Mathias Hovius (1542–1620), born Matthijs Van Hove, was the third

Archbishop of Mechelen In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

from 1596 to 1620. As Archbishop, Hovius presided over implementing the

Catholic Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

in the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...

Early career

Hovius was born in Mechelen in 1542; his father was a fuller. Hovius attended the Standonck College in Mechelen, and later studied theology and philosophy at Leuven University, and was ordained priest in 1566, the year

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...

broke out in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. While pastor at Saints Peter and Paul's Church in Mechelen, Hovius witnessed the

Spanish Fury at Mechelen The Spanish Fury at Mechelen () was an event in the Eighty Years' War on October 2, 1572 in which the city of Mechelen was conquered by the Spanish army and brutally sacked. Prelude In spring and summer 1572, many cities in the Low Countries ...

in 1572, and the

English Fury at Mechelen The English Fury at Mechelen or the Capture of Mechelen was an event in the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War on April 9, 1580. The city of Mechelen was conquered by Calvinist forces from Brussels which included a large contingent of ...

in 1580, both during the Eighty Years' War.Harline, Craig and Put, E., ''A bishop's tale: Mathias Hovius among his flock in seventeenth-century Flanders''

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, 2000

Vicar-General

Hovius was appointed

vicar-general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the archdiocese of Mechelen upon the death of Archbishop Joannes Hauchin in 1589.

Archbishop

In 1596, Hovius was consecrated the third Archbishop of Mechelen. Among his accomplishments were the founding of a seminary and the creation of a catechism with help from the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

. The ''Mechelen Catechism'' remained a standard in Catholic religious education in Belgium until well into the twentieth century. On 14 November 1599 he installed Joanne Berkeley as the first abbess of a new Benedictine convent in Brussels. The new convent had been approved by the pope and the local authorities and it was funded by Mary Percy who was one of the first nuns. In 1607, Hovius convened a provincial council in Mechelen to implement the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

in the archdiocese.Kooi, Christine. ''Reformation in the Low Countries, 1500-1620'', Cambridge University Press, Jun 9, 2022, p. 147
After an official enquiry, in 1604, Hovius approved the cult of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, Boni, Armand (1953). ''Scherpenheuvel: Basiliek en gemeente in het kader van de vaderlandse geschiedenis''. Standaard In 1606, the newly constructed shrine received a papal indulgence. He also promoted the veneration of the

Martyrs of Gorkum The Martyrs of Gorkum ( nl, Martelaren van Gorcum) were a group of 19 Dutch Catholic clerics, secular and religious, who were hanged on 9 July 1572 in the town of Brielle by militant Dutch Calvinists during the 16th-century religious wars—sp ...

. He was supported in his efforts by

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and

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of Austria, Governors-General of the Spanish Netherlands. Archbishop Hovius died on 30 May 1620 during a canonical visitation to

Affligem Abbey Affligem Abbey ( nl, Abdij Affligem, french: Abbaye d'Affligem) is a Benedictine abbey in the municipality of Affligem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, to the north-west of Brussels. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monastery in the Du ...

References

*Laenen, Kan. Dr. J. (1930), ''Geschiedenis van het Mechelsch Seminarie vanaf het Episcopaat van Aartsbisschop Matthias Hovius tot onder Z.E. Kardinaal van Roey'', Mechelen, Gebr. Laurent, 393 pp. * Harline, C. E. & Put, E. (2000), ''A bishop's tale: Mathias Hovius among his flock in seventeenth-century Flanders'',

, (Cloth); (Electronic), (Cloth); (Electronic) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovius, Mathias 1542 births 1620 deaths 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire Flemish Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic archbishops of Mechelen-Brussels Old University of Leuven alumni