Antoinette Bourignon

Antoinette Bourignon (1616-80), Flemish Christian mystic, self-proclaimed visionary, and radical advocate of quietism, a form of mysticism that stresses withdrawal from worldly concerns, suppression of the will, and passive meditation on the divine. Born in Lille, France, Bourignon left home in 1636 to avoid a marriage planned by her father. She lived in a convent for a short time and later managed an orphanage. She came to believe that she was personally directed by God to restore the true spirit of the Gospel to Christianity. An active critic of all forms of religious organization, she traveled throughout England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, carrying her printing press and spreading her quietistic teachings. Her autobiography was translated into English as The Light of the World (1696).