Gérard Calvin (died 26 May 1531) was the father of the
Protestant Reformer John Calvin
John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...
.
Calvin lived in
Noyon
Noyon (; ; , Noviomagus of the Viromandui, Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, Northern France.
Geography
Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, about northeast of Paris. The ...
, France, located in the province of
Picardy
Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...
. A man of hard and severe character, he occupied a prominent position as
apostolic secretary to
Charles de Hangest,
bishop of Noyon. He also served as proctor in the Chapter of the diocese and as fiscal procurator of the county. He lived on intimate terms with the best families of the neighborhood.
His wife Jeanne Lefranc, the daughter of an innkeeper at
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river.
A sub-pref ...
, was noted for her beauty and piety. She died after giving birth to six children, four sons (Charles, John, Anthony, a fourth son who died during childhood) and then two daughters, one of whom was named Mary. After Lefranc's death, he married a woman with whom he would have two more daughters.
Cauvin became involved in financial embarrassment and was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...
, perhaps on suspicion of
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.
Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
. He died on 26 (or 25) May 1531, after a long sickness. He would have been buried in unconsecrated soil but for the intercession of his oldest son, Charles, who gave security for the discharge of his father's obligations.
References
*
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States.
Life and career
Schaff was ...
,
History of the Christian Church, Volume VIII: Modern Christianity. The Swiss Reformation'.
* Thomas Dyer. ''The Life of John Calvin''. London: 1850.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cauvin, Gerard
1531 deaths
People from Noyon
People excommunicated by the Catholic Church
Year of birth unknown