Jean-François de Hercé
Jean-François de Hercé , (February 18th 1776, Notre-Dame parish of Mayenne - † January 31st 1849, Nantes), politician (mayor of Laval), and monk (bishop of Nantes).
Origin
Grandson of Jean de Hercé and Francoise Tanquerel , wire of Jean-François-Simon de Hercé and Anne of the Wood of Bas-Maignée , it is resulting from old and noble a family mayennaise. He was born with the hotel from Hercé to Mayenne.
Father, mayor, bishop
Noticed early through his/her uncle Urbain-Rene de Hercé, bishop of Fraud, for its early intelligence, it passes its childhood close to him, with the abbot François-Jean Zerelli like tutor. While his/her father sits at the General states with Versailles, it continues its studies in Paris with the Collège of Navarre of May 5th 1789 at September 30th 1791, then returns to Mayenne to find its first Master.
At the 16 years age ½, in a simple boat of fisherman, it leaves for Jersey on October 15th 1792 to find the bishop of Fraud and his brother who had refused the permission to accompany them to him, then passes in England. It read already English, speaks it in a few weeks, is made professor and managed to provide for the needs for its close relations, either with Jersey, or with Bath where it follows his father.
Party him also for the forwarding of Quiberon (June-July 1795), it does not unload, either that with the attempt on the Île of Yeu, in November 1795.
Peace brings back it to France. Returned in Mayenne with the intention to become priest, it yields the maternal authorities and to wife on September 11th 1804 Marie of the Hedge of Bellegarde (° October 22nd 1781 Laval - † December 22nd 1820, of which it will have an only daughter, Marie-Lucie ); it comes to live the same year the Château of the Rock-Pichemer, which his woman inherited, and becomes mayor of Saint-Ouën-of-Small valleys.
Ten years later, it becomes mayor of Laval (February 20th 1814 - October 1829). During fifteen years, the city will experience a beautiful development under its mandate.
See also: List of the mayors of Laval (Mayenne)
After the death of his wife end 1820 and the marriage of his/her daughter Marie-Lucie with Guillaume-François d' Ozouville in 1825, it is again attracted by priesthood.
II returns to the seminar of Malestroit at the 54 years age, receives all the orders in the year 1830 including priesthood, in the cathedral of Rennes, on December 18th 1830. Indicated in advance to become cleaned church of the Trinity in Laval, it is installed on February 20th 1831.
He refuses évêchés of Saint-Brieuc, of Orleans, Vannes, but yields to the authorities of the bishop of Nantes which requires it for Coadjuteur. Crowned with Nantes on April 17th 1836, it begins the visit of the diocese to foot, facing the rain and the sun ( " I am wire of Apollon " , said it), attracting itself the enthusiasm of the populations. Polyglot, it confessed in several languages the foreigners that the trade attracted in Nantes.
Death, on May 12th 1838, of bishop Mgr of Guérines, leaves it titular head office of Nantes.
See also: List of the bishops of Nantes
More than ever he is spent, reorganized the factories, and the pension fund of the ecclesiastics, restores the conferences, energy to preach as far as England, where he converts many Protestants. He creates new parishes, founds three establishments of Frères of the Christian schools, buys, to form of it a college of full exercise, the boarding school of Saint-Stanislas, and governs work of completion of the cathedral. Its popularity among the parishioners does not prevent part of the Nantes population of ruer over évêché the in February 1848. Feeling his forces to weaken, Jean-François de Hercé resigns of his station on November 29th 1848 after having obtained like successor the abbot Jaquemet , vicar general, who had accompanied the archbishop by Paris Mgr Denys Affre on the barricades in Paris.
He dies on January 31st 1849, at the end of a life during which he will have fully carried out his triple vocation of father, mayor and bishop .
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Mgr of Hercé had in addition highly encouraged his/her son-in-law Guillaume-François d' Ozouville to be made the promoter (1842 with 1851) of one évêché with Laval. It maintained in the same direction a correspondence followed with Madam de Vaufleury , to which it addressed the newspaper of its last voyage to Rome in 1846. Thanks to the impulse of Jean-François de Hercé and with the obstinacy of Guillaume-François d' Ozouville, this new évêché was created in 1855.