August 18, 2025 • 16 mins
Welcome back to Macabre: A Dark History Podcast. The hunt for the occult
underground in Paris continues in this Affair of the Poisons series. Part II: Image is Everything.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Welcome back to Macabre, a dark history podcast.
The hunt for the occult underground in Paris continues
in this Affair of the Poison series.
Part 2. Image is everything.
(00:29):
On March 12th, 1679, Catherine Mauvoisin stepped outside of her
parish church, Notre Dame du BonNouvelle in Paris.
She was met by officials, then suddenly under arrest.
The police had found incriminating evidence on her
(00:51):
premises. Catherine wasn't ignorant, she
knew what this meant for her andsuppose it was only a matter of
time before her life as Diviner S Lavoisan was brought to the
light. Catherine Deschais was born into
(01:12):
a poor family where education was limited.
As a young girl, she would take to the streets to make a few
coins by offering fortune readings to those who passed her
by. She claimed that she was taught
the art of fortune telling by the age of nine.
It said many of her fortunes came true.
(01:33):
Catherine said it was a gift from God and would stand by this
proclamation until her death. She would become known for her
face and palm readings. She thought when she was married
to Antoine Malvazon, a silk merchant, that life would be
more stable, especially after the jewelry store he opened in
(01:57):
Paris. But within a few years, both of
his business ventures would fallthrough and they would be
bankrupt once more. Catherine Ma Boisan would have
to do what she knew best. Till fortunes.
(02:19):
It wasn't enough to just give face in palm readings anymore.
No, she had to make a name for herself.
She had to expand her skills, establish A profession.
She sought after medical knowledge, collected books on
remedies and alchemy. Catherine decided she would
(02:42):
study to become a midwife. It wasn't long before she became
a midwife. Women entrusted her skills and
she quickly became known around the area as Love was a She was a
hard worker and knew how to sustain a living.
But with the weight of supporting her husband, children
(03:04):
and her mother who also lived with them, it was clear they
couldn't survive on the income. As a midwife with occasional
fortune telling on the side, shehad to do more.
It was time for her to start herown business venture.
(03:25):
The macabre conclusion she came to was highly dangerous and
illegal at the time, abortion. She could be fined, imprisoned,
beaten, banished or even put to death.
But that was a risk she was willing to take.
(03:45):
She had to keep with this secretive practice something
that would only be hushed about in the underbelly of Paris.
And clients did come. The desperate, the unwed, the
victims of assault. They all came to her to get rid
of the evidence. She would burn the fetuses and
(04:07):
buried what remained within her garden.
Her reputation grew and soon it wasn't just tattered skirts
under cloaks that she saw, but fine silks and linens.
Word had spread of her skills from the poorer parts of Paris
(04:28):
to the corset clad a richer bourgeoisie.
Catherine Lavoisan was becoming an answer to a lot of France's
dark wishes. The demand grew, and so did her
prices. Before she knew it, she couldn't
keep up with a clientele, so shehired on a network of
underground abortion providers who would work under her orders
(04:52):
and carry out requests that she couldn't fit into her schedule.
Soon her midwife practice was a front for secret dealings that
escalated from abortions to occultism in black masses.
Despite all this, she still attended Catholic Mass
(05:14):
regularly. All of her practices that made
her occupation were seen as illegal and under many
categories of sin under the Church law, and in 1665 she was
under arrest of suspicion by a priest.
She was interrogated by a group of scholars and professors who
(05:35):
questioned if her fortune telling was legitimate.
She stood before them answering their questions, when she
finally proclaimed that her ability to tell fortunes was a
gift from God. After this, she was promptly
released. This was a warning, a very real
(05:55):
reminder that even though her purse bulged at the seams and
her influence stuck to those with power like the hairpins in
their wigs, she was fallible. One wrong utterance of a
gossiper's tongue would be the end of her.
Instead of reining in her practice and laying low for a
(06:16):
while, she took her business to the next level.
She had appealed to more of the aristocracy, but she couldn't do
that without creating an image for herself.
