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Named for Peter Waldo (c. 11140-1205), a proto-Reformer who looked to the Holy Scriptures to guide his faith and life, the Waldensians were a persecuted group of Christian believers who lived largely in the French and Italian Alps. They joined with the Reformation in 1532, but always retained a distinct identity within the Protestant wing of Christendom. Moved by their sufferings, John Milton wrote a tribute to their sufferings after a terrible tragedy in 1655.
On the Late Massacre in Piedmont
Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold,
Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old,
When all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones;
Forget not: in thy book record their groans
Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piedmontese that rolled
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubled to the hills, and they
To Heaven. Their martyred blood and ashes sow
O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway
The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
A hundredfold, who having learnt thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.
They received religious freedom in 1848 after an Edict of Emancipation was issued by King Charles Albert of Sardinia. But after centuries of persecution, some Waldensians looked to America for a better life. A colony called Valdese was founded by them in western North Carolina in 1893. Other groups of Waldensians came and settled elsewhere in the United States, but this was and remains the largest such colony in North America.
Photo by R. Andrew Myers
The Waldensians of Valdese affiliated with the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) in 1895. Construction began on a Romanesque-style church building in 1897 and it was completed and dedicated on July 4, 1899.
Photo by R. Andrew Myers.
The early period of the congregation saw customs and practices largely unchanged from their experience in the Old Country. But, as their website notes,
Many customs brought from Italy were retained in the Church until 1921 when changes began, including:
The offering was collected in the pews during the service instead of at the door as the congregation departed.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper would be celebrated while the congregation remained seated in the pews, being waited on by elders. Formerly, partakers would present themselves at the altar two-by-two, drinking from the same cup, with the pastor reciting a different verse of Scripture to each person. Sometimes a verse particularly appropriate for that individual was used.
Men and women would no longer sit on opposite sides of the Church.
Previously, all services were conducted in French. Now one service each month was held in English. Gradually, English services replaced French and after 1941, all services were in English.
From June 1923, the Church minutes were to be recorded in English.
Photo by R. Andrew Myers.
Two early pastors of the Waldensian community of Valdese who may be found on Log College Press include Henry (Enrico) Vinay (1856-1896), who served briefly from 1893 to 1894 before his also brief term as a missionary in California, and John Pons (1877-1944), who served twice as their pastor from 1907 to 1909 and from 1918 to 1925.
The Waldensian Heritage Museum, across the street from the church, has done much to keep alive the heritage of the Waldensians in North Carolina and around the world and offers tours which highlight an amazing collection of old Bibles, books, and other remarkable artifacts. A history of the Waldensians published by John Pons is available for purchase at the museum gift shop.
Historical portrayal of the interior of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church at the Waldensian Heritage Museum. Photo by R. Andrew Myers
We hope to add more about this fascinating intersection of Reformation and American Presbyterian history to Log College Press in the future. Meanwhile, if you are ever in western North Carolina, be sure to stop at the church and museum and explore this rich heritage of faith.
