The snowy peaks of the rugged mountains stood in bold relief against the dark Alpine night sky. Although it was summer, the cold wind whipped through the valley of the Dora River, and the cascading water could be heard as it tumbled down the mountain gorge. Camped in this Dora River gorge were 800 men. Roughly the size of David’s band of mighty men in the wilderness of Judea, these mighty men faced a daunting task.

They were Waldenses, also known as the Vaudois. For many generations, their ancestors had raised their sheep in these Alpine meadows, cut off from the rest of the world by the rugged, inhospitable terrain surrounding their native valleys. In these valleys their fathers and grandfathers had worshipped God in Spirit and in truth, not after the manner of Rome. They read their Bibles in their own language, sang the psalms of Zion, preached the pure and simple Gospel, tended their farms, and raised their children to love and serve Jesus Christ.

However, because they rejected the Mass and spurned the shrines of Rome, these people of the mountain valleys had been persecuted, reviled, and scorned by most of the world for many long centuries. The motto of the Waldense people had been Lux lucet in tenebris, which translates as “the light shines in darkness.”

At this time—summer of 1689—the darkness had never been blacker. The valleys of the Waldenses lay in smoking ruins. The duke of Savoy had launched upon them the worst persecution in recorded Waldensian history.

Looking back prior to this night, since 1655 the valleys of the Waldenses had been in the hands of the enemy. During that terrifying year, bands of brigands had been unleashed by the Savoyards upon the Waldenses. Roman Catholic Irishmen had been conscripted to kill and loot in the Waldensian valleys. On pain of death, the quiet valley dwellers had been ordered to abjure (renounce) their faith and return to the Roman church. Their churches had been desecrated by the enemy: either they were razed to the ground or filled with idolatrous images. Waldense pastors had been tortured to death by horrid mutilations. Nursing infants had been torn from their mothers arms and tossed into deep gorges. Wives and daughters had been savagely assaulted by the brutal invaders. Although these events are documented, the modest pen refused to recount the awful details of these barbarities.

After several years of the most intense persecution, the Waldenses were forced from their valley homes. They took refuge in the cantons of Protestant Switzerland. In cities such as Lucerne and Geneva, these homeless pilgrims found refuge. They had lost all because they would not deny or forsake the truth.

Thirty long years of exile crawled slowly by. The Duke of Savoy invited loyal Romanists into his domain to repopulate the valleys. Irishmen from the British Isles and Italians from crowded cities to the south flocked in to inherit the well-ordered Waldensian farms. The Waldenses’s churches had been reoccupied and decorated with candles, images, and altars for the Mass.

Their desperate situation reflected the description given in Psalm 74: “Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs” (verses 2–4).

Back to this summer night in 1689: These 800 mighty men who were encamped in the gorge had come back to their native valleys to reclaim them for Christ. Their commander was a courageous pastor of the Waldenses, a man named Henri Arnaud. It was he whose courage had revived the hopes of his fellow countrymen in Geneva. The man saw no contradiction between his role as pastor of his flock and as military commander of this expedition. Arnaud said, “I preach and I fight: I have a double commission and these two contests occupy my soul. Zion is to be rebuilt, and the sword is needed as well as the trowel.”

Leaving their wives and children in the care of friends in Switzerland, the 800 mighty men had set out to reconquer their valleys. The march had taken them over narrow mountain trails, across dangerous precipices, and through narrow passages called defiles. Avoiding the main roads, the determined group sought to catch their enemies by surprise. Up to this point, they had not encountered any major force.

But on this night, Arnaud knew that on the morrow they would be forced to do battle for the Lord. Over 3,000 Savoyard troops held the high ground, blocking the Waldenses’s path of advance. Only one bridge spanned the torrential river; that bridge must be crossed! Although they were outnumbered by more than 3 to 1, Henri Arnaud sought to give courage to his men. He selected Psalm 74:10–11, “O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.” As the morning sun painted the snowy Alpine peaks with gold, the Waldense warriors put their trust in Jehovah and committed themselves to the battle.

The resulting battle dramatically displayed the power of God to defend His people! At the battle’s climax, the Savoyard troops had surrounded the Waldenses, and the Waldenses were taking fire from two sides. At this point, someone shouted out, “The bridge is carried.” No one knows who gave this cry of triumph. At this point, the bridge was still firmly in the hands of the Savoyard troops. Some speculated that it could have been a heavenly voice who gave the cry to cheer the hearts of the Waldense warriors.

At the news, a great shout came forth from 800 manly voices. The Waldenses rushed for the bridge and carried it (took possession of it) instantly. In the confusion, the Savoyards became intermingled with Waldense warriors. As a result, some Savoyards began to cut down one another!

The battle raged for two long hours. At the end of the conflict, only fifteen Waldense soldiers were killed and twelve were wounded. Over 600 Savoyards had been slain, and the rest had scattered in bewilderment and disarray.

Captain Arnaud led his men to the top of the next mountain, Mount Sci, from whose heights they could look down into their own valleys. The first town that was recaptured was the village of Prali. Arnaud led his victorious men into the church where they destroyed graven images, overthrew idolatrous altars, and removed the Roman tapestries.

Captain Arnaud then ascended the pulpit. In one hand was his French Bible. In the other hand was his massive sword. Laying both upon the pulpit, he opened his Bible to Psalm 74 and read the words of Scripture, “Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause” (verses 18–22). Arnaud’s men then sang Psalm 74, and the ancient church resounded with their singing!

God had indeed pleaded His cause and given rest to His children. In a few short weeks, the mighty men of Henri Arnaud had driven the enemy from the Waldensian valleys, purified the churches, and restored true worship. Soon, wives and children were able to safely return and inhabit the valleys of the Piedmont again. Arnaud turned down lucrative, important military posts in order to return to his own people. The latter portion of his life he lived out in a quiet village, serving his people as their pastor.

Sources and Further Reference:

Wylie, J. A. History of the Waldenses: A Light Shining in Darkness. Port St. Lucie, FL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2012.