After all, wasn't that what the rich did wear?
Their wealth literally on their sleeve?
(06:38):
Well, then she would do the same.
She dealt out a heavy sum of 1500 livres for a Crimson robe
with eagles embroidered in gold to give her the look of a Mystic
and alchemist who dabbled with what lied in the shadows.
It made her seem more reputable.In turn, the robe paid for
(07:02):
itself. Her clientele expanded in
numbers and wealth. She had a list of individuals
who were in the same circles as the king.
She learned that it didn't matter where 1 landed on the
social pole. Everyone wanted something.
The poor wanted riches and the rich wanted more power, and
(07:23):
everyone wanted love. People went to great lengths to
get what they wanted. She pushed herself to her limits
with how many hours in a day shereceived clients.
Many saw her as a solution to their problems.
She had gained enough influence to socialize with a society high
(07:43):
above the humble one she grew upin.
She began hosting lavish partiesat her residence where she would
play the violin. Catherine took on several
lovers. Not just any lovers, Count AV
count an architect and a magician, to name a few.
(08:06):
She had the deepest connection with Adam Lesage, an occultist
and alchemist who worked in her network as a professional
poisoner and magician. He was often in charge of the
magical rituals clients purchased.
He begged her to kill her husband, promising that if she
(08:27):
were a widow, he would marry her.
He even offered to carry out thetask.
Initially, she agreed, but before Adam could go through
with it, she stopped him. After that, things changed
between them. He still worked for her
organization, but the tension grew.
(08:47):
He would be arrested and let go under the same suspicions
Lavoisal had been accused of. As plots thickened in
aristocratic circles over purchases of love potions and
poisons, rumors were spreading in the French underground.
Lavoisan and her network had become the envy of other fortune
(09:09):
tellers, poisoners, alchemists and sorcerers.
Another diviner, S Mary Boss, was famously the enemy of
Catherine Lavoisan. Marie was another prominent
influence in the dark dealings of Paris, known for her potions,
poisons, and alleged witchcraft.It was because of Marie Boss
(09:33):
that Catherine took her practices further.
To get a business advantage overMarie, Lavoisan leaned into the
witchcraft facade, offering black masses for certain results
clients asked for in their lives.
She first told her clients that their wishes would come true if
(09:54):
it was the will of God. This would lead them to visit a
church to pray. Then they would buy a charm or a
potion from her, and if that didn't work, then they would
offer black masses for those whowere too desperate.
These black masses required the steepest sums from her clients.
(10:14):
She hired satanic priests for these instances.
They involve multiple people from her network to perform
these rituals with the client inattendance, some of which took
place in a section of the catacombs near La Voisance's
residence. Most of these rituals consist of
(10:34):
a nude woman acting as the altarwhere a chalice would be placed
on her abdomen. The records say that the priest
would then cut into an infant, draining the blood into the
chalice. It's not known if these children
were alive or deceased before this ritual took place.
It's believed that Lavoisan usedthe fetuses from the abortions
(10:59):
she carried out for these massesor even the children she took
under her wing. For the poor mothers who can no
longer take care of their small children, the severity of the
risks she took shifted. In 1673, when the mistress of
the king paid her a visit, Madame de Montespa was in
(11:22):
distress. She and the king had been lovers
for many years, but his eyes began to wander to another.
Frantic to remain in the King's favour, she gave him love
potions and lured him in with her charms.
She regularly used aphrodisiacs in his food and drink.
(11:44):
She had won him over time and time again.
She was a mother of seven of hischildren.
She couldn't bear to be tossed to the side.
She would do whatever it took tostay in La Rossellae's
affections. Montespin agreed to participate
in a Black Mass. Over time, she saw Louis the
(12:06):
14th still take on other lovers.The realization was cemented
when he took Angelique Dufontageas his lover.
Madame de Montespa visited Lavoisan again in a fury,
pleading for her help. She demanded the deaths of
(12:27):
Dufontage and the king himself. Catherine was taken aback by
this extreme request, but she did finally agree.
This was not a feat to be done overnight.
