Mathias Hovius (1542–1620), born Matthijs Van Hove, was the third

Archbishop of Mechelen In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

from 1596 to 1620. As Archbishop, Hovius presided over implementing the Catholic Reformation in the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

Early career

Hovius was born in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

in 1542; his father was a fuller. Hovius attended the Standonck College in Mechelen, and later studied theology and philosophy at Leuven University, and was ordained priest in 1566, the year

iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

broke out in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. While pastor at Saints Peter and Paul's Church in Mechelen, Hovius witnessed the Spanish Fury at Mechelen in 1572, and the English Fury at Mechelen in 1580, both during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

.Harline, Craig and Put, E., ''A bishop's tale: Mathias Hovius among his flock in seventeenth-century Flanders''

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, 2000

Vicar-General

Hovius was appointed

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 vicar ...

of the archdiocese of Mechelen upon the death of Archbishop Joannes Hauchin in 1589.

Archbishop

In 1596, Hovius was consecrated the third Archbishop of Mechelen. Among his accomplishments were the founding of a seminary and the creation of a

catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

with help from the

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. The ''Mechelen Catechism'' remained a standard in Catholic religious education in Belgium until well into the twentieth century. On 14 November 1599 he installed Joanne Berkeley as the first abbess of a new Benedictine convent in Brussels. The new convent had been approved by the pope and the local authorities and it was funded by Mary Percy who was one of the first nuns. In 1607, Hovius convened a provincial council in Mechelen to implement the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

in the archdiocese.Kooi, Christine. ''Reformation in the Low Countries, 1500-1620'', Cambridge University Press, Jun 9, 2022, p. 147
After an official enquiry, in 1604, Hovius approved the cult of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, Boni, Armand (1953). ''Scherpenheuvel: Basiliek en gemeente in het kader van de vaderlandse geschiedenis''. Standaard In 1606, the newly constructed shrine received a papal indulgence. He also promoted the veneration of the

Martyrs of Gorkum The Martyrs of Gorkum () were a group of 19 Dutch people, Dutch Catholic clerics, secular and religious, who were hanged on 9 July 1572 in the town of Brielle by militant Dutch Calvinists during the European wars of religion, 16th-century relig ...

. He was supported in his efforts by

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and

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of Austria, Governors-General of the Spanish Netherlands. Archbishop Hovius died on 30 May 1620 during a

canonical visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

Affligem Abbey Affligem Abbey (, ) is a Benedictine order, Benedictine abbey in the historic village of Hekelgem, now in the municipality of Affligem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, to the north-west of Brussels. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monas ...

References

*Laenen, Kan. Dr. J. (1930), ''Geschiedenis van het Mechelsch Seminarie vanaf het Episcopaat van Aartsbisschop Matthias Hovius tot onder Z.E. Kardinaal van Roey'', Mechelen, Gebr. Laurent, 393 pp. * Harline, C. E. & Put, E. (2000), ''A bishop's tale: Mathias Hovius among his flock in seventeenth-century Flanders'',

, (Cloth); (Electronic), (Cloth); (Electronic) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovius, Mathias 1542 births 1620 deaths 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Holy Roman Empire Flemish Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic archbishops of Mechelen-Brussels Old University of Leuven alumni