Enlightenment · Europe · Culture

1664

Moliere's Tartuffe Banned

1664

Moliere's new comedy about a pious hypocrite exploiting a gullible family was performed once at Versailles and promptly banned after complaints from the Company of the Holy Sacrament. Louis XIV, though amused, could not afford to offend the Church publicly. The play would not be staged in Paris for five years.