Nicolas Mainfroy (c.1570–1611) was the 71st abbot of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its ...

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) 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 Saint Audomar, ...

from 1604 until his death, and represented the

First Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

in the States 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 Artois lies in northern France, on the border ...

, which is now in France but was then part of the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands ( Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the ...

.Henri de Laplane, ''Les abbés de Saint-Bertin d'après les anciens monumens de ce monastère'', vol. 2 (Saint-Omer, 1855), 206-220
Available on Google Books

Life

Mainfroy was born in

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...

and entered the Abbey of St Bertin at the age of sixteen. He went on to study in the Benedictine houses of study at the universities of

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Do ...

and

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

. His canonical election as abbot was confirmed by letters patent of the sovereign, the Archduke Albert, dated 10 March 1604. At the age of 35 he was consecrated and enthroned as abbot by Jacques Blaseus, bishop of Saint-Omer, in March 1605. As abbot he settled the disputes between the monastery and the chapter of

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

, and by skilful management of the abbey's assets, depleted during the hostilities of the Dutch Revolt, increased its annual revenue.

Literary patronage

Works dedicated to Mainfroy include: * Maximilien de Wignacourt, ''Antistitis praecellentis euphemia'' (Arras, Robert Maudhuy, 1605) * Aubertus Miraeus, ''Origines coenobiorum Benedictorum in Belgio'' (Antwerp, Hieronymus Verdussen, 1606)
Available on Google Books
* Guillaume Gazet, ''Histoire de la vie, mort, passion et miracles des saints'' (Paris, Abraham Saugrain, 1606)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainfroy, Nicolas 1611 deaths Belgian Benedictines Benedictine abbots People from Arras Old University of Leuven alumni University of Douai alumni Abbots of the Spanish Netherlands Year of birth uncertain