Louis-Antoine, Cardinal de Noailles

Louis-Antoine de Noailles (27 May 1651–4 May 1729), second son of Anne, 1st duc de Noailles, was a French bishop and cardinal.

Related Topics:
27 May - 1651 - 4 May - 1729 - Anne, 1st duc de Noailles - French - Bishop - Cardinal

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Noailles received his doctorate in theology from the Sorbonne on 14 March 1676. He was appointed bishop of Cahors in March 1679 but served only briefly before Pope Innocent XI ordered him transferred in 1680 to head the diocese of Châlons-sur-Marne, which made him a peer of France. On 19 August 1695, in recognition of Noailles's family connections, King Louis XIV made him archbishop of Paris and duc de Saint-Cloud, and in 1700 Pope Innocent XII made him a cardinal.

Related Topics:
Doctorate - Theology - Sorbonne - 14 March - 1676 - Cahors - 1679 - Pope Innocent XI - 1680 - Diocese - Châlons-sur-Marne - Peer of France - 19 August - 1695 - King Louis XIV - Archbishop of Paris - Duc de Saint-Cloud - 1700 - Pope Innocent XII

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"Lacking in brilliant qualities", according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "he was possessed of piety, zeal, and activity." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11085b.htm He is noted for having raised money to feed famine victims by selling his silver tableware in 1709, and for having spent a considerable part of his inheritance on redecorating Notre Dame.

Related Topics:
Famine - 1709 - Notre Dame

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Noailles was a friend of François Fénelon, with whom he had studied at the Collège du Plessis before entering the Sorbonne. Nonetheless, he was among the bishops who condemend Fénelon's Maximes des Saints, ending the theologian's career.

Related Topics:
François Fénelon - Collège du Plessis

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Noailles had a complex relationship with the Jansenists; while he condemned their propositions, more orthodox theologians saw in his own teachings hints of Jansenism, and Noailles was an opponent of the Jesuits in their attacks on the sect. His position on Pope Clement XI's 1713 bull Unigenitus was also controversial; he opposed it, despite papal disapproval, up to 1728 but then abruptly reversed himself shortly before his death.

Related Topics:
Jansenists - Jesuits - Pope Clement XI - 1713 - Bull - Unigenitus - 1728

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He was succeeded as archbishop of Paris and duc de Saint-Cloud by Charles-Gaspard-Guillaume de Vintimille du Luc.

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