Franciscus van der Burch

Franciscus van der Burch (1567–1644) was a bishop of Ghent and archbishop of Cambrai.

Franciscus van der Burch
Archbishop-Duke of Cambrai
Portrait from Ghent Cathedral
DioceseCambrai
SeeNotre Dame de Cambrai
Installed12 May 1616
Term ended23 May 1644
PredecessorFrançois Buisseret
SuccessorJoseph de Bergaigne
Other post(s)Bishop of Ghent (1612-1616)
Orders
Consecration17 February 1613
Personal details
Born(1567-07-26)26 July 1567
Died23 May 1644(1644-05-23) (aged 76)
Mons, County of Hainaut, Habsburg Netherlands
Alma materLeuven University
Coat of armsFranciscus van der Burch's coat of arms

Life

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Franciscus was born in Ghent 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.[1] His father would go on to become president of the Great Council of Mechelen in 1584 and of the Privy Council of the Habsburg Netherlands in 1592.[2]

Franciscus was educated partly in Utrecht, where his uncle Lambert van der Burch was dean of the chapter of St. Mary's Church,[3] and partly at the Jesuit college in Douai, before going on to study at Leuven University, where he graduated Licentiate of Laws.[1]

He became a clergyman and was appointed a canon of Arras Cathedral, vicar general of the diocese of Arras, and archdeacon of the archdiocese of Mechelen.[4] He resigned these offices to become a simple canon of the collegiate church in Mons.

In 1612 he accepted nomination as bishop of Ghent, receiving papal confirmation on 1 October 1612 and being consecrated bishop in Ghent Cathedral on 17 February 1613.[1] 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,[5] which provided vocational education for poor girls between the ages of 12 and 18.[4]

He died in Mons on 23 May 1644.[4] Two streets in Cambrai were named after him.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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.
  2. ^ General Guillaume, "Burch (Jean Vander)", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 3 (Brussels, 1872), 160-161.
  3. ^ General Guillaume, "Burch (Lambert Vander)", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 3 (Brussels, 1872), 161-162.
  4. ^ a b c d General Guillaume, "Burch (François-Henri van der)", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 3 (Brussels, 1872), 162-164.
  5. ^ "Fondation Vanderburch". tourisme-cambresis.fr (in French). Office de tourisme du Cambrésis.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Ghent
1612–1616
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Cambrai
1616–1644
Succeeded by