Louis Barbier (1593–1670), known as Abbé de la Rivière, was a French
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
, born in
Vandélicourt
Vandélicourt () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.
See also
*Communes of the Oise department
The following is a list of the 680 Communes of France, communes of the Oise Departments of France, department of France.
The ...
, near
Compiègne
Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' ().
Administration
Compiègne is t ...
, France. He entered the church and made his way until he was appointed tutor and then became the friend and adviser of
Gaston d'Orléans, brother of
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
. He thus gained an entrance to the court, became grand
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 queen, and received the revenue of rich
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
s, such at
Saint-Père-en-Vallée.
In March 1655 he was named
bishop of Langres
The Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church comprising the '' département'' of Haute-Marne in France.
The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesias ...
, but he spent his time at court, where he was always in demand, and where he gained great sums by
gambling
Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...
. He died very rich.
He willed 100
écu
The term ''écu'' () may refer to one of several France, French coins. The first ''écu'' was a gold coin (the ''écu d'or'') minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. The value of the ''écu'' varied considerably over time, and si ...
s to the person who would write his
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
, and got the following on his tomb:
References
*
1593 births
1670 deaths
Bishops of Langres
17th-century peers of France
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