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Pierre-Eugène-Aloys known as Gerardus Rubens, OCist. (born 1674; died 21 January 1736) was the 42nd Abbot of the Common Observance in
Pierre-Eugène-Aloys known as Gerardus Rubens, OCist. (born 1674; died 21 January 1736) was the 42nd Abbot of the Common Observance in St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem
St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, or ''abbatiae S. Bernardi ad Scaldim, ordinis Cisterciensis, in dioecesi Antverpiensi'' also known as St. Bernard's Abbey on the Scheldt (''Sint-Bernardusabdij van Hemiksem''; ''Abdij Sint-Bernaerdts aan de Schel ...
.
He was the son of Aloysius Rubens and Anne de Deckers, and related to the Painter Peter Paul Rubens. He was baptised in the Coudenberg Church. His parents died at young age, and he was educated by his uncle the reverend Eugenius Rubens.
Career
He entered Hemiksem Abbey in 1693 and took his vows. After his ordination he studied inLouvain
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
in the College of the Order. In 1722, he was elected Abbot and followed to Cornelius Addriaenssens as Abbot of Hemiksem Abbey. His arms are the ones of the House of Rubens and his Motto was in Pace et equitate. He took a seat of the States of Brabant
The States of Brabant were the representation of the three estates (nobility, clergy and commons) to the court of the Duke of Brabant. The three estates were also called the States. Supported by the economic strength of the cities Antwerp, Bruss ...
, though his political influence was not important. The archduchess, however, sent him to Orval Abbey
Orval Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval) is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1132 in the Gaume region of Belgium and is located in Villers-devant-Orval, part of Florenville, Wallonia in the province of Luxembourg. The abbey is well known for its ...
to fight Jansenism
Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by t ...
, which was considered as a major problem.
During the period of his abbacy, the abbey acquired many important grounds and the abbey managed to grow to an important economic institution. With this financial capital, the abbot spent important sums to the decoration of the abbey church and the abbey library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
. Historically, he is considered as one of the important people for the history of the abbey.RUBENS, Gerardus, abt, lid van de Staten van Brabant. / Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek
He was succeeded by Alexander Adriaenssens. His portrait is kept in Bornem Abbey
Bornem Abbey is the only Cistercian abbey of Common Observance in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The current Abbey is the successor of the former St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, destroyed in the French Revolution. Both are built in honour ...
.
References