Laevinus Torrentius, born Lieven van der Beke (1525–1595), was the second

bishop of Antwerp The Diocese of Antwerp is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The diocese was restored in 1961. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brusse ...

Career

He studied philosophy and law at Leuven University and then at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

. For five years he lived in Rome. He was appointed Canon of Liege cathedral, and became there vicar general. He was appointed bishop of Antwerp in 1576 but could not be installed in his see until 1587. He died in 1595, after being nominated to the see of Mechelen but before being appointed."Torrentius (Laevinius)", in A. J. van der Aa, ''Biographisch woordenboek der Nederlanden'', vol. 18 (Haarlem, 1874), 195-196. After his death, he left his precious library, worth an estimated 30.000 gulden, to the Jesuits of Louvain. He was buried inside the cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torrentius, Laevinus 1525 births 1595 deaths 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire Bishops of Antwerp Clergy from Ghent