The Vatican has struggled with cats

• How the Vatican has struggled with cats

In ancient Egypt, cats were worshiped as the embodiment of the spirit of the goddess Bastet. Even their images were so holy that when the Persians invaded Egypt in 525 BC, they have decorated their shields images of cats in the hope that the Egyptians will not want to throw them in the javelin. The strategy worked, and the Persians won the battle of Peluso.

Fast forward seventeen hundred years, and you will find that people in other parts of the world have very different ideas about cats. In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241 dad's), believed that cats carry the spirit of Satan himself. Since then, the black cat became a symbol of failure or a curse for the people, not only in Europe but also worldwide.

Pope Gregory IXInkvizitsiya intimidated, tortured people, tortured and beat out any evidence: of loyalty to Satan and his service.

Cat Gayer-Anderson, who is considered to be a messenger of the goddess Bastet. Chief inquisitor of Gregory IX was Conrad of Marburg, who had his own beliefs about cats. To support them, he showed the pope the testimonies of people who worshiped Satan and black cats, were obtained under terrible tortures. People testified that participated in the coven dedicated to Satan. Statue of a black cat, around which the action comes alive.

Basilica of St. PetraBorba Vatican with cats

In 1233-34 years the Catholic Church and those who have been faithful to her, began to destroy the cats, believing them agents of Satan. It is not known whether Conrad mentally ill or really believed admissions people obtained under torture. But clearly, from this point the church considered Cats, especially black - minions of Lucifer.

During mass destruction cats and people have suffered. Thousands of people have been accused of that they witches or devil worshipers, they were tortured and killed. It flourished whistleblowing: a neighbor informed on neighbors to show devotion to the church and Gregory IX.

Some historians believe that the killing of such a large number of cats has been associated with the plague. Others say that because of the plague of the killing of cats and began - as the rodents that carry the plague, highly bred, the disappearance of their main enemies - the cat.

It was believed that cats - a mandatory attribute of the witch

Genocide cats stopped after Gregory's death.

In another phase of the mad witch-hunt in the late 1400s, the cats were destroyed en masse, as it was believed - they are mandatory attribute of witches and help them to cast spells. The persecution of the cats were in Elizabethan England, where the queen's coronation included the burning of effigies stuffed cats. Yes, it stuffed, probably from the devil, stuffed with live cats. Golden Age really.

Minneke POES, one of the giant cats Kattenstoet Parade in Ypres, Belgium. Kattenstut - parade in the Belgian town of Ypres, held in honor of the cats. Held regularly on the second Sunday in May since 1955. The event is a tribute to the medieval tradition iprskoy throw live cats from the belfry to the Cloth Hall located beneath the town square. Nowadays, no one is throwing live cats, just plush.