Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève)
Le catéchisme de l'Eglise de Geneve, c'est à dire le formulaire d'instruire les enfans en la Chrestienté
Catalogue updated 2026-06-08
Full Sub Rosa translationRead the full translationOpen reader →Open the chapter reader with the full English translation, source text, notes, and scripture echoes.What is Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève)?
Calvin's catechism in question-and-answer form for children's instruction, divided into five parts: Faith (the Apostles' Creed), the Law (Ten Commandments), Prayer (the Lord's Prayer), the Word of God, and the Sacraments.
Quel est le principal but de la vie humaine? C'est de cognoistre Dieu.
Our renderingWhat is the chief end of human life? It is to know God.
What it is
Calvin's catechism in question-and-answer form for children's instruction, divided into five parts: Faith (the Apostles' Creed), the Law (Ten Commandments), Prayer (the Lord's Prayer), the Word of God, and the Sacraments. Integrated into the same Genevan liturgy Calvin published alongside his psalter, it was the standard formation text of French Reformed churches from 1542 onward, used every Sunday for children's instruction in all Huguenot congregations including those patronized by the Condé and Coligny houses. Bèze explicitly taught this catechism's content in his sessions in Condé's and Coligny's lodgings. The Reformed child-formation curriculum of the Huguenot nobility — whether in the Châtillon estates or in Condé's household — followed this catechetical framework.
Why it still matters
A compact, theologically rich catechism that covers the Creed, Law, and Lord's Prayer in dialogue form; highly usable for family instruction today, and available free at multiple digital sources.
Speculum starter guide
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit
Kept alongside
French Confession of Faith (Confession de La Rochelle / Gallican Confession)
Confession de foy, faite d'un commun accord par les Eglises qui sont dispersées en France
The official confession of the French Reformed churches, adopted secretly in Paris in 1559 and ratified at the Synod of La Rochelle in 1571 in the presence of Coligny and Jeanne d'Albret (mother of Henry IV). The forty articles cover Scripture, the Trinity, creation, sin, redemption, the sacraments, and civil government. As the doctrinal standard of the Huguenot movement, it was the document to which all Reformed noble households — including the Condé and Coligny lines — formally subscribed; children of these houses were formed in its theology through catechism and Sunday instruction. Coligny's personal presence at the La Rochelle ratification is documented.
Introduction to the Devout Life
Introduction à la vie dévote
Composed initially as spiritual direction letters for Madame Louise de Charmoisy — wife of Claude de Charmoisy, ambassador of the Duke of Savoy — this work was explicitly written for lay people living 'in town, within families, or at court.' It received a royal privilege from Henri IV of France on 10 November 1608 and was first published at Lyon in 1609. Francis de Sales shaped each of its five parts around the practical rhythms of court and household life, treating topics from meditation and vocal prayer to temptation and worldly conversation. The Introduction circulated widely in the dévot circles of the French court and became the devotional manual par excellence for Catholic lay formation in the early modern period.
Les Pseaumes de David mis en rime françoise (Genevan / Huguenot Psalter)
Les Pseaumes mis en rime françoise par Clement Marot et Theodore de Beze
The complete 150-psalm Huguenot Psalter in French verse, published in Geneva in 1562. Over 30,000 copies circulated within a year, and it became the single most formative devotional text for French Protestant nobility, functioning simultaneously as prayer book, hymnal, and identity marker. Gaspard de Coligny, Louis I de Condé, and their families sang these psalms at daily prayers, before battles, and in camp services conducted by Reformed chaplains. Psalm 68 ('Que Dieu se montre seulement') served as the Huguenot battle anthem at multiple engagements; Psalm 118 was sung by Condé's forces kneeling before the Battle of Coutras (1587); Psalm 144 was the victory cry at Sancerre (1572). Bèze preached from this psalter in the lodgings of both Condé and Coligny during the early 1560s.