About the book: 1958 / The manuscript of the novel shows that the action in it first dated back to the 60s of the 18th century, but in the latest edition it was dated to the 20th -years of the 18th century, that is, to the initial stage of the Enlightenment movement with its freethinking, rationalism and growing criticism of feudal reality. The spirit of the ideological ferment of the early Enlightenment is captured in the image of the main character Abbot Coignard. Despite all the brightness of the paintings, reproducing the morals of the era, the main attention in the book is paid to conversations, disputes and, first of all, Coignard’s statements.