Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval (1724-1808) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the Catholic Church and Bishop of Metz at the time of the French Revolution.

Early life

He was born 11 December 1724 in the Castle of Baillet in the town of

Bayers Bayers is a former commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Aunac-sur-Charente.

, then in the ancient Province of Angoumois, now part of the

Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

. He was the son of Guy André de Montmorency-Laval and of Marie-Anne de Turménies de Nointel, and younger brother of

Guy André Pierre de Montmorency-Laval Guy-André-Pierre de Montmorency-Laval (21 September 1723, château de Bayers - 22 September 1798, Paris), 1st duke of Laval, first baron of Marche, marquis de Lezay was a French general and marshal of France. He was the brother of Louis-Joseph d ...

. The family name is sometimes rendered as Laval-Montmorency. As a young man, Montmorency-Laval studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where he obtained a licentiate in canon law. The date of his reception of Holy Orders as a priest is lost, but he was made Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Sens.

Bishop and cardinal

Montmorency-Laval was nominated as the new Bishop of Orléans by King Louis XV of France on 7 November 1753. This was confirmed by the Holy See on 14 January 1754. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

a bishop on 10 February 1754, at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, by Christophe de Beaumont du Repaire,

Archbishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...

, assisted by Étienne-René Potier de Gesvres, Bishop of Beauvais, and Pierre-Jules-César de Rochechouard-Montigny,

Bishop of Bayeux The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baiocensis et Lexoviensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Bayeux et Lisieux'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is coextensive with the Department of Calvados and is ...

. After service in that post for four years, Montmorency-Laval was named

Bishop of Condom The Roman Catholic Diocese of Condom was a French bishopric based in Condom from 1317 to 1801. It comprised four archdeaconries : Condom itself, Bruilhois, Villefranche and Nérac. In 1763 these totaled circa 140 parishes. Abbey of Condom The ...

, where he remained for two years before being appointed Bishop of Metz in 1760, a post he occupied until 1801. He was also appointed in 1786

Grand Almoner of France {{other uses, Almoner The Grand Almoner of France (french: Grand aumônier de France) was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the '' Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch o ...

, and on 30 March 1789

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...

created him a

Exile and death

During the French Revolution Montmorency-Laval left France and lived in exile in the Kingdom of

Denmark–Norway Denmark–Norway (Danish and Norwegian: ) was an early modern multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (including the then Norwegian overseas possessions: the Faroe I ...

, settling in the town of Altona, now a part of Germany. He was not able to participate at the

1799–1800 Papal conclave The 1799–1800 papal conclave followed the death of Pope Pius VI on 29 August 1799 and led to the selection of Cardinal Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, who took the name ''Pius VII'', on 14 March 1800. This conclave was held in Venice ...

, the only one for which he would have been eligible to vote. Montmorency-Laval died in exile in Altona on 17 June 1808. His body was initially buried at the local church of St. Joseph of the "Greater Freedom" (german: Großer Freiheit). In 1900 the remains were removed and reburied in the crypt of the Cathedral of Metz.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montmorency-Laval, Louis-Joseph de 1724 births 1808 deaths People from Charente Louis-Joseph 18th-century French cardinals Bishops of Condom Bishops of Metz Bishops of Orléans Burials in Germany Burials at Metz Cathedral Cardinals created by Pope Pius VI