Jacques-Théodore de Bryas (1630–1694) was a clergyman from the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

who was in turn

bishop of Saint-Omer The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Omer existed from 1559 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Omer, in the modern department of Pas-de-Calais, was created as a reaction to the destruction of the see of Thérouanne, by military ...

and

archbishop of Cambrai The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Help ...

. In the last position he was, ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'', duke of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

and count of

Cambrésis Cambrésis () is a former ''pagus'', county and prince-bishopric of the medieval Holy Roman Empire that was annexed to the Kingdom of France in 1679. It is now regarded as one of the "natural regions" of France, and roughly equivalent to the Arro ...

. He was the last archbishop to be elected by the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

rather than nominated by the King of France.

Life

De Bryas was born in

Mariembourg Mariembourg ( wa, Mariyambour) is a town in the municipality of Couvin in the Province of Namur, Belgium. The town is named after Mary of Hungary, governor of what was then the Habsburg Netherlands, who ordered the construction of a fortress ...

, the second son of Count Charles de Bryas and Anne Philiberte de Lierre d'Immerseele. M. de Vegiano, ''Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du comté de Bourgogne'', edited by J.S.F.J.L. de Herckenrode, vol. 1 (Ghent, 1865)
pp. 312-313
After studying

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

University of Douai The University of Douai (french: Université de Douai) ( nl, Universiteit van Dowaai) is a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started ...

, he obtained a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

Tournai Cathedral The Tournai Cathedral, or Cathedral of Our Lady (french: Notre-Dame de Tournai, nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Doornik), is a Roman Catholic church, see of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's major ...

in 1655.

Edmond Reusens Edmond Henri Joseph Reusens (25 April 1831 in Wijnegem, Antwerp – 25 December 1903 in Leuven) was a Belgian archeologist and historian. Sent to the University of Leuven immediately after his ordination to the priesthood (1854), he soon b ...

, "Bryas (Jacques-Théodore de)", ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

''
vol. 3
(Brussels, 1872), 505-506. By letters patent of 12 December 1666 he was appointed ecclesiastical councillor on the

Great Council of Mechelen From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen (Dutch: ''De Grote Raad der Nederlanden te Mechelen''; French: ''le grand conseil des Pays-Bas à Malines''; German: ''der Grosse Rat der Niederlände zu Mecheln'') w ...

, the highest law court in the

Habsburg Netherlands Habsburg Netherlands was the Renaissance period fiefs in the Low Countries held by the Holy Roman Empire's House of Habsburg. The rule began in 1482, when the last House of Valois-Burgundy, Valois-Burgundy ruler of the Netherlands, Mary of Burgu ...

. In 1671, de Bryas was named bishop of Saint-Omer in succession to

Ladislas Jonart Ladislas Jonart (1594–1674) was a clergyman from the Low Countries who was named in turn bishop of Arras, bishop of Saint-Omer, and archbishop of Cambrai. In the last position he was, '' ex officio'', duke of Cambrai and count of Cambrésis. ...

, who had just been translated to Cambrai.

Honoré Fisquet Honoré Jean Pierre Fisquet (1818–1883) was a French historian, biographer and writer of guide books, including a ''Nouveau guide général du voyageur en Angleterre, en Écosse et en Irlande'' (1864), which he wrote together with Henri-Marie Mart ...

, ''La France pontificale (Gallia Christiana): Cambrai'' (Paris,

Étienne Repos Jean-Baptiste Étienne Repos (1803–1872) was a French publisher who specialised in works on liturgy, religion and history. The son of a bookbinder from Avignon, Repos was licensed as a printer in Digne on 27 December 1837. He published a number ...

, 1864), pp. 279-280
On Google Books
He took possession of the see by procuration on 11 April 1672 and made his solemn entry into the see on 11 June 1672. At Jonart's death, de Bryas again succeeded him, now as archbishop of Cambrai, where he was installed on 28 October 1675. Eighteen months later,

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

took control of the city at the conclusion of the Siege of Cambrai, and by the

Treaties of Nijmegen The Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen ('; german: Friede von Nimwegen) were a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and October 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republi ...

the Habsburgs ceded the duchy of Cambrai to French control. A report to the new king described the archbishop as eating simply off pewter tableware, and spending his free time visiting the sick and prisoners. On 30 August 1682, the cathedral chapter formally relinquished their ancient privilege of electing the bishop, bringing the diocese into line with the rest of France, where the nomination of bishops was a royal prerogative. De Bryas died on 16 November 1694.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryas, Jacques De 1630 births 1694 deaths People from Namur (province) Bishops of Saint-Omer Archbishops of Cambrai