Louis Laneau (31 May 1637 in Mondoubleau16 March 1696 in

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

) was a French

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the 17th century who was active as a missionary in the kingdom of

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(modern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

). He was a member of the

Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...

. He was initially nominated as the replacement of Msgr

Ignace Cotolendi Ignace Cotolendi, MEP (23 March 1630 – 16 August 1662) was a French bishop. He was a founding member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and became a missionary in Asia. Life Born in Brignoles, Var, Cotolendi was recruited by Alexander ...

in charge of Nankin.

Biography

Laneau was born in Mondoubleau,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. After studies, he was ordained a priest in

La Société des Missions Etrangères The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons ...

. On 4 July 1669, Laneau was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Siam and Titular Bishop of

Metellopolis Motella, Metello(u)polis, or Pulcherianopolis was a city in the Roman province of Phrygia Pacatiana, in Asia Minor, probably on the site of the modern Medele. Inscriptions make known a Phrygian town named Motella, which name is connected with the ...

. On 25 March 1674, he was consecrated bishop by

Pierre Lambert de la Motte Pierre Lambert de la Motte, MEP (16 January 1624 – 15 January 1679) was a French bishop. He was a founding member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and became a missionary in Asia. Biography Lambert de la Motte was born 16 January 1624 in ...

, Vicar Apostolic of Cochin with Bishop

François Pallu François Pallu, MEP (1626–1684) was a French bishop. He was a founding member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and became a missionary in Asia. Life Born in Tours, now in Indre-et-Loire, Pallu was recruited by Alexander de Rhodes, SJ, ...

, Vicar Apostolic of Fo-Kien, serving as co-consecrator. As Vicar Apostolic of Siam, he was head of the French Roman Catholic mission in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, with its headquarters at

. Laneau became bishop of

in 1674. Monseigneur Laneau worked at propagating the Christian faith and also took care of

Annamite The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lan ...

Christians and Japanese Christian communities in Siam. The Siamese king

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the P ...

warmly welcomed these missionaries, providing them with land for a church, a mission house, and a seminary (St Joseph's colony). He wanted to reduce Dutch and Portuguese influence in the area. Laneau had a key role in convincing the Siamese King to send an embassy to France. During the 1688 Siamese revolution, Laneau and his missionaries were taken hostage by the Siamese, as guarantors for the execution of the retreat agreement negotiated between the French and the Siamese. As the French failed to respect several elements of the agreement, Laneau and his missionaries were imprisoned by the resentful Siamese. Laneau was not freed from the Siamese jails until April 1691. He died in

on 16 March 1696.Smithies, p.185

Works

*''Rencontre avec un sage bouddhiste'' (English: "Encounter with a Buddhist sage"). A dialogue between a Christian missionary and a Buddhist sage, with a representation of the Christian doctrine with the words and concepts of Buddhism. The book was initially written in Siamese. *''La Déification des Justes'' (Latin: "''de Deification iustorum''", English: "The deification of the Just"). A book written during his captivity after the revolution.

Notes

References

*Smithies, Michael, ''Three military accounts of the 1688 revolution in Siam'', Orchid Press, Bangkok 2002, *''Les Missions Etrangères. Trois siecles et demi d'histoire et d'aventure en Asie'' Editions Perrin, 2008, {{DEFAULTSORT:Laneau, Louis 17th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Apostolic vicars of Siam Christian missionaries in the Ayutthaya Kingdom Paris Foreign Missions Society missionaries French Roman Catholic missionaries 1637 births 1696 deaths Roman Catholic missionaries in Thailand French expatriates in Thailand French people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of Thailand Paris Foreign Missions Society bishops

Biography

Works

See also

Notes

References