Franciscus van der Burch (1567–1644) was a
bishop of Ghent
The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropol ...
and
archbishop of Cambrai
This is a List of bishops and archbishops of Cambrai, that is, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cambrai.
Bishops
For the first bishops of Arras and Cambrai, who resided at the former place, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Arras. On the death ...
.
Life
Franciscus was born in
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
on 26 July 1567, the son of
Jan van der Burch, a member of the
Council of Flanders, and Camille Marguerite Diacetto, a native of
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
.
[ Emmanuel Hellin, ''Histoire Chronologique des Evêques, et du Chapitre Exemt de l'Eglise Cathédrale de S. Bavon à Gand'']
vol. 1
(Ghent, 1772), pp. 33-34. His father would go on to become president of the
Great Council of Mechelen
From the 15th century onwards, the Great Council of the Netherlands at Mechelen (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ) was the highest court in the Burgundian Netherlands. It was responsible for the Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas. In Luxembourg ...
in 1584 and of the
Privy Council of the Habsburg Netherlands
The Privy Council or Secret Council (, ) was one of the three "collateral councils" (along with the Council of Finance and Council of State) that together formed the highest government institutions of the Habsburg Netherlands. Based in Brussels, i ...
in 1592.
Franciscus was educated partly in Utrecht, where his uncle
Lambert van der Burch was
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
* Dean Sw ...
of the
chapter
Chapter or Chapters may refer to:
Books
* Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document
* Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10
* Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
of
St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations.
Notable uses of the term may refer to:
Albania
...
, and partly at the Jesuit college in
Douai
Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...
, before going on to study at
Leuven University
KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries.
In addition to its main campus ...
, where he graduated
Licentiate of Laws.
[
He became a clergyman and was appointed a ]canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of Arras Cathedral
Arras Cathedral ( French: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast d'Arras'') is the Catholic church in the city of Arras, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishops of Arras.
History
When the diocese of Arras was renewed in 1094 with Lamber ...
, vicar general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
of the diocese of Arras
The Diocese of Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Atrebatensis (–Bononiena–Audomarensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Arras (–Boulogne–Saint-Omer)'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal s ...
, and archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...
of the archdiocese of Mechelen
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
.[ General Guillaume, "Burch (François-Henri van der)", '']Biographie Nationale de Belgique
The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' (; ) is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ''Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'' (, ...
''
vol. 3
(Brussels, 1872), 162-164. He resigned these offices to become a simple canon of the collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...
in Mons
Mons commonly refers to:
* Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium
* Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone
* Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain
* Batt ...
.
In 1612 he accepted nomination as bishop of Ghent, receiving papal confirmation on 1 October 1612 and being consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
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 ...
in Ghent Cathedral
Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral (), is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. The Gothic architecture, Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Bavo of Ghent, Saint B ...
on 17 February 1613.[ On 12 May 1616 he was instituted as archbishop of Cambrai, in succession to François Buisseret who had died in 1615. As archbishop he established a number of charitable foundations. The most important of these was the Maison de Sainte-Agnès, or Fondation Vanderburch, established in 1626,][
He died in Mons on 23 May 1644.][ Two streets in Cambrai were named after him.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burch, Franciscus van der
1567 births
1644 deaths
Clergy from the Spanish Netherlands
Old University of Leuven alumni
Bishops of Ghent
Archbishops of Cambrai