

Edicts of toleration An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchies, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu ...

Charles IX of France Charles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was List of French monarchs, King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II of France, Francis II in 1560, an ...

and

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici (, ; , ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Republic of Florence, Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to Henry II of France, King Henry II. Sh ...

.''Fortress of the soul'' by Neil Kamil p.39
/ref> He had been described, by Lancelot Voisin de La Popelinière, as ''"le père de l'église de La Rochelle"'' ("The Father of the Church of La Rochelle"). Pierre Richier died in La Rochelle in 1580.

Notes

{{authority control French Calvinist and Reformed theologians Huguenots Carmelites France Antarctique