
François de la Chaise (; 25 August 1624 – 20 January 1709), also known as Père Lachaise (Father Lachaise), was a French
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest, the father confessor of King
Louis XIV of France
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 ...
.
Biography
François de la Chaise was born at the Château of Aix in
Aix-la-Fayette,
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.[Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France.
As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...]
, being the son of Georges d'Aix, seigneur de La Chaise, and of Renée de Rochefort.
On his mother's side he was a grandnephew of
Pierre Coton
Pierre Coton (7 March 1564, at Néronde in Forez – 19 March 1626, at Paris) was a French Jesuit and royal confessor.
Life
Coton studied law at Paris and Bourges, entered the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-five, and was sent to Milan to ...
, the confessor of
Henry IV. He became a novice of the
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
before completing his studies at
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, where, after taking final vows, he lectured on philosophy to students attracted by his fame from all parts of France.
Through the influence of
Camille de Villeroy,
Archbishop of Lyon
The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...
, Père de la Chaise was in 1674 nominated confessor of Louis XIV, who entrusted him during the lifetime of
Harlay de Champvallon,
archbishop of Paris
The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created i ...
, with the administration of the ecclesiastical patronage of the crown. The confessor united his influence with that of
Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to:
* Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French
* Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel
* ''Madame'' ( ...
to induce the king to abandon his liaison with
Madame de Montespan
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan (5 October 1640 – 27 May 1707), commonly known as Madame de Montespan (), was a French noblewoman and the most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress of King Lou ...
. More than once at
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
he is said to have had a convenient illness which dispensed him from granting absolution to Louis XIV.

With the fall of Madame de Montespan and the ascendancy of Madame de Maintenon his influence vastly increased. The marriage between Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon was celebrated in his presence at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, but there is no reason for supposing that the subsequent coolness between him and Madame de Maintenon arose from his insistence on secrecy in this matter. During the long strife over the temporalities of the
Gallican Church between Louis XIV and
Innocent XI
Pope Innocent XI (; ; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689.
Political and religious tensions with ...
, Père de la Chaise supported the royal prerogative, though he used his influence at Rome to conciliate the papal authorities. He was largely responsible for the revocation of 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 ...
.
He exercised a moderating influence on Louis XIV's zeal against the
Jansenists, and
Saint-Simon, who were opposed to him in most matters, which does full justice to his humane and honourable character.
Père de la Chaise had a lasting affection for Archbishop
Fénelon, which remained unchanged by the papal condemnation of the ''Maximes''.
In spite of failing faculties, he continued his duties as confessor to Louis XIV to the end of his long life.
Legacy
The name of Father de la Chaise became attached to the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
house where he lived – at the time outside the boundaries of Paris – and to the plot of land near that house. In 1804,
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
established a cemetery there – the well-known
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world.
Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...
(literally "The Father la Chaise Cemetery"). Thus, his name lives on in the Paris landscape.
The lexicographer
Philibert-Joseph Le Roux had to flee to Brussels after he publishe
''Histoire du père La Chaize, jésuite et confesseur du roi Louis XIV où l'on verra les intrigues secrettes qu'il a eues à la cour de France et dans toutes les cours de l'Europe'' a pamphlet against de la Chaise.
William Hurt
William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. For his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award for B ...
portrayed Father de la Chaise in the fantasy-adventure film ''
The King's Daughter'' (2022).
Notes
References
*
*
*
Régis Chantelauze, ''Le Père de la Chaize. Etudes d'histoire religieuse'' (Paris and Lyon, 1859).
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18th-century French Jesuits