Alisseta or Alarassis, Friend of Prous and Alisseta Boneta
	Translated by David Burr, History Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

Translated from the text in the Collection Doat, vol. 27, ff. 30r-32r. For the Latin text, go here.

Alisseta or Alarassis, the daughter of Bernard Débedoux, originally from the parish of St.-Etienne de Bequesenhegnes in the diocese of Nîmes, an inhabitant of Montepellier for thirty years or more, living with Na Prous Bonnet and her sister, as we learned in legally valid manner through her confession made in judicial process during the month of November in the year 1325, saw and received Guillaume Serrallier, a fugitive because of heresy, and Raimond Déjean, an apostate from the Order of Friars Minor and one of those who were called "spirituals," in the Na Prous' and her own home. She gave them food and drink, and drank with them, and visited them elsewhere even after she heard and knew what they were, that they held the same views as the beguins who were burned.

Again, she heard from the aforementioned Na Prous that the ecclesiastical sacraments did not confer salvation, but had lost their strength and power, and that the Lord God had told her as much. She was that the aforesaid Na Prous refused to confess her sins and to take communion or receive the body of Christ.

Again, she heard from the aforesaid Na Prous those errors confessed by Na Prous and recited above, or at least the greater part of them. She heard the heresy which Na Prous spoke against the Lord Pope John XXII and his authority, and how the grace of the Holy Spirit had been given to her, and that the lord pope had destroyed the gospel. Again, she heard about the work of the Holy Spirit which had begun, and how no one could be saved without believing in the work of the Holy Spirit. She heard that in the time of that Holy Spirit no sin would remain in any land, and that it would not be necessary for anyone to confess, celebrate masses, or employ the sacraments at all, because everyone would have God. She heard that in that time no one would employ the sacrament of baptism, and she heard many other errors from Na Prous which in her confession she recited more fully and in greater detail

Again, she believed that the Friars Minor burned at Marseilles and the beguins burned at Narbonne, Lunel and elsewhere were good people unjustly condemned, and that they were saved, in Paradise, except for one burned at Narbonne of whom she had heard it said that he was a great heretic.

She believed these things from the time the friars and then the beguins were condemned until the time when she was arrested and detained in prison. She also believed the errors she heard from Na Prous. She believed that what Na Prous said was true; she thought things would turn out as Na Prous said they would; and she believed it was all the work of God. She continued to believe all this until the time she confessed it all in prison. Now she says she wants to abide by the correction and decision of Holy Mother Church and the lord inquisitor or his representative.

When it was explained to her that what she heard from Na Prous and admits to having believed was erroneous, heretical, contrary to the catholic faith of the Roman church, and contrary to the power of the lord pope, and that she was required to believe it was such, submit to correction, and reject it all, she said she wanted to submit to correction and abjure the errors she had held. She recanted it under oath.

She hid all this and had no desire to confess it from the time the friars were condemned at Marseilles until she was arrested, detained in prison, and placed under oath many time. She says she repents.

Alisseta was included in the general sentence pronounced on November 11, 1328,. She was condemned to perpetual imprisonment. One year later, on September 10, 1329, her sentence was commuted to wearing crosses and going on pilgrimages (Ibid., f. 194v).

Return to "Heresy and Inquisition" page
Return to "Medieval Sources in Translation" page
Return to "David Burr's Home Page"