The Village Rector

The Country Parson opens with a picturesque portrait of the house in Limoges which became the Sauviat shop and home. Jerome-Baptiste Sauviat is an Auvergnat peddlar specializing in metal. In 1797, at around age fifty and tired of travelling, he married the daughter of a coppersmith named Champagnac. Madame Sauviat, also from Auvergne, was around thirty at the time of their marriage. Both were rough and strong. Though neither could read, when it came to business, both were excellent in arithmetic. Both were religious and freely gave to the parish though they were extremely frugal in their daily living. They have a daughter, Veronique, who is beautiful and charming, a favorite in the entire quarter.

The Country Parson/The Village Rector (Le Cure du Village) is not only about the title character, Abbe Bonnet, but focuses more on Veronique de Graslin.