Gérard Calvin (died 26 May 1531) was the father of the

Protestant Reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

John Calvin. Calvin lived in

Noyon Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise, about northeast of Paris. The Oise Canal and the Cana ...

, France, located in the province of Picardy. A man of hard and severe character, he occupied a prominent position as apostolic secretary to Charles de Hangest,

bishop of Noyon The former French Catholic diocese of Noyon lay in the north-east of France, around Noyon. It was formed when Saint Medardus moved the seat of the bishopric at Vermandois to Noyon, in the sixth century. For four centuries it was united with the ...

. He also served as proctor in the Chapter of the diocese and as fiscal procurator of the county. He lived on intimate terms with the best families of the neighborhood. His wife Jeanne Lefranc, the daughter of an innkeeper at Cambrai, was noted for her beauty and piety. She died after giving birth to six children, four sons (Charles, John, Anthony, a fourth son who died during childhood) and then two daughters, one of whom was named Mary. After Lefranc's death, he married a woman with whom he would have two more daughters. Cauvin became involved in financial embarrassment and was

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

, perhaps on suspicion of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. He died on 26 (or 25) May 1531, after a long sickness. He would have been buried in unconsecrated soil but for the intercession of his oldest son, Charles, who gave security for the discharge of his father's obligations.

References

Philip Schaff Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States. Biography Schaff was born ...

,
History of the Christian Church, Volume VIII: Modern Christianity. The Swiss Reformation
'. * Thomas Dyer. ''The Life of John Calvin''. London: 1850. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cauvin, Gerard 1531 deaths People from Noyon People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Year of birth unknown