Jean François Foppens, sometimes Latinized Johannes Franciscus Foppens (1689–1761), was a Belgian ecclesiastical historian, and

literary biographer When studying literature, biography and its relationship to literature is often a subject of literary criticism, and is treated in several different forms. Two scholarly approaches use biography or biographical approaches to the past as a tool for ...

and bibliographer. He is best known for his ''Bibliotheca belgica, sive virorum in Belgio vita scriptisque illustrium catalogus'' (2 vols., Brussels, 1739), a catalogue of Belgian authors and their works.H. Helbig, "Foppens (Jean-François)", ''

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. 7
(Brussels, 1883), 193–195.

Life

Foppens was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

on 17 November 1689, the son of a family of printers. He was sent to Leuven University in 1704 and graduated Master of Arts in 1706, at the age of 17. Around 1713 he began lecturing on Philosophy at the university while studying Theology. In 1715 he graduated

Licentiate of Theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simila ...

and began a clerical career, holding a canonry of the church of St Martin in Aalst, then St. Salvator's Cathedral in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

, and finally

St. Rumbold's Cathedral St. Rumbold's Cathedral ( nl, Sint-Romboutskathedraal, french: Cathédrale Saint-Rombaut) is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, Roman Catholic metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, dedicated to Rumbold of ...

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

. He died in Mechelen on 16 July 1761 and was buried in the cathedral.

Works

* ''Historia episcopatus Antverpiensis'' (Brussels, 1717) * ''Historia episcopatus Sylvaeducensis'' (Brussels, 1721) * ''Auberti Miraei opera diplomatica et historica'' (4 vols., Brussels, 1723–1748) * ''Bibliotheca belgica, sive virorum in Belgio vita scriptisque illustrium catalogus'' (2 vols., Brussels, 1739) * ''Basilica Bruxellensis'' (Mechelen, 1743)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foppens, Jean Francois 1689 births 1761 deaths Old University of Leuven alumni 18th-century historians from the Holy Roman Empire 18th-century biographers Roman Catholic priests of the Austrian Netherlands Historians of the Catholic Church Writers of the Austrian Netherlands