François-Charles de Velbrück
Encyclopedia
François Charles de Velbrück (Chateau de Garath, near Düsseldorf
- 1719- Château de Hex, near Tongres 1784) was a German ecclesiastic. He was prince bishop of Liege from 16 February 1772 to 1784.
, then officer of the Scel des Grâces in 1756.
A year later he was put in charge of a diplomatic mission to the court at Vienna. In 1759 he became grand master of the palace and prime minister to John Theodore of Bavaria, then bishop of Liège and the head of a sumptuous court. Velbrück was also made a prébende de chanoine at Munster Cathedral
in 1757 and in 1765 Louis XV of France
gave him command of the royal abbey of Saint-Nicolas at Cheminon, Champagne
. This exceptional diplomatic and ecclesiastical career made him the only possible candidate for bishop of Liège at the 1772 elections for that role.
His reign saw the birth of several social, artistic and intellectual initiatives. As an 'enlightened despot' receptive to the progressive ideas arising in the last decades of France's Ancien Régime, he tried to introduce Enlightenment
ideas to the Principality of Liège, but a lack of money or power meant that these projects were not always successful. A certain lethargy and narrowness of vision then reigned in the Principality, preventing any real progress. He made several attempts to combat poverty and class inequality but was unable to make a real difference to the deplorable situation. He tried to make changes in several areas, such as public health by setting up the Hôpital général Saint-Léonard as a place where the needy would be welcomed and assisted, a free midwifery course and establishments to combat disease.
Velbrück also reformed education, making it open to all by creating free charity schools for poor children and an Education Plan for the Youth of the Country of Liège. Put in charge of executing the decree for the suppression of the Jesuits in Liège in 1773, he handed over their Collège en Isle
over to his clergy in 1786 to use as a seminary. He modernised teaching by giving more importance to physical sciences and mathematics and the human sciences, which provided the students with useful objectives for their critical judgment. He also planned to create a large public library. Velbrück was a great protector of the arts and his actions were essential to the renaissance in arts in the bishopric. In 1774 he launched the construction of a public academy of painting, sculpture and engraving. He was also a freemason
, effectively a member of a Liège lodge, the P.I.E.R., still active today. Finally, his most notable work was the 1779 foundation of the Société littéraire de Liège
and the Société d’Emulation, a meeting-place for Liège's intelligentsia and for them to come into contact with foreign scholars - these societies' many activities included presentations of scientific discoveries and artists' and poets' works.
He was buried in Liège and his mausoleum escaped being destroyed during the Liège Revolution in which his remains, unlike those of his predecessors, were not thrown into a ditch. His restored mauseoleum has since 15 June 2000 been in the cloister of the Cathédrale Saint-Paul de Liège. Its epitaph bears witness to the great regard he was held in by the people of the bishopric:
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
- 1719- Château de Hex, near Tongres 1784) was a German ecclesiastic. He was prince bishop of Liege from 16 February 1772 to 1784.
Life
In 1735, Velbrück was made a prébende de chanoine-tréfoncier at the Cathédrale Saint-Lambert de Liège. A year later he was received onto the cathedral chapter by procuration. He was made archdeacon of HesbayeHesbaye
Hesbaye or Haspengouw , is a region spanning the south of the Belgian province of Limburg, the east of the Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, and the northwestern part of the province of Liège.The Limburgish portion contains the cities of Tongeren, Sint-Truiden, Bilzen and...
, then officer of the Scel des Grâces in 1756.
A year later he was put in charge of a diplomatic mission to the court at Vienna. In 1759 he became grand master of the palace and prime minister to John Theodore of Bavaria, then bishop of Liège and the head of a sumptuous court. Velbrück was also made a prébende de chanoine at Munster Cathedral
Münster Cathedral
Münster Cathedral is a cathedral in the German city of Münster. It is the city's main church and one of its most important historical monuments, as well as the centre of the Diocese of Münster since that diocese's foundation in 805....
in 1757 and in 1765 Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
gave him command of the royal abbey of Saint-Nicolas at Cheminon, Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
. This exceptional diplomatic and ecclesiastical career made him the only possible candidate for bishop of Liège at the 1772 elections for that role.
His reign saw the birth of several social, artistic and intellectual initiatives. As an 'enlightened despot' receptive to the progressive ideas arising in the last decades of France's Ancien Régime, he tried to introduce Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
ideas to the Principality of Liège, but a lack of money or power meant that these projects were not always successful. A certain lethargy and narrowness of vision then reigned in the Principality, preventing any real progress. He made several attempts to combat poverty and class inequality but was unable to make a real difference to the deplorable situation. He tried to make changes in several areas, such as public health by setting up the Hôpital général Saint-Léonard as a place where the needy would be welcomed and assisted, a free midwifery course and establishments to combat disease.
Velbrück also reformed education, making it open to all by creating free charity schools for poor children and an Education Plan for the Youth of the Country of Liège. Put in charge of executing the decree for the suppression of the Jesuits in Liège in 1773, he handed over their Collège en Isle
Collège en Isle (Liège)
The Collège en Isle was a Jesuit secondary school located on the île de la Meuse in the Principality of Liège. Founded in 1582, it passed into other hands on the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773. Its pedagogical tradition was continued by the collège Saint-Servais, founded in Liège in 1828....
over to his clergy in 1786 to use as a seminary. He modernised teaching by giving more importance to physical sciences and mathematics and the human sciences, which provided the students with useful objectives for their critical judgment. He also planned to create a large public library. Velbrück was a great protector of the arts and his actions were essential to the renaissance in arts in the bishopric. In 1774 he launched the construction of a public academy of painting, sculpture and engraving. He was also a freemason
Freemasonry in Belgium
Freemasonry in Belgium consists of a wide range of Masonic obediences: A Grand Orient of Belgium, a Grand Lodge of Belgium, a Regular Grand Lodge of Belgium, and a Women's Grand Lodge of Belgium.-History:...
, effectively a member of a Liège lodge, the P.I.E.R., still active today. Finally, his most notable work was the 1779 foundation of the Société littéraire de Liège
Société littéraire de Liège
The Société littéraire de Liège was a literary society in Liège.It was set up on 5 April 1779 by François-Charles de Velbrück during his reign as prince bishop of Liege...
and the Société d’Emulation, a meeting-place for Liège's intelligentsia and for them to come into contact with foreign scholars - these societies' many activities included presentations of scientific discoveries and artists' and poets' works.
He was buried in Liège and his mausoleum escaped being destroyed during the Liège Revolution in which his remains, unlike those of his predecessors, were not thrown into a ditch. His restored mauseoleum has since 15 June 2000 been in the cloister of the Cathédrale Saint-Paul de Liège. Its epitaph bears witness to the great regard he was held in by the people of the bishopric: