Mathieu Feydeau

Mathieu Feydeau (29 July 1616 – 24 July 1694) was a French Roman Catholic priest and Jansenist theologian.

Biography

Born in Paris, on July 29, 1616, Feydeau was, the same day, held on the baptismal font of Saint-André-des-arcs by Mathieu Molé and an aunt, de l'Étoile, widow of le Picart, adviser to the parliament. He was a pupil of Brother André at the Jesuit College and continued his humanities at the College of Beauvais. On May 13, 1627, he lost his mother, and his father on October 12, 1632. At that date, the family had two boys and two girls.

On the advice of Mison, Matthieu entered the ecclesiastical life and followed the courses of Jacques Lescot, theologian of Cardinal de Retz. He puts himself under the religious direction of Jean Coqueret, principal of the College des Grassins. On April 11, 1644, he was ordained a priest under the Sorbonne Society by Jean François Paul de Gondi, coadjutor of Paris and future Cardinal de Retz. He celebrated his first mass on May 31 in Saint-Maurice, diocese of Sens, where Henri du Hamel, the future parish priest of Saint-Merry, was then in office.

After a dispute with Pierre Floriot, he won the confidence of the archbishop of Sens, Octave de Bellegarde, who entrusted him with the "talks to the ordinands". On his return to Paris (February 1645), he entered into a relationship (January 1646) with Adrien Bourdoise, and the latter came to reside for four months in his company. Doctrinally, the young priest shows himself favorable to the Augustinianism of Jansenius.

Feydeau devoted himself to catechism and Jansenist spiritual direction. In 1656, he was expelled from the Sorbonne; exiled to Melun, then to Cahors in 1657. After exercising several religious offices (1660–1677), he retired to Port-Royal then to Paris.

Later, Feydeau was exiled again, first to Bourges (1678–1682), then to Annonay, where he died.

References

• Chérot, Henri (1905). "A Propos de la Publication des 'Mémoires' du Janséniste Feydeau," Études, Vol. CV, pp. 506–20.
• Jovy, Ernest (1905). Les Mémoires Inédits de Matthieu Feydeau, Curé de Vitry-le-François (25 mai 1669-3 juin 1676). Vitry-le-François: Impr. de J. Denis.

External links

• Works by Mathieu Feydeau at Gallica
• Works by Mathieu Feydeau at Open Library