Henry de Beaume,
O.F.M. ( la, Henricus de Balma), ( 1367 – 23 February 1439), also known as Hugh Balme, was a
Franciscan friar
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
, priest and theologian. He became a supporter of the reform work of
Colette of Corbie
Colette of Corbie, PCC (13 January 1381 – 6 March 1447) was a French abbess and the foundress of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Order of Saint Clare, better known as the Poor Clares. She is honored as a saint in the Catholic ...
, among the
Poor Clare
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
nuns, which, in turn, led a reform movement of his own branch of the Franciscan Order. He is honored as a
Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
within the Order.
Life
De Beaume was born in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
to a noble family in the service of the
Dukes of Savoy
The titles of count, then of duke of Savoy are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at th ...
. He entered the
Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
of the
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...
,
[ possibly at the ]friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
in Chambéry
Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...
. According to one source, he was a member of the community of friars in Mirabeau
Mirabeau may refer to:
People and characters
* Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798–1859), second President of the Republic of Texas
French nobility
* Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau (1715–1789), French physiocrat
* Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, com ...
when they accepted the Observant reform then growing among the Friars Minor. He soon became a noted itinerant preacher in the region.[ Franciscan Authors, 13th–18th century: A Catalogue in Progress "Henricus de Beaume"]
/ref>
De Beaume was a man of exceptional worth according to the testimony of Colette of Corbie, whose confessor he became in 1406 while she was still an anchoress at the 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 ...
Abbey of Corbie
Corbie Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Corbie, Picardy, France, dedicated to Saint Peter. It was founded by Balthild, the widow of Clovis II, who had monks sent from Luxeuil. The Abbey of Corbie became celebrated both for its library ...
. He confirmed the validity of her call to reform the Poor Clares
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
, and accompanied her to the papal court
The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremoni ...
then residing in Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
. There the Antipope Benedict XIII
Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as in Spanish and Pope Luna in English, was an Aragonese nobleman who, as Benedict XIII, is considered an antipope (see Western Schism) by the Catholic Church ...
authorized Colette's program of reform and appointed
de Beaume as her guide and spiritual assistant in this.Loyal Press "Saints Stories for all Ages: Saint Collette"
/ref> Several attempts at founding a community of nuns which would follow the original Rule of St. Clare were made in the County of Burgundy
The Free County of Burgundy or Franche-Comté (french: Franche Comté de Bourgogne; german: Freigrafschaft Burgund) was a medieval county (from 982 to 1678) of the Holy Roman Empire, predecessor to the modern region of Franche-Comté. The name ' ...
, with one finally taking root successfully in Besançon
Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...
.
Communities of friars developed alongside the monasteries of nuns which Colette went on to found. They followed the same spirit of austerity as the nuns and soon became known as the Colettine friars (''Colettins''). The Ministers General of the Friars Minor appointed de Beaume as the Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
for this new reform of the friars, and as the canonical Visitor to the monasteries of the nuns.
De Beaume died at the Colettine monastery in Besançon in 1439. Abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey.
Description
In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
Colette made the decision to have his body buried in the chapter room
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
of the monastery rather than in its chapel, not only out of her attachment to her longtime guide and support, but also to avoid the possibility of crowds being drawn to the tomb of a widely noted holy figure, which would have been disruptive to their lives. Though his cause has never been confirmed by the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, he is honored within the Franciscan Order with the title of Blessed
Blessed may refer to:
* The state of having received a blessing
* Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified
Film and television
* ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...
.
Legacy
De Beaume wrote many letters and a range of spiritual treatises for the Colettine nuns, as well as a Rule for the Coletan friars. Possessing an intimate knowledge of his penitent's life, he wrote a brief account of her marvelous gifts. The saint, however, on hearing of its existence, caused it to be destroyed.
Among De Beaume's other writings is one on "Theologia Mystica
Mystical theology is the branch of theology in the Christian tradition ...
", which had been mistakenly attributed to Saint Bonaventure
Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher.
The seventh Minister G ...
, making him one of several Pseudo-Bonaventuran authors. On the other hand, several spiritual writings have been attributed to him in error. Now they have been identified as having been written by Hugo de Balma and Jacob of Milan, notably Hugo de Balma's ''De Triplici Via ad Sapientiam'', Jacob of Milan's ''Stimulus Amoris'' and the ''Liber Soliloquiorum ad Impetrandam Gratiam et Lacrymas''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balme, Henry
1360s births
1439 deaths
Clergy from Geneva
French Friars Minor
14th-century French Roman Catholic priests
15th-century French Roman Catholic priests
Franciscan beatified people
Medieval French theologians
15th-century French Catholic theologians