Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt
Encyclopedia
Mgr Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt (9 May 1755, Versonnex, Ain
- 9 December 1822, Orléans
) was a French Catholic priest, representing the clergy at the States-General
, serving as a deputy to the 1789 Constituent Assembly
and finally becoming bishop of Orléans.
, whose bishop was living in Annecy
. His dearest wish was to become "doyen et curé" of Gex
, for he had been the guardian of his nine siblings after their father's death (one of whom, Reine Philiberte de Varicourt
, became an adoptive daughter of Voltaire
).
In 1789 he was made a deputy for the clergy. A man of tradition, he refused to take the oath to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
and his benefice was suppressed. During the Reign of Terror
he fled to the United Kingdom but was forced to return to the continent due to his poor health. He took refuge in Rolle
on the boundary of his old diocese for seven months. On 9 Thermidor he thought he could at last re-assume his cure at Gex, but was instead forced to flee once again, this time to Italy, where pope Pius VII
spotted him and took him to Rome. It was only around 1800 that he returned to France, being named to the cure of Gex on 20 August 1803. Made bishop of Orléans in 1817, il quitte la mort dans l'âme Gex en 1819. Il meurt à Orléans en 1822. Homme de tradition, fidèle au Pays de Gex, il lègue une part de ses biens aux paroisses de Pougny et Versonnex.
Versonnex, Ain
Versonnex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:...
- 9 December 1822, Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
) was a French Catholic priest, representing the clergy at the States-General
French States-General
In France under the Old Regime, the States-General or Estates-General , was a legislative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates, which were called and dismissed by the king...
, serving as a deputy to the 1789 Constituent Assembly
National Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
and finally becoming bishop of Orléans.
Life
Instead of following the traditional family military career, Rouph de Varicourt opted for a church career. He studied at the Saint-Sulpice seminary in Paris, headed by his relation abbé Émery. At the end of his studies he obtained a canonate in the chapter in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, whose bishop was living in Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
. His dearest wish was to become "doyen et curé" of Gex
Gex, Ain
Gex is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.It lies from the Swiss border and from Geneva. It is a sous-préfecture of Ain.-History:...
, for he had been the guardian of his nine siblings after their father's death (one of whom, Reine Philiberte de Varicourt
Reine Philiberte de Varicourt
Reine Philiberte Rouph de Varicourt was a French lady of letters. The sister of Pierre-Marin Rouph de Varicourt, she was spotted by Voltaire during his stay at Ferney - he made her his adoptive daughter, married her off to the Marquis de Villette and gained her entry to the...
, became an adoptive daughter of Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
).
In 1789 he was made a deputy for the clergy. A man of tradition, he refused to take the oath to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government....
and his benefice was suppressed. During the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
he fled to the United Kingdom but was forced to return to the continent due to his poor health. He took refuge in Rolle
Rolle
Rolle is a municipality in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It was the seat of the district of Rolle until 2006, when it became part of the district of Nyon. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva between Nyon and Lausanne...
on the boundary of his old diocese for seven months. On 9 Thermidor he thought he could at last re-assume his cure at Gex, but was instead forced to flee once again, this time to Italy, where pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
spotted him and took him to Rome. It was only around 1800 that he returned to France, being named to the cure of Gex on 20 August 1803. Made bishop of Orléans in 1817, il quitte la mort dans l'âme Gex en 1819. Il meurt à Orléans en 1822. Homme de tradition, fidèle au Pays de Gex, il lègue une part de ses biens aux paroisses de Pougny et Versonnex.
Works
- Réflexions sur le remboursement des rentes foncières dues aux gens de mainmorte, 1789. OCLC 43290543