Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Marie de Beauvais (b. at

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

, 17 October 1731; d. at Paris, 4 April 1790) was a French

bishop of Senez The former French Catholic diocese of Senez existed from around the fifth or sixth century, until the French Revolution. Its see was at Senez, in southern France, in the modern department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. After the Concordat of 1801 th ...

Life

Beauvais was born in

on 17 October 1731, to a father who was an advocate in the

Parliament of Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

, and became an

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin ''abbas'', in turn from Greek , ''abbas'', from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is the title for lowe ...

in the late 1750s. Beauvais became known as one of the best preachers of the eighteenth century. His career was hindered by the radical political content of his sermons, which frequently criticized

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

and his court, as well as by Beauvais' own commoner background. Nevertheless, after the sermons he delivered to the court during

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

, 1768, and

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

, 1773, Beauvais was finally rewarded by being made Bishop of

Senez Senez is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Ecclesiastical history Marcellus I, the first known bishop of Senez, attended the Council of Agde in 506 CE; nevertheless, Senez must have been an episcopal ...

. In 1783, Beauvais resigned his bishopric and settled at Paris. In 1789, he was made a member of the States-General.

Works

Beauvais was famous in his own day for his sermons openly criticizing the French aristocracy, including those delivered directly to Louis XV and his court. Taking up the mantle of the defender of the poor, Beauvais condemned the lifestyles of the wealthy, exhorting the royal family to exhibit greater personal virtue, practice chastity, and make appointments based on merit. A collected volume of Beauvais' sermons were printed at Paris in 1806, prefaced by an account, written by the Abbé Boulogne, of the preacher and his discourses. Beauvais' most famous sermons include his funeral oration on

, and his

panegyrics A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

on St. Augustine and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

References

*De Feller, Biographie universelle (Paris, 1847) *Bernard, La chaire francaise au dix-huitieme siecle (Paris, 1901)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beauvais, Jean-Baptiste-Charles-Marie de 1731 births 1790 deaths Bishops of Senez