Didier de La Cour de La Vallée (1550 – 1623) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk, responsible for the foundation of the reforming Congregation of St. Vanne in 1604.

Life

Didier de La Cour was born at Montzéville,

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

, in December 1550, into an ancient noble family of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

but one which had grown so poor that they were obliged to work on their own lands. At 18, he entered St. Vanne's Abbey in

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

and later studied at the University of

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mouss ...

, where he became friendly with

Servais de Lairuelz Annibal-Servais de Lairuelz (1560 – 18 October 1631), a native of Hainaut in what is now Belgium, was a canon and reformer of the Premonstratensian Order. Biography De Lairuelz was born in 1560 in Soignies in the County of Hainaut. He w ...

and Saint

Pierre Fourier Peter Fourier (french: link=no, Pierre Fourier, ; 30 November 15659 December 1640) was a French canon regular who is honored as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Foregoing offers of high office, he served for many years as an exemplary pas ...

. La Cour became prior of St. Vanne's Abbey. He wished to apply the

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

in its original rigour, but met with some resistance from the other monks. However, he had the support of

Eric of Lorraine Eric of Lorraine (14 March 1576 – 27 April 1623), count of Vaudémont, was a Bishop of Verdun and half brother of Louise of Lorraine, Queen consort of France. Biography Eric of Lorraine was born in Nancy on 14 March 1576 as a son of Nicolas, D ...

Bishop of Verdun The Bishopric of Verdun was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was located at the western edge of the Empire and was bordered by France, the Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Duchy of Bar. Some time in the late 990s, the suzerainty of the Count ...

, and

commendatory abbot A commendatory abbot ( la, abbas commendatarius) is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey ''in commendam'', drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline. If a commendatory abbot is an ...

of St Vanne. Despite the initial difficulties, his efforts ultimately met with success. Eric of Lorraine was also commendatory abbot of St Hidulf's in

Moyenmoutier Moyenmoutier (; german: Mittelmünster) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Inhabitants are called ''Médianimonastériens''. Geography The little town of Moyenmoutier is positioned along the lower part of ...

and the reforms were next introduced there. With the approval of

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

, the Congregation of St. Vanne and St. Hydulphe was formally established in 1604. Jean Regnault, abbot of St. Augustine's in

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

, adopted La Cour's reforms in 1613. This was followed by the Abbey of St. Faron near

Meaux Meaux () is a commune on the river Marne in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is east-northeast of the centre of Paris. Meaux is, with Provins, Torcy and Fontainebleau, ...

, St. Julien's at Nouilly, and St. Peter's at

Jumièges Jumièges () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A forestry and farming village situated in a meander of the river Seine, some west of Rouen, at the junction of the D 65 and the ...

. In 1604, the Congregation of St. Vanne was formed, which brought together all the reformist monasteries of Lorraine.Jervis, W. Henley. ''A History of the Church of France, from the Concordat of Bologna, A.D. 1516, to the Revolution'', Murray, 1872, p. 333
/ref> By the time of Dom Didier's death in 1623, the congregation contained forty monasteries in three provinces, and had inspired the formation in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

of the parallel reform movement of the

Congregation of St. Maur The Congregation of St. Maur, often known as the Maurists, were a congregation of French Benedictines, established in 1621, and known for their high level of scholarship. The congregation and its members were named after Saint Maurus (died 565), ...

References

Sources

* Michaux, Gérard, 1998: ''Dom Didier de La Cour et la réforme des Bénédictins de Saint-Vanne'', in ''Les Prémontrés et la Lorraine XIIe - XVIIIe siècle'', pp. 125–144 (XXIIIe colloque du Centre d'études et de recherches prémontrées, directed by Dominique-Marie Dauzet and Martine Plouvier). Beauchesne: Paris. 1550 births 1623 deaths People from Meuse (department) French Benedictines {{Christian-bio-stub