2 Quotes & Sayings By Jean Meslier
Jean-François Meslier was born in 1663 in the town of Sainte-Radegonde (now Vendeuvre-sur-Barse, in the French department of Eure-et-Loir). His father was a notaire (notary) and his mother was the headmistress of the local school. From an early age, Jean Meslier showed an interest in reading. He received his first lesson by the priest in his parish church
Then, when he turned fourteen years old, he visited a Jesuit college which was run by Jesuits. He decided to become a priest and entered the order in 1684. After three years of study at Poitiers, Meslier received his ordination in 1701.
Instead of serving as a priest however, he chose to serve as an assistant to an abbot who was living in comparative seclusion on the Seine River near Paris.