Jean Six (1533–1586) was a theologian and bishop of Saint-Omer.

Life

Six was born in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

Walloon Flanders Walloon Flanders (Dutch: ''Waals Vlaanderen'', French: ''Flandre wallonne'') was a semi-independent part of the County of Flanders, composed of the Burgrave, burgraviates of Lille, Douai and Orchies. It is sometimes referred to as ''Lille–Douai ...

, in 1533, the son of a city magistrate. He studied at

Leuven University KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

, graduating

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1551. From 1552 to 1558 he taught Philosophy at Lily College, while studying Theology at Holy Spirit College, graduating Licentiate in Sacred Theology. On 21 June 1561 he succeeded Jean Hessels as head of the theological college.

A. C. De Schrevel Arthur Carolus De Schrevel (1850–1934) was a Belgian priest and historian, specialising in the 16th and 17th centuries, and in particular Catholic Church history during the Dutch Revolt. He was also a prolific contributor to the ''Biographie Nati ...

, "Six, Jean", '' Biographie Nationale de Belgique''
vol. 22
(Brussels, 1920), 653-661. On 31 January 1563 he resigned in favour of Cornelius Jansen to become parish priest of the Church of Saint-Étienne, Lille. On 3 December 1571 Gérard de Haméricourt, bishop of Saint-Omer, appointed him to a canonry of Saint-Omer Cathedral. Six signed the Union of Brussels on 9 January 1577 on behalf of the bishop. After Haméricourt's death, on 17 March 1577, Six represented the clergy in the States of the County of Artois, and was deputized to represent the States of Artois in the Estates General, where he took the rotating presidency whenever it was the county's turn. His intransigence towards the Calvinists led to his recall by the States. On 7 October 1577 he was appointed canon penitentiary, and on 20 December 1577 diocesan administrator. When the rebels briefly took power in Saint-Omer, he refused to take an oath of loyalty to William of Orange, and on 22 April 1578 was banished from the city. During his exile he studied Hebrew at the University of Paris. He returned to Saint-Omer in February 1579, after the

Union of Arras The Union of Arras (Dutch: ''Unie van Atrecht'', French: ''Union d'Arras'', Spanish: ''Unión de Arrás'') was an alliance between the County of Artois, the County of Hainaut and the city of Douai in the Habsburg Netherlands in early 1579 during ...

had been agreed. On 17 August 1579 he was reinstated as diocesan administrator, and was appointed

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of Artois. On 6 May 1580, the governor general of the Habsburg Netherlands,

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: *Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew *Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), P ...

, sent Six the royal letters naming him bishop of Saint-Omer. Pope Gregory XIII confirmed the nomination on 3 March 1581. He was consecrated bishop in Douai on 23 July 1581 by

Mathieu Moulart Mathieu Moulart (1536–1600), alternatively Moullart or Moulard, was an abbot and bishop in the Habsburg Netherlands. Life Moulart was born in the village of Saint-Martin-sur-Cojeul in 1536, the son of the labourers Jean and Antoinette Pronnier. H ...

, bishop of Arras, assisted by

Jean Sarazin Jean Sarazin (also ''Sarrasin'' or ''Sarrazin''), Latinized Joannes Saracenus (1539–1598) was an abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Vaast, Arras, and the third archbishop of Cambrai. Life Sarazin was baptized in Arras on 20 July 1539. He was ...

, abbot of St Vaast, and Arnold Gantois, abbot of Marchiennes Abbey. He was installed in his see on 6 August. In December 1582 he formally adopted the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

in his diocese. After the conclusion of the Siege of Ypres (1584), Six was invited to that city to reconsecrate the churches. In January 1585 he assisted at the double consecrations in Tournai of

Petrus Simons Pierre Simons (1538—1605) was a theologian and the second bishop of Ypres. Life Simons was born at Tielt in 1538, to a farming couple, Etienne Simoens and Marie van Slambrouck. A. C. De Schrevel, "Simons, Pierre", ''Biographie Nationale de Belg ...

bishop of Ypres The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801. Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres. In 1969 it was reconstituted as a titular see. History The diocese was originally part of the Diocese ...

and Clemens Crabbeels as

bishop of 's-Hertogenbosch The Roman Catholic Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch ( la, Dioecesis Buscoducensis) is a diocese of the Catholic church in the Netherlands. The modern diocese was created in 1853. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Utrecht. It is currently led by ...

. He died in Lille on 11 October 1586, while en route to attend a

provincial synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mea ...

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

. His secretary, Franciscus Lucas Brugensis, transported his heart back to Saint-Omer for burial there.A. C. De Schrevel, "Lucas, François, dit Lucas Brugensis", '' Biographie Nationale de Belgique''
vol. 12
(Brussels, 1893), 550-563.

Publications

* ''Statuta synodi dioecesanae audomarensis, anno M D LXXXIII'' (Douai,

Jan Bogard Jean Bogard (died around 1634) was a printer in Leuven and Douai in the 16th and 17th centuries. Life Bogard was born in Leuven around the mid-16th century and from 1564 was working as a printer in the city. E.-H.-J. Reusens, "Bogard (Jean)", ''Bio ...

, 1583), the statutes of the diocesan synod of 1583, introducing Tridentine reforms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Six, Jean 1533 births 1586 deaths Old University of Leuven alumni Academic staff of the Old University of Leuven Bishops of Saint-Omer