Philippe Crespin du Bec (1519 – January 10, 1605) was a French churchman of the 16th century. He was successively Bishop of Vannes (1559–1566),

Bishop of Nantes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nantes ( la, Dioecesis Nannetensis; french: Diocèse de Nantes; br, Eskopti Naoned) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Nantes, France. The diocese consists of the department of Loire- ...

(1566–1594) and

Archbishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...

(1594–1605). Master of the King's Chapel and Commander of the Order of the Holy Spirit.

Biography

Philippe du Bec is the second son of Charles du Bec, lord of Bourri and Vardes, vice-admiral of France, and his wife Magdelaine or Marguerite de Beauvillier.

Ecclesiastical career

Dean of the Saint-Maurice cathedral in Angers, he became

bishop of Vannes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vannes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Venetensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Vannes'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the Episcopal see is Vannes Cathedral in ...

in 1559, following the resignation of

Sébastien de L'Aubespine The L'Aubespine family was a French family descended from Claude de l'Aubespine, a lawyer of Orléans and bailiff of the abbey of Saint Euverte in the beginning of the 16th century. His progeny gained distinction in offices connected with the law. ...

. He participated in this capacity in the

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

. In 1566 he became

. He attached himself to King Henry IV. He was present at his

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

on February 27, 1594, in the

cathedral of Chartres Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

, and as a prelate reminded him of the obligations of a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

monarch, then "the eldest son of the Church." Recognizing it, Henry IV named it in 1594 to

and made the following year Commander of its Orders. Philippe du Bec died on 10 January 1605 at the age of 86 years.Funerary stone of Philippe du Bec

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bec, Philippe du 1519 births 1605 deaths Archbishops of Reims 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France