This would take time. With everyone at her disposal in
(12:49):
her network, she began to orchestrate a plan.
The morbid reality of Catherine's decisions were not
lost on her, but she continued to play the game, A game that
would seal her fate. On March 5th, 1679, Lavoisan
(13:12):
found herself in the Sun King's court.
She sought him on his throne. In her possession was a petition
for the King to review and sign.The document had been brushed
with the poison. Her intention was that he would
touch the poisoned piece and it would absorb into his skin.
(13:33):
Fortunes bowed in the King's favor on that particular day.
There were too many people waiting for the king to hear
their requests. She waited and waited, but her
turn never came. Their plan had failed.
This wasn't the only thing she was worried about.
Panic had been spreading in the Parisian underbelly.
(13:56):
People with her type of skills were being rounded up, arrested,
beaten, taken in for questioning, and tortured.
Lieutenant General La Reini had been conducting investigations
for the king. King Louis the 14th caught wind
(14:16):
of alleged plots against him. As the King's paranoia grew, so
did the Pulley's frenzy. He had every right to worry.
Little did he know he dodged hisdemise another day.
But Lavoisan wouldn't only try again.
Her coin purse wasn't the only thing weighing heavy on her.
(14:42):
A week later, she would be arrested as she stepped out from
Notre Dame de Bonne Nouveau. The police were just following
standard protocol. Every alchemist, fortune teller,
and magician would be brought in, regardless of their level of
influence. In her residence, they had found
(15:02):
everything they needed to bring her in for questioning, and she
knew this time fate had caught up with her.
Five days after her arrest, her previous lover and associate,
Adam Lesage was also arrested. He told all his accusations
(15:25):
against Catherine hardened with other prisoners who confessed
similar information about her, adding details that were
matching what they found on her premises.
Little black books of alchemy, an oven, small bones and so much
more. But one document that contained
(15:47):
the list of her clients would send all of France into absolute
mayhem. Thank you for listening to this
special presentation and limitedseries on Macabre, a dark
history podcast. Stay tuned for Macabre features
in the future. We're together.
(16:08):
We will uncover the darkest parts of history.
Welcome back to Macabre, a dark history podcast.
The hunt for the occult underground in Paris continues
in this Affair of the Poison series.
Part 2. Image is everything.
(00:29):
On March 12th, 1679, Catherine Mauvoisin stepped outside of her
parish church, Notre Dame du BonNouvelle in Paris.
She was met by officials, then suddenly under arrest.
The police had found incriminating evidence on her
(00:51):
premises. Catherine wasn't ignorant, she
knew what this meant for her andsuppose it was only a matter of
time before her life as Diviner S Lavoisan was brought to the
light. Catherine Deschais was born into
(01:12):
a poor family where education was limited.
As a young girl, she would take to the streets to make a few
coins by offering fortune readings to those who passed her
by. She claimed that she was taught
the art of fortune telling by the age of nine.
It said many of her fortunes came true.
(01:33):
Catherine said it was a gift from God and would stand by this
proclamation until her death. She would become known for her
face and palm readings. She thought when she was married
to Antoine Malvazon, a silk merchant, that life would be
more stable, especially after the jewelry store he opened in
(01:57):
Paris. But within a few years, both of
his business ventures would fallthrough and they would be
bankrupt once more. Catherine Ma Boisan would have
to do what she knew best. Till fortunes.
(02:19):
It wasn't enough to just give face in palm readings anymore.
No, she had to make a name for herself.
She had to expand her skills, establish A profession.
She sought after medical knowledge, collected books on
remedies and alchemy. Catherine decided she would
(02:42):
study to become a midwife. It wasn't long before she became
a midwife. Women entrusted her skills and
she quickly became known around the area as Love was a She was a
hard worker and knew how to sustain a living.
But with the weight of supporting her husband, children
(03:04):
and her mother who also lived with them, it was clear they
couldn't survive on the income. As a midwife with occasional
fortune telling on the side, shehad to do more.
It was time for her to start herown business venture.
