Professed House (Paris)
Encyclopedia
The Professed House was a Jesuit professed house
in Paris
, built on the rue Saint-Antoine in Le Marais
. Its site between rue Saint-Paul
, rue Saint-Antoine and rue Charlemagne
are now occupied by the lycée Charlemagne
. It welcomed theologians and scientists and was in a quarter lived in by the nobility. The église Saint-Louis (now église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis) was built nearby.
and gave it to the Jesuits, who modified it. Between 1627 and 1647, on the Wall of Philip II Augustus
, they built the main building of the professed house. This house was the base for the confessor
s to the kings of France, including père de La Chaise, confessor to Louis XIV of France
for 34 years, who gave is name to the cimetière du Père-Lachaise (with a spelling error that appeared under Napoleon I
). It also housed preachers such as Bourdaloue
and Ménestrier
, as well as Marc-Antoine Charpentier
, music master to the Jesuits.
After the expulsion of the Jesuits under the ministry of the duc de Choiseul
, the buildings became deserted in the 1760s. In 1767, the Génovéfains of Le Val-des-Écoliers bought it for 400,000 livres and renamed it the "Prieuré royal de Saint-Louis de la Couture" ("Royal Priory of Saint Louis of Couture") - they owned the biggest library in Paris.
Professed house
In the Society of Jesus, a professed house was a residence where - in a spirit of radical poverty - no member had a stable income. The Jesuit priests who lived there, all of whom have professed the fourth vow, undertake their spiritual and pastoral ministry completely for free. With no revenues,...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, built on the rue Saint-Antoine in Le Marais
Le Marais
Le Marais is a historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris, it hosts many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance...
. Its site between rue Saint-Paul
Rue Saint-Paul
Rue Saint-Paul is a street in the Old Montreal historic area of Montreal, Quebec.The street was laid out by François Dollier de Casson, along the route of a path that had bordered a former fort. Saint Paul is Montreal's oldest street and for many years served as its main thoroughfare...
, rue Saint-Antoine and rue Charlemagne
Rue Charlemagne
The rue Charlemagne is a street in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, in the Saint-Gervais quarter, near the Saint-Paul quarter.-External links:* http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_1=REF&VALUE_1=PA00086263...
are now occupied by the lycée Charlemagne
Lycée Charlemagne
The Lycée Charlemagne is located in the Marais quarter of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, the capital city of France.Constructed many centuries before it became a lycée, the building originally served as the home of the Order of the Jesuits...
. It welcomed theologians and scientists and was in a quarter lived in by the nobility. The église Saint-Louis (now église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis) was built nearby.
History
In 1580, cardinal de Bourbon bought the hôtel de La Rochepot from duchesse de MontmorencyDiane de France
Diane de France was the natural daughter of Henry II, King of France, and his Piedmontese mistress Filippa Duci. Some sources claim that she was the daughter of Diane de Poitiers....
and gave it to the Jesuits, who modified it. Between 1627 and 1647, on the Wall of Philip II Augustus
Wall of Philip II Augustus, Paris
The Wall of Philip Augustus is the oldest city wall of Paris whose plan is accurately known. Partially integrated into buildings, more traces of it remain than of the later fortifications which were destroyed and replaced by the Grands Boulevards....
, they built the main building of the professed house. This house was the base for the confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
s to the kings of France, including père de La Chaise, confessor to Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
for 34 years, who gave is name to the cimetière du Père-Lachaise (with a spelling error that appeared under Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
). It also housed preachers such as Bourdaloue
Louis Bourdaloue
Louis Bourdaloue was a French Jesuit and preacher.He was born in Bourges. At the age of sixteen he entered the Society of Jesus, and was appointed successively professor of rhetoric, philosophy and moral theology, in various Jesuit colleges...
and Ménestrier
Claude-François Ménestrier
Claude-François Ménestrier was a French heraldist, a member of the Society of Jesus [Jesuit], and attendant of the royal court....
, as well as Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, music master to the Jesuits.
After the expulsion of the Jesuits under the ministry of the duc de Choiseul
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul
Étienne-François, comte de Stainville, duc de Choiseul was a French military officer, diplomat and statesman. Between 1758 and 1761, and 1766 and 1770, he was Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period...
, the buildings became deserted in the 1760s. In 1767, the Génovéfains of Le Val-des-Écoliers bought it for 400,000 livres and renamed it the "Prieuré royal de Saint-Louis de la Couture" ("Royal Priory of Saint Louis of Couture") - they owned the biggest library in Paris.