Henri François-Xavier de Belsunce-Castelmoron

Henri François-Xavier de Belsunce-Castelmoron ( beautiful-zunce decides) (Castle of the Force in the Périgord December 3rd 1671 - Marseilles June 4th 1755) was the bishop of the town of Marseilles during the plague of 1720 then bishop-duke of Laon in 1723 and Pair of France.

Birth and studies

Henri-François-Xavier de Belsunce de Castelmoron was born the December 3rd 1671, with the castle of the force, in Périgord. He was the second wire of Armand de Belsunce, marquis de Castelmoron, baron de Gavaudun, lord of old woman-city and Born, large Sénéchal and Gouverneur of the provinces of Agenais and Condomais, and of Anne Nompar de Caumont de Lauzun, sister of Antonin Nompar de Caumont, celebrates it duke of Lauzun. His/her older brother named Armand, it had two of them other Antonin and Charles-Gabriel and a sister, Marie-Louise, who was abbess of Ronceray.

Raised in the reformed religion, he chose at the 16 years age for the Catholicisme. He made his studies with the Louis college the Large one and entered to the Jésuites which he left in 1701. Saint-Simon known as in his memories (t.XIII) " The Jesuits reflect it out of on their premises to make use utilement" more of it;. It was ordered priest in 1703

In 1706 it lost his/her aunt, Miss Susanne-Henriette de Foix de Candalle of famous birth and wrote its first book on its life.

The bishop

After having been general vicar of the Diocese of Agen, the king named it with évêché of Marseilles on April 5th, 1709 and the Pope proclaimed it on February 19th, 1710. There remained bishop of Marseilles during 45 years until its death in 1755.

The period 1710-1720

In 1713, the Pope Clément XI condemns in his famous Bulle Unigenitus a book of P.Quesnel of the Oratory estimating that it contained errors. In accordance with its formation with the college of the Jesuits, Belsunce accepted the bubble and was opposed vigoureusementà those which called some with the Pope, called " Appelants" , in particular in Oratoriens and several Chanoine S. It was not satisfied to interdir with the fathers of the Oratory the exercise of preaching but also the administration of the sacraments. In these quarrels against the Jansénisme, it pronoça with force against this movement er attracted itself by there the sharp ones démélés with the Parlement of Aix.

The plague of 1720

The event which was to mark for the posterity the episcopate of Mgr. of Belsunce Peste of Marseilles of 1720 was large the . Its attitude for this period was for certain heroic for others not very courageous. It is however necessary to underline its untiring devotion near the patients. It multiplied the spectacular gestures by exorcizing the plague top of the Clocher of Accoules, by making processions and by devoting the city to the Sacred Heart during a mass celebrated on November 1st, 1720 on the course which bears from now on its name. This last step would have been suggested to him by the Visitandine Anne-Madeleine Rémuzat. The basilica of the Sacré-Coeur was constuite at the time of the bicentenary of this dedication.

On this occasion, Belsunce declared:

“ With God does not like that I give up a population of which I am obliged to be the father. I owe him my care and my life, since I am his Pasteur. ”

The evocation made by Albert Camus of évèque of Belsunce in its work " Peste" appears exaggerated: " Here, the Paneloux father evoked the high figure of évèque of Belsunce during the Peste of Marseilles. He recalled that, towards the end of the epidemic, the évèque one having done all that he was to do, believer which he was not any more remedy, was locked up with vivres in his house which he made wall; that the inhabitants of which it was the idol, by a return of feeling such as one finds some in the excess of the pains, was annoyed against him, surrounded his house of corpses to infect it and threw even bodies over the walls, to make it more surely perish. Thus, the évèque one, in a last weakness, had believed to be isolated in the world from dead and deaths fell to him from the sky on the tête." (page 182, pages 3 to 16, Gallimard edition, 1947).

After the plague (1722-1755)

After the end of the contagion, there was a great admiration for the prelate. In order to reward it for his devotion and on the recommendations for his uncle the duke for Lauzun, the Regent named it in October 1723 with évêché of Laon. He made share with the young king Louis XV of his renunciation of évêché of Laon which was allotted to Mgr. of Fare. Indeed he preferred to remain in Marseilles in the middle of his flocks who had known the terrible tests of the plague.

In 1726 Belsunce attended the provincial synod of Spray joined together to condemn the opinions Jansenists of Soanen, bishop of Sénez. After 1730 it carries out a meticulous monitoring of primary and secondary education. It supports the Jesuits and their new college which bears its name and which settles street of the noble ones, renamed street Belsunce. This street disappears during installation of the district of 1911 to 1938. He was abbot joint mandatory not residing of the abbey of Chambons in Vivarais. Member of the academy of Marseilles, it attends several meetings in particular with that of January 12th, 1746 which accepts Voltaire like associated member. He signs the statement without reserve what shows its share a certain unusual tolerance in many others situatons.

From 1747 to 1751 were published under its signature 3 volumes of " The Antiquity of the church of Marseilles and succession of its évêques." It is currently allowed that the true author would be the father Jesuit Claude Maire (1694-1761) who was his theological adviser and his principal collaborator.

During the last years, it especially notes with sadness a distance of the religious practices among the most favoured classes.

He died in Marseilles on June 4th, 1755. Évêché and the city made him imposing funeral. The funeral oration was pronounced by the Lenfant Jesuit. It instituted the hospital of the Great Mercy of Marseilles, its sole legatee. It made some donations particular to the Jesuits who inherited his library, with his servants, poor and with his parents.

Millevoye sang its devotion in the poem of Belsunce . The Abbé of Pontchevron wrote its Vie , 1854, Marseilles.

Works

• Shortened life of Suzanne-Henriette de Foix de Candale. ED. Guillot, Agen, 1707

• Last nine letters with Mr. de Colbert, Bishop of Montpellier. ED. Brébion, Marseilles, 1730.
• the book of Saint Augustin translated into French, ED. Brébion, Marseilles 1740.
• the Antiquity of the Church of Marseilles and succession of its bishops. 3 volumes in fourthly. ED. Vve J.P.Brébion, Maseille; 1747-1751.
• Art to die well by the cardinal Robert de Bellarmin, translated from Latin. ED; Brébion, Marseilles, 1752.
• Instructions on incredulity, ED. Brébion, Marseilles, 1753.
• selected Works of the bishop of Marseilles, published by the abbot Jauffret, 2 volumes, Metz, 1822.

Nowadays

• with Marseilles
• a district with his name.
• a statue with its effigy placed initially in 1853 on the course which bears its name then moved on the square of the Cathédrale of the Major in 1892. During the occupation, German devoted to a research non-ferrous metals. In April 1944 of resistant the 2800 bronze kgs of the statue under branches in a warehouse sheltered where German never detected it. The day of the release of the city, the statue was discovered in brass band and was illuminated lampions.
• a Institute Belsunce
• the Canton of Marseilles-Belsunce
• with Paris
• a street in Xe district

The position adopted by its statue, the open arms with the palms to the top make resemble Belsunce somebody who has the empty handeds, from where the Marseilles expression “ to arrive like Belsunce ”, i.e. the empty handeds.

Sources