MERMILLOD (Gaspard). - Lot 208

MERMILLOD (Gaspard). Carouge, 1824–1892 Swiss prelate, bishop, and cardinal of the Catholic Church; a leading figure in 19th-century Swiss Catholicism, at the center of tensions between the Holy See and federal authorities. Autograph letter signed “+ Gaspard Mermillod, Bishop” to “Dear Madam” Ferney [France], July 23, 1873 1 page, in-8 format, on embossed paper. Enclosed: two calling cards with a few handwritten words. A touching letter imbued with concern and spirituality, written during Mermillod’s exile in Ferney following political and religious tensions in Switzerland. In it, the bishop expresses his affection for his correspondent despite “a silence imposed on me by travel and duties,” and offers his moral support: “I admire your courage and your maternal care; I want to tell you that, whether from afar or here in Ferney, I hold you in the highest regard…” He concludes by assuring his correspondent of his “prayers and blessings.” This document is set within a specific historical context: appointed Vicar Apostolic of Geneva in January 1873, Mermillod was expelled from Switzerland the following month and forced to settle in Ferney. He would not return to his post in Switzerland until relations with the Holy See had improved, becoming Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva in 1883, then a cardinal in 1890. In good condition.