HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Esprit Fléchier (10 or 19 June 163216 February 1710) was a French preacher and author, Bishop of Nîmes from 1687 to 1710.


Biography

Fléchier was born at
Pernes-les-Fontaines Pernes-les-Fontaines (; officially Pernes until 1936; Occitan: ''Pèrnas dei Fònts'' or simply ''Pèrnas'') is a commune in the southeastern French department of Vaucluse. Population Its inhabitants are called ''Pernois'' and ''Pernoises'' i ...
, in today's ''
département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...
'' of
Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
, in the then
Comtat Venaissin The (; ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States from 1274 to 1791, in what is now the region of Southern France. The region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France, comprising the area aroun ...
, the son of Pierre-Michel Fléchier and Marguerite Audifret. He was baptized on 19 June 1632. He first went to school in Pernes and later to the ''Collège'' of
Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tara ...
, which was run by the Congrégation des Doctrinaires, of which his uncle
Hercule Audiffret Hercule Audiffret (15 May 1603 – 6 or 16 April 1659), known as "le Père Hercule", was a French orator, religious writer and Superior General of the Christian Doctrine Fathers, Congrégation des Doctrinaires. He was the maternal uncle of Esprit ...
was the superior. Fléchier then entered the Congrégation des Doctrinaires as a ''novice'' on 25 August 1647 in
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
, and pronounced his vows on 30 August 1648. At the age of 17, he went to teach humanities during four years in Tarascon and in
Draguignan Draguignan (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of Artillery" an ...
. He then moved to
Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...
, where he taught and stayed for six years until mid-1659. Fléchier then went to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to meet his dying uncle Hercule Audiffret, but arrived after his death (16 April 1659). He left the order around the end of 1959, shortly after the death of his uncle, owing to the strictness of its rules. In Paris, he devoted himself to writing poetry. His French poems met with little success, but a description in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
verse of a tournament (, ), given by
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
around 1662, brought him a great reputation. Fléchier subsequently became tutor to Louis Urbain Lefebvre de Caumartin, afterwards intendant of finances and counsellor of state, whom he accompanied to
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...
, where the king had ordered the ''Grands Jours'' to be held (1665), and where Caumartin was sent as representative of the sovereign. There, Fléchier wrote his curious ''Mémoires sur les Grand jours tenus à Clermont'', in which he relates, in a half romantic, half historical form, the proceedings of this extraordinary court of justice. In 1668, the duke of Montausier procured for him the post of ''lecteur'' to the Dauphin. The sermons of Fléchier increased his reputation, which was afterwards raised to the highest pitch by his funeral orations. The most important are those on the duchesse de Montausier (1672), which gained him the membership of the
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, the
duchesse d'Aiguillon Marie-Madeleine de Vignerot de Pontcourlay, suo jure Duchess of Aiguillon (; 160417 April 1675) was a French nobility, French aristocrat, also remembered for her charitable work and her patronage of artists and mathematicians. Biography Vigne ...
(1675), and, above all, Marshal Turenne (1676). He was now firmly established in the favour of the king, who gave him successively the abbacy of Saint-Séverin, in the diocese of Poitiers, the office of almoner to the Dauphine, and in 1685 the bishopric of Lavaur, from which he was in 1687 promoted to that of Nîmes. The
edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...
had been repealed two years before; but the
Calvinists Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
were still very numerous at Nîmes. Fléchier, by his leniency and tact, succeeded in bringing over some of them to his views, and even gained the esteem of those who declined to change their faith. During the troubles in the Cévennes he softened to the utmost of his power the rigour of the edicts, and showed himself so indulgent even to what he regarded as error, that his memory was long held in veneration amongst the Protestants of that district. It is right to add, however, that some authorities consider the accounts of his leniency to have been greatly exaggerated, and even charge him with going beyond what the edicts permitted. He died at
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
.


Académie Française

Esprit Fléchier was elected at the ''
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
'' on 5 December 1672, as a successor of Antoine Godeau. He entered the ''Académie'' on 12 January 1673, the same day as
Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...
and Jean Gallois.Esprit Fléchier entry on the Académie française website
. Academie-francaise.fr. Retrieved on 2011-07-15.


