Étienne Le Camus (1632,

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–

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, 1707) was a French

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Biography

Through the influence of his father, Nicolas le Camus, a state councillor, he was when still very young attached to the court as

almoner An almoner () is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used f ...

of the king, and enjoyed the friendship of Bossuet. The Sorbonne made him

doctor of theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

at the age of eighteen. The fact of his consorting with such men as Benserade, Vivonne, and Bussy drew upon him the severity of Mazarin, and he was for a while exiled to

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. Recalled through the influence of Colbert, he retired in 1665 to

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with de Rancé, and passed from his former levity to an

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

that led him to Port-Royal. The publication of his letters by Ingold shows that

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was with Le Camus more a matter of personal sympathy and spiritual discipline than of doctrinal tenets. Made against his will Bishop of Grenoble in 1671, he proved himself zealous almost to excess in reforming abuses in his diocese. In the affair of the '' régale'' he acted as intermediary between Rome and Versailles, and showed creditable courage before the omnipotent

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having made him cardinal instead of Harlay, presented by the king, he was not allowed till 1689 to go to Rome to receive the insignia of his dignity. Le Camus founded in the Diocese of Grenoble two seminaries and several charitable institutions.

Works

Camus's works include the , the (Paris, 1680), and numerous letters published by Ingold.

References

Sources

*Bellet, Charles-Félix (1886
''Histoire du Cardinal Le Camus, évêque et prince de Grenoble''
. Paris: Alphonse Picard, 1886. *Godel, J., et al. (eds.) (1974). ''Le Cardinal des montagnes. Etienne Le Camus Evêque de Grenoble (1671–1707).'' . Grenoble, 1974. *Ingold, Augustin Marie Pierre (ed.) (1892)
''Lettres du cardinal Le Camus, évêque et prince de Grenoble.''
. Paris: A. Picard, 1892. *Sainte-Beuve, Charles Augustin (1878)
''Port-Royal''
. Volume 4, 4th edition. Paris: Hachette 1878. Pp. 528-555. *ST-SIMON, ''Mémoires'' (ed. HACHETTE), IV 59 to be corrected by LALOUETTE, ''Abrégé de la vie de M. le Cardinal Le Camus'' (Paris, 1720) * This article cites: {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Camus, Etienne 1632 births 1707 deaths University of Paris alumni 17th-century French cardinals Clergy from Paris Bishops of Grenoble 18th-century French cardinals Heads of the Bâtiments du Roi