Gustave-Xavier de La Croix de Ravignan 01

Gustave François Xavier Delacroix de Ravignan (2 December 1795,

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

, France – 26 February 1858, Paris, France) was a French

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

preacher and author. Educated in Paris, he resigned his army commission to study law.

Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

of the royal court. Deputy

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

by 1821. Entering a

Sulpician The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; PSS), also known as the Sulpicians, is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, where it was founded. The members of the Society add the ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, and later joining the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1828, and after several years as professor and retreat preacher at

Montrouge Montrouge () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased agai ...

, he went to

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

, where his logic, serenity, and zeal won souls by the hundreds. Superior of his brethren at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

from 1837 to 1842, and at Paris from 1848 to 1851. He preached throughout France and in Rome,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and London. His calm, eloquent ''De l'Existence et de l'Institut des Jesuites'' of 1844, vindicating the Society, sold 25,000 copies in one year. However, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

' strife continued until they were forced to disband for a time in France. Despite painful controversy with his superiors and imputations from other quarters, he remained loyal to his order. In 1854 he brought out ''Clement XIII et Clement XIV'', a dispassionate

treatise A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...

, of no great literary merit, on the defender and the suppressor of the

. He steadfastly refused preferment, even the

archbishopric of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created i ...

, devoting himself to other works. He died a saintly death, and thousands followed the remains of the "Apostle of Paris" to his grave.

Works

*''De l'existence et de l'institut des Jésuites'' (7. Ed., Par. 1855) * ''Clément XIII et Clément XIV'' (2. Ed. 1856, 2 Vols.) * ''Conférences prêchées à Notre-Dame de Paris'' (2. Ed. 1867, 4 Vols.) * ''Entretiens spirituels'' (2 Vols). His biography was written by

Jean Joseph François Poujoulat Jean Joseph François Poujoulat (; 28 January 1808, Montferrand-la-Fare – 5 January 1880, Paris) was a French historian and journalist. Poujoulat was co-author with Joseph François Michaud of the ''Bibliothèque des Croisades'', and trave ...

(2. Ed. 1862).

External links

GIGA quotes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delacroix de Ravignan, Gustave Francois Xavier 1795 births 1858 deaths People from Bayonne 19th-century French Catholic theologians 19th-century French Jesuits