Jean du Vergier de Hauranne facts for kids
Jean du Vergier de Hauranne (born 1581, died 1643) was a French Catholic priest. He was also known as the Abbé of Saint-Cyran. An abbé is like the head of a monastery. He is famous for bringing a religious movement called Jansenism to France.
Life Story
Jean du Vergier de Hauranne was born in the city of Bayonne, France. His family were merchants. When he was young, he studied with the Jesuits, a religious order. At 16, he went to study at the Sorbonne, a famous university in Paris. Later, he studied theology (the study of religious faith) at the Catholic University of Leuven.
While at Leuven, he became good friends with Cornelius Jansen. Jean du Vergier de Hauranne came from a richer family. So, he helped Jansen by finding him a job as a tutor in 1606. Two years later, he helped Jansen get a teaching job at a bishop's college in Bayonne.
From 1611 to 1614, the two friends lived together in Bayonne. They spent their time studying the writings of early Christian leaders, especially Augustine of Hippo. Jansen then left Bayonne in 1614 to go back to the Dutch Republic.
In 1617, Jean du Vergier de Hauranne moved to Poitiers. He was invited by the Bishop of Poitiers and quickly became an important person in the diocese (the area a bishop oversees). He became a priest in 1618. In 1620, he became the head of the Abbey of Saint-Cyran. This is why he was known as the Abbé de Saint-Cyran. He did not live at the abbey much, though.
That same year, he met a mystic named Charles de Condren. Through him, he met Pierre de Bérulle, who started the French Oratory. Jean du Vergier de Hauranne was influenced by Bérulle's ideas. He also became friends with Robert Arnauld d'Andilly, which connected him to the important Arnauld family.
Jean du Vergier de Hauranne kept writing letters to Jansen. He encouraged Jansen to finish his book, Augustinus. This book later became the main source of Jansenist teachings. He also became a spiritual director and confessor for the nuns at the abbey of Port-Royal des Champs. The Arnauld family played a big part in the history of this abbey. From 1633 to 1636, under his guidance, Port-Royal became a key center for Jansenism.
After his friend Bérulle died in 1629, Jean du Vergier de Hauranne became the leader of a group of religious followers. This group was connected to the Parlement of Paris, a powerful court. This led to problems with the French Prime Minister, Cardinal Richelieu. In 1638, Richelieu had him put in prison at Vincennes. He stayed there until Richelieu died in 1642. Jean du Vergier de Hauranne himself died in Paris in 1643. He lived long enough to hear that Pope Urban VIII had spoken against Jansen's teachings the year before.
His Ideas
Jean du Vergier de Hauranne, along with Jansen, believed that loving God was the most important thing. They thought that only true sorrow for sins (called perfect contrition) could save a person. They did not believe that simple regret (called attrition) was enough. This debate about contrition and attrition was one reason he was put in prison. However, while in prison, he signed a paper that seemed to support attrition.
See also
In Spanish: Jean Duvergier de Hauranne para niños