(03:25):
The macabre conclusion she came to was highly dangerous and
illegal at the time, abortion. She could be fined, imprisoned,
beaten, banished or even put to death.
But that was a risk she was willing to take.
(03:45):
She had to keep with this secretive practice something
that would only be hushed about in the underbelly of Paris.
And clients did come. The desperate, the unwed, the
victims of assault. They all came to her to get rid
of the evidence. She would burn the fetuses and
(04:07):
buried what remained within her garden.
Her reputation grew and soon it wasn't just tattered skirts
under cloaks that she saw, but fine silks and linens.
Word had spread of her skills from the poorer parts of Paris
(04:28):
to the corset clad a richer bourgeoisie.
Catherine Lavoisan was becoming an answer to a lot of France's
dark wishes. The demand grew, and so did her
prices. Before she knew it, she couldn't
keep up with a clientele, so shehired on a network of
underground abortion providers who would work under her orders
(04:52):
and carry out requests that she couldn't fit into her schedule.
Soon her midwife practice was a front for secret dealings that
escalated from abortions to occultism in black masses.
Despite all this, she still attended Catholic Mass
(05:14):
regularly. All of her practices that made
her occupation were seen as illegal and under many
categories of sin under the Church law, and in 1665 she was
under arrest of suspicion by a priest.
She was interrogated by a group of scholars and professors who
(05:35):
questioned if her fortune telling was legitimate.
She stood before them answering their questions, when she
finally proclaimed that her ability to tell fortunes was a
gift from God. After this, she was promptly
released. This was a warning, a very real
(05:55):
reminder that even though her purse bulged at the seams and
her influence stuck to those with power like the hairpins in
their wigs, she was fallible. One wrong utterance of a
gossiper's tongue would be the end of her.
Instead of reining in her practice and laying low for a
(06:16):
while, she took her business to the next level.
She had appealed to more of the aristocracy, but she couldn't do
that without creating an image for herself.
After all, wasn't that what the rich did wear?
Their wealth literally on their sleeve?
(06:38):
Well, then she would do the same.
She dealt out a heavy sum of 1500 livres for a Crimson robe
with eagles embroidered in gold to give her the look of a Mystic
and alchemist who dabbled with what lied in the shadows.
It made her seem more reputable.In turn, the robe paid for
(07:02):
itself. Her clientele expanded in
numbers and wealth. She had a list of individuals
who were in the same circles as the king.
She learned that it didn't matter where 1 landed on the
social pole. Everyone wanted something.
The poor wanted riches and the rich wanted more power, and
(07:23):
everyone wanted love. People went to great lengths to
get what they wanted. She pushed herself to her limits
with how many hours in a day shereceived clients.
Many saw her as a solution to their problems.
She had gained enough influence to socialize with a society high
(07:43):
above the humble one she grew upin.
She began hosting lavish partiesat her residence where she would
play the violin. Catherine took on several
lovers. Not just any lovers, Count AV
count an architect and a magician, to name a few.
(08:06):
She had the deepest connection with Adam Lesage, an occultist
and alchemist who worked in her network as a professional
poisoner and magician. He was often in charge of the
magical rituals clients purchased.
He begged her to kill her husband, promising that if she
(08:27):
were a widow, he would marry her.
He even offered to carry out thetask.
Initially, she agreed, but before Adam could go through
with it, she stopped him. After that, things changed
between them. He still worked for her
organization, but the tension grew.
(08:47):
He would be arrested and let go under the same suspicions
Lavoisal had been accused of. As plots thickened in
aristocratic circles over purchases of love potions and
poisons, rumors were spreading in the French underground.
Lavoisan and her network had become the envy of other fortune
(09:09):
tellers, poisoners, alchemists and sorcerers.
Another diviner, S Mary Boss, was famously the enemy of
Catherine Lavoisan. Marie was another prominent
influence in the dark dealings of Paris, known for her potions,
poisons, and alleged witchcraft.It was because of Marie Boss
(09:33):
that Catherine took her practices further.
