Performing Poetry at Rouen’s Puy of the Immaculate Conception

What is it about?

The Puy of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin – an annual poetry contest in Rouen hosted by the eponymous confraternity, founded in the late fifteenth century – was foremost an aural event. On the day of the contest, the poems were read out loud to the audience and judges. This oral presentation fundamentally shaped the poetry, ceremony and devotional impact of the event. It was also important for the creation of a sense of communal pride and identity in an event intended to boost the city’s prestige and consolidate its sense of community. The contest in turn inspired other contests of poetry and music in the city that were also grounded in the primacy of listening.

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