Na Prous Boneta
Na Prous Boneta, born around 1296 in southern France, is a historical figure associated with heretical beliefs linked to the Beguine movement. At a young age, she relocated with her family to Montpellier, where her life would take a significant turn. In 1325, she was arrested alongside twenty-one others for heretical views, with accusations stemming from her spiritual claims and associations. Notably, her sister, Alisseta Bonnet, also faced charges, testifying against Na Prous during the trial. Na Prous maintained that she had a unique connection with God, asserting that she was spiritually elevated and that contemporary church practices, including those of Pope John XXII, were flawed.
Throughout her imprisonment, Na Prous steadfastly upheld her beliefs, which included the idea that true repentance did not require formal confession or penance, and described experiences of divine revelations. Her trial culminated in 1328, where she, along with fellow accused, was sentenced to execution for her beliefs. Na Prous Boneta's story sheds light on the complexities of faith, persecution, and the role of women within mystical traditions of the late Middle Ages, highlighting the tension between emerging spiritual movements and established church doctrines.
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Na Prous Boneta
- Born: c. 1296
- Birthplace: Southern France
- Died: 1328
Biography
Na Prous Boneta (also known as Na Prous Bonnet) was born around 1296 in southern France, the daughter of Durand Bonnet. At about the age of seven, she moved with her family to Montpellier, France. Na Prous was one of twenty-two men and women arrested and accused of heretical Beguine beliefs and taken to Carcassonne in 1325. Her sister, Alisseta Bonnet, and Stephana Boneta, another sister or at least a close kinswoman, were also arrested.
In her confession, Alisseta Bonnet said that she saw and spoke with Guillaume Verrier, Guillaume Serrallier, and other Beguines and spiritual Franciscans in Na Prous’s house. She stated that Na Prous said that God had transported her to heaven, that she possessed the grace of the Holy Spirit to the same extent as did the Virgin Mary, and that the present pope, John XXII, had destroyed the gospel and rendered the sacraments incapable of giving salvation to man. According to Alissetta, Na Prous also said the pope had lost his papal powers because he had condemned the writings of Friar Pierre DeJean. After a year of in prison, Alisseta repented, abjured her beliefs, and recognized Na Prous as a heretic. She was condemned to perpetual imprisonment on November 11,1328.
Unlike her sister, Na Prous remained adamant in her beliefs. Accused of heresy based on her adherence to the doctrine of the Beguines, she freely confessed her beliefs on August 6, 1325, without being subjected to interrogation. She recounted her experiences of being transported to heaven in her soul and of seeing and speaking with God. She maintained that God had chosen her and placed himself spiritually within her; she swore God told her that Christ’s gospel had been obliterated by the condemnation of DeJean’s writings. She added that God told her the pope was the Antichrist and the Beguines who had been burned were innocent. She insisted that oral confession of sins and performance of penance were unnecessary as long the sinner repented in his heart and believed in the Holy Spirit. She declared that what she believed was the truth as God told it to her and that she would not abjure her beliefs whether she lived or died. She further stated that if she were executed, she would believe herself saved and a martyr.
During her trial on November 11, 1328, the inquisitors sentenced her to be burned with other heretical Beguines and spiritual Franciscans who refused to abjure their beliefs. Na Prous’s confession provides insight into the beliefs of the heretical Christian sects during the late Middle Ages. Her confession is also an excellent example of the ecstasies and divine union with God experienced by the female mystics of the period.