Jean Six (1533–1586) was a theologian and

bishop of Saint-Omer The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Omer existed from 1559 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Omer, in the modern department of Pas-de-Calais, was created as a reaction to the destruction of the see of Thérouanne, by militar ...

Life

Six was born in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

Walloon Flanders Walloon Flanders (Dutch: ''Waals Vlaanderen'', French: ''Flandre wallonne'') was a semi-independent part of the County of Flanders, composed of the burgraviates of Lille, Douai and Orchies. It is sometimes referred to as ''Lille–Douai–Orchi ...

, in 1533, the son of a city magistrate. He studied at Leuven University, graduating

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1551. From 1552 to 1558 he taught Philosophy at Lily College, while studying Theology at

Holy Spirit College Holy Spirit College (HSC) is a private Catholic college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college describes itself as an "authentic Catholic college" in the spirit of the apostolic constitution '' Ex corde ecclesiae'' of Pope John P ...

, graduating

Licentiate in Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

. On 21 June 1561 he succeeded Jean Hessels as head of the theological college.

A. C. De Schrevel Arthur Carolus De Schrevel (1850–1934) was a Belgian priest and historian, specialising in the 16th and 17th centuries, and in particular Catholic Church history during the Dutch Revolt. He was also a prolific contributor to the ''Biographie Nati ...

, "Six, Jean", ''

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. 22
(Brussels, 1920), 653-661. On 31 January 1563 he resigned in favour of

Cornelius Jansen Cornelius Jansen (; ; Latinized name Cornelius Jansenius; also Corneille Jansen; 28 October 1585 – 6 May 1638) was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres in Flanders and the father of a theological movement known as Jansenism. Biography He ...

to become parish priest of the Church of Saint-Étienne, Lille. On 3 December 1571

Gérard de Haméricourt Gérard de Haméricourt (1504–1577) was the first Ancient Diocese of Saint-Omer, bishop of Saint-Omer. Life Haméricourt was born in Binche the son of Henri de Haméricourt and Elisabeth de Spanghen. His father was a courtier of Mary of Hungary ...

, bishop of Saint-Omer, appointed him to a

canonry Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the p ...

Saint-Omer Cathedral Saint-Omer Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer'') is a former Roman Catholic cathedral, a minor basilica, and a national monument of France. It is located in Saint-Omer. It was formerly the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Omer, but th ...

. Six signed the

Union of Brussels There were two Unions of Brussels, both formed in the end of the 1570s, in the opening stages of the Eighty Years' War, the war of secession from Spanish control, which lasted from 1568 to 1648. Brussels was at that time the capital of the Spanis ...

on 9 January 1577 on behalf of the bishop. After Haméricourt's death, on 17 March 1577, Six represented the clergy in the

States State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

of the

County of Artois The County of Artois (, , ) was a historic province of the Kingdom of France, held by the Dukes of Burgundy from 1384 until 1477/82, and a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 until 1659. Present-day Artois lies in northern France, near ...

, and was deputized to represent the States of Artois in the Estates General, where he took the rotating presidency whenever it was the county's turn. His intransigence towards the Calvinists led to his recall by the States. On 7 October 1577 he was appointed

canon penitentiary A canon penitentiary () is a member of the chapter at cathedral or collegiate churches, who acts as a general confessor of the diocese. He has ordinary jurisdiction in the internal forum, which power, however, he may not delegate to others, an ...

, and on 20 December 1577

diocesan administrator A diocesan administrator (also known as archdiocesan administrator, archiepiscopal administrator and eparchial administrator for the case, respectively, of an archdiocese, archeparchy, and eparchy) is a provisional ordinary of a Catholic partic ...

. When the rebels briefly took power in

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; ; Picard: ''Saint-Onmé'') is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Sa ...

, he refused to take an oath of loyalty to William of Orange, and on 22 April 1578 was banished from the city. During his exile he studied Hebrew at the University of Paris. He returned to Saint-Omer in February 1579, after the

Union of Arras The Union of Arras ( Dutch: ''Unie van Atrecht'', French: ''Union d'Arras'', Spanish: ''Unión de Arrás'') was an alliance between the County of Artois, the County of Hainaut and the city of Douai in the Habsburg Netherlands in early 1579 duri ...

had been agreed. On 17 August 1579 he was reinstated as diocesan administrator, and was appointed

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 Artois. On 6 May 1580, the governor general of the Habsburg Netherlands, Alexander Farnese, sent Six the royal letters naming him bishop of Saint-Omer.

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

confirmed the nomination on 3 March 1581. He was consecrated bishop in Douai on 23 July 1581 by Mathieu Moulart,

bishop 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 ...

, assisted by Jean Sarazin, abbot of St Vaast, and Arnold Gantois, abbot of

Marchiennes Abbey Marchiennes Abbey was a French monastery located on the Scarpe in Marchiennes. It was founded around 630 by Adalbard of Douai, and Irish monks, disciples of Saint Columbanus, on the advice of Saint Amand. One of its founders was Rictrude, who ...

. He was installed in his see on 6 August. In December 1582 he formally adopted the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

in his diocese. After the conclusion of the Siege of Ypres (1584), Six was invited to that city to reconsecrate the churches. In January 1585 he assisted at the double consecrations in Tournai of Petrus Simons as

bishop of Ypres The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Ypres, in present-day Belgium, existed from 1559 to 1801. Its seat was Saint Martin's Cathedral in Ypres. In 1969 it was reconstituted as a titular see. History The diocese was originally part of the Diocese ...

and Clemens Crabbeels as

bishop of 's-Hertogenbosch The Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The modern diocese was created in 1853. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Utrecht. It is currently led b ...

. He died in Lille on 11 October 1586, while en route to attend a

provincial synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

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 ...

. His secretary,

Franciscus Lucas Brugensis Franciscus Lucas Brugensis or François Luc de Bruges (1548/49–1619) was a Roman Catholic biblical exegete and textual critic from the Habsburg Netherlands. Life Early life Franciscus Lucas was born in Bruges late in 1548 or early in 1549, t ...

, transported his heart back to Saint-Omer for burial there.A. C. De Schrevel, "Lucas, François, dit Lucas Brugensis", ''

''
vol. 12
(Brussels, 1893), 550-563.

Publications

* ''Statuta synodi dioecesanae audomarensis, anno M D LXXXIII'' (Douai,

Jan Bogard Jean Bogard (died around 1634) was a printer in Leuven and Douai in the 16th and 17th centuries. Life Bogard was born in Leuven around the mid-16th century and from 1564 was working as a printer in the city. E.-H.-J. Reusens, "Bogard (Jean)", ''Bio ...

, 1583), the statutes of the diocesan synod of 1583, introducing Tridentine reforms.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Six, Jean 1533 births 1586 deaths Old University of Leuven alumni Academic staff of the Old University of Leuven Bishops of Saint-Omer