Literary style

According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, pulpit eloquence is the branch of ''
belles-lettres () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...
'' in which Fléchier excelled. He is indeed far below Bossuet, whose robust and sublime genius had no rival in that age; he does not equal Bourdaloue in earnestness of thought and vigour of expression; nor can he rival the philosophical depth or the insinuating and impressive eloquence of
Jean-Baptiste Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, Oratory of Jesus, CO (24 June 1663 – 28 September 1742), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death in Beauregard-l'Évêque. Biography Early years M ...
. But he is always ingenious, often witty, and nobody has carried farther than he the harmony of diction, sometimes marred by an affectation of symmetry and an excessive use of antithesis. His two historical works, the histories of
Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 â€“ 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...
and of Ximenes, are more remarkable for elegance of style than for accuracy and comprehensive insight.


Works

* ''La vie du cardinal Jean-François Commendon, où l'on voit ses voyages, ambassades, légations & négotiations, dans les plus considérables cours des empereurs, rois, princes & républiques de l'Europe. Écrite en latin par Antoine Maria Gratiani, et traduite en françois par Monsieur Fléchier'' (1671) * ''Histoire de Théodose le Grand, pour Monseigneur le Dauphin'' (1679

Translated into English by F Manning (1693) * ''Histoire du Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, cardinal Ximenès'' (1693

* ''Panégyriques des saints et quelques sermons de morale'' (1695) * ''Lettres de Mr. Flechier, evêque de Nismes, sur divers sujets'' (1711

* ''Lettres choisies de Mr Fléchier, avec une Relation des fanatiques du Vivarez et des réflexions sur les différens caractères des hommes'' (2 volumes, 1715

https://archive.org/details/lettreschoisies00flgoog]. Reedition : ''Fanatiques et insurgés du Vivarais et des Cévennes : récits et lettres, 1689–1705'', Jérôme Millon, Grenoble, 1997. * ''Œuvres complètes'' (10 volumes, 1782) * ''Voyage de Fléchier en Auvergne'' (1796

* ''Oraison funèbres'' (2 volumes, 1802

** Julie d'Angennes, Madame la Duchesse de Montausier, pronounced in the Church of
Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...
Abbey on January 2, 1672 ** Madame la Duchesse d'Aiguillon, pronounced in the Carmelites church of rue Chapon, Paris, on August 12, 1675 ** Monsieur de Turenne, pronounced in the Church of St. Eustache, Paris on January 10, 1676 ** M. le premier président de Lamoignon, pronounced in Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet on February 18, 1679 ** Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, Queen of France, pronounced in the Church of the Val-de-Grâce on November 24, 1683 ** Messire Michel Le Tellier,
Chancellor of France The Chancellor of France (), also known as the Grand Chancellor or Lord Chancellor, was the officer of state responsible for the judiciary of the Kingdom of France. The Chancellor was responsible for seeing that royal decrees were enrolled and ...
, pronounced in the church of
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...
on March 22, 1686 ** Madame la Dauphine, pronounced in
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
on June 15, 1690 ** M. le Duc de Montausier, pronounced in the Carmelites church of faubourg Saint-Jacques, Paris, on August 11, 1690 * ''Œuvres complètes de Fléchier, classées pour la première fois, selon l'ordre logique et analogique'' (2 volumes, 1856). Published by
Jacques Paul Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a u ...
(Paris) * ''Mémoires de Fléchier sur les Grands-Jours tenus à Clermont en 1665–1666'' was first published in 1844 by Benoît Gonod. The second edition (1856), ''Mémoires de Fléchier sur les Grands-Jours d'Auvergne en 1665'', had a notice by Sainte-Beuve and an appendix by Pierre Adolphe Chéruelbr>
Reedition :
Mercure de France The () was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group. The gazette was publis ...
, Paris, 1984. Fléchier left a ''portrait'' or of himself, addressed to one of his friends. The "Funeral Oration of Marshal Turenne" has been translated in English in HC Fish's ''History and Repository of Pulpit Eloquence'' (ii., 1857).


Memory

There are streets named after Esprit Fléchier in several
communes of France A () is a level of administrative divisions of France, administrative division in the France, French Republic. French are analogous to civil townships and incorporated municipality, municipalities in Canada and the United States; ' in Ger ...
, including Éleu-dit-Leauwette,
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tara ...
.


Notes


References

*


Further reading

* *
Vol. 1Vol. 2
** * * The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition entry lists the following additional bibliography: ** Adolphe Fabre, ''Fléchier, orateur'' (1886) ** A Delacroix, ''Hist. de Fléchier'' (1865)


External links


Works by Esprit Fléchier at gallica.bnf.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flechier, Esprit 1632 births 1710 deaths People from Vaucluse Members of the Académie Française 17th-century French Roman Catholic bishops 18th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Lavaur Bishops of Nîmes People from Tarascon