To get a business advantage overMarie, Lavoisan leaned into the
witchcraft facade, offering black masses for certain results
clients asked for in their lives.
She first told her clients that their wishes would come true if
(09:54):
it was the will of God. This would lead them to visit a
church to pray. Then they would buy a charm or a
potion from her, and if that didn't work, then they would
offer black masses for those whowere too desperate.
These black masses required the steepest sums from her clients.
(10:14):
She hired satanic priests for these instances.
They involve multiple people from her network to perform
these rituals with the client inattendance, some of which took
place in a section of the catacombs near La Voisance's
residence. Most of these rituals consist of
(10:34):
a nude woman acting as the altarwhere a chalice would be placed
on her abdomen. The records say that the priest
would then cut into an infant, draining the blood into the
chalice. It's not known if these children
were alive or deceased before this ritual took place.
It's believed that Lavoisan usedthe fetuses from the abortions
(10:59):
she carried out for these massesor even the children she took
under her wing. For the poor mothers who can no
longer take care of their small children, the severity of the
risks she took shifted. In 1673, when the mistress of
the king paid her a visit, Madame de Montespa was in
(11:22):
distress. She and the king had been lovers
for many years, but his eyes began to wander to another.
Frantic to remain in the King's favour, she gave him love
potions and lured him in with her charms.
She regularly used aphrodisiacs in his food and drink.
(11:44):
She had won him over time and time again.
She was a mother of seven of hischildren.
She couldn't bear to be tossed to the side.
She would do whatever it took tostay in La Rossellae's
affections. Montespin agreed to participate
in a Black Mass. Over time, she saw Louis the
(12:06):
14th still take on other lovers.The realization was cemented
when he took Angelique Dufontageas his lover.
Madame de Montespa visited Lavoisan again in a fury,
pleading for her help. She demanded the deaths of
(12:27):
Dufontage and the king himself. Catherine was taken aback by
this extreme request, but she did finally agree.
This was not a feat to be done overnight.
This would take time. With everyone at her disposal in
(12:49):
her network, she began to orchestrate a plan.
The morbid reality of Catherine's decisions were not
lost on her, but she continued to play the game, A game that
would seal her fate. On March 5th, 1679, Lavoisan
(13:12):
found herself in the Sun King's court.
She sought him on his throne. In her possession was a petition
for the King to review and sign.The document had been brushed
with the poison. Her intention was that he would
touch the poisoned piece and it would absorb into his skin.
(13:33):
Fortunes bowed in the King's favor on that particular day.
There were too many people waiting for the king to hear
their requests. She waited and waited, but her
turn never came. Their plan had failed.
This wasn't the only thing she was worried about.
Panic had been spreading in the Parisian underbelly.
(13:56):
People with her type of skills were being rounded up, arrested,
beaten, taken in for questioning, and tortured.
Lieutenant General La Reini had been conducting investigations
for the king. King Louis the 14th caught wind
(14:16):
of alleged plots against him. As the King's paranoia grew, so
did the Pulley's frenzy. He had every right to worry.
Little did he know he dodged hisdemise another day.
But Lavoisan wouldn't only try again.
Her coin purse wasn't the only thing weighing heavy on her.
(14:42):
A week later, she would be arrested as she stepped out from
Notre Dame de Bonne Nouveau. The police were just following
standard protocol. Every alchemist, fortune teller,
and magician would be brought in, regardless of their level of
influence. In her residence, they had found
(15:02):
everything they needed to bring her in for questioning, and she
knew this time fate had caught up with her.
Five days after her arrest, her previous lover and associate,
Adam Lesage was also arrested. He told all his accusations
(15:25):
against Catherine hardened with other prisoners who confessed
similar information about her, adding details that were
matching what they found on her premises.
Little black books of alchemy, an oven, small bones and so much
more. But one document that contained
(15:47):
the list of her clients would send all of France into absolute
mayhem. Thank you for listening to this
special presentation and limitedseries on Macabre, a dark
history podcast. Stay tuned for Macabre features
in the future. We're together.
(16:08):
We will uncover the darkest parts of history.
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