Petrus Augustus de Génestet (commonly referred to as "P.A. de Génestet") (

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, 21 November 1829

Rozendaal Rozendaal () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. The town, next to Arnhem and Velp, is known for the Rozendaal Castle (''Kasteel Rosendael'') and its water fountain follies (''bedriegertjes''). ...

, 2 July 1861) was a Dutch

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. De Génestet lost both of his parents at a very young age; after that he lived with his uncle, the Dutch painter

Jan Adam Kruseman Jan Adam Kruseman (12 February 1804, Haarlem - 17 March 1862, Haarlem) was a Dutch painter, known primarily for his portraits, although he also did landscapes and genre scenes. Biography He was born to a prominent family that would produce sever ...

. He studied at the

Amsterdamse Atheneum Athenaeum Illustre, or Amsterdamse Atheneum, was a city-sponsored 'illustrious school' founded after the beeldenstorm in the old ''Agnieten'' chapel on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal 231 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Famous scientists such as Caspar Barlae ...

and the Seminarium der Remonstrantse Broederschap to become a

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

. He became a preacher in March 1852 and worked in

Moordrecht Moordrecht () is a town and a former municipality in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands, situated along the river Hollandse IJssel. In September 2006, 93% of the population of Moordrecht chose by referendum to pursue a merger with the ...

. In December of the same year he started working in

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

, the same city that still has the Genestetkerk, a

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...

church that was named after him. Shortly after moving to Delft he married

Henriette Bienfait Henriette may refer to: *Princess Henriette of France *Henriette of Cleves *Henriette Willemina Crommelin (1870-1957), Dutch labor leader and temperance reformer *Henriette Dibon (1902–1989), French poet and short story writer. *Henriette Hansen ...

Bloemendaal Bloemendaal () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Bloemendaal is, together with Wassenaar, the wealthiest place in the Netherlands. In October 2015, after persistent problems with the local governa ...

. They had four children. In 1859, both his wife and oldest child died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and because of his poor health he had to quit working as a preacher. He moved to

, but spent most of his summers in Bloemendaal. Two years later, in 1861, he died in Rozendaal due to tuberculosis. After his death, poet

Bernard ter Haar Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

wrote ''Op het Kerkhof te Roozendaal'' ("At the cemetery of Roozendaal") for him. In 1862 the memorial for De Génestet at the Rozendaal cemetery was revealed. His narrative poem ''De Sint-Nicolaasavond'' ("Saint Nicholas's Eve") appeared in 1849.

References

Further reading