Simon du Bosc (died 14 September 1418) was a French religious, abbot of

Cerisy Abbey Cerisy Abbey, otherwise the Abbey of Saint Vigor (french: Abbaye de Cerisy, Abbaye Saint-Vigor de Cerisy), located in Cerisy-la-Forêt (near Saint-Lô), Manche, France, was an important Rule of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery of Normandy. ...

and then 58th abbot of Jumièges Abbey from 1391 to his death. He attended several councils where he was distinguished by his eloquence and the uprightness of his judgment.Julien Loth, ''Histoire de l'abbaye royale de Saint-Pierre de Jumièges par un religieux bénédictin de la congrégation de Saint-Maur'', n.d.

Biography

Originally from an old family of

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, he was son of Mathieu du Bosc, and was a doctor in canon law. He became successively prior of

Sigy-en-Bray Sigy-en-Bray (, literally ''Sigy in Bray'') is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Between 1973 and 2017 the commune Saint-Lucien was part of Sigy-en-Bray. Demographics Inhabitants of Sigy are ...

, abbot of Cerisy, chamberlain of the pope, and finally abbot of Jumièges. In 1407 King Charles VI appointed him one of the ambassadors who negotiated the interview of

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

between Popes Benedict XIII and Gregory XII, in order to put an end to the Great Western Schism, which failed. He participated as ambassador of the king and deputy of the University of Paris at the Council of Pisa in 1409, which attempted in vain to resolve the crisis by electing a third pope,

Alexander V Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. Nevertheless, he received from the new pope the right to use the mitre, the ring and the pontifical ornaments of the abbots of Jumièges. Simon du Bosc was an active participant in the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...

(1414-1418). He preached several times against the practice of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

advocated by John Hus and distinguished himself by his zeal for the unity of the Church and the struggle against heresies. The council managed to resolve the crisis in 1417 after the deposition of the popes of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

and

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

and the resignation of that of Rome, Gregory XII. Simon died in Paris on 14 September 1418 while the war between the Kings of France and England was ravaging Normandy. In the year of his death, the abbey of Jumièges was sacked by the English and the monks had to take refuge in Rouen. He was succeeded by Nicolas Le Roux.

References

{{Authority control Year of birth unknown 1418 deaths Benedictine abbots French abbots Clergy from Rouen 14th-century French Roman Catholic priests 15th-century French Roman Catholic priests