Léon-Benoit-Charles Thomas

Léon Thomas as Bishop of La Rochelle in Cappa Magna (portrait by William-Adolphe Bouguereau , oil painting, 1877)

Léon Benoit Charles Thomas (called: Thomas le Magnifique , born May 29, 1826 in Paray-le-Monial , † March 9, 1894 in Rouen ) was a French bishop and cardinal .

biography

Léon-Benoit-Charles Thomas was born on May 29, 1826 in Paray-le-Monial . He entered the Petit Séminaire of Semur-en-Brionnais , where he acquired the basics of his education. He continued his studies at the Grand Séminaire of Autun , where he first studied philosophy. He later studied theology at the Séminaire Saint-Sulpice and obtained his doctorate in Rome in 1856 . On December 21, 1850, he was ordained a priest in Autun . From February 1851 he was responsible for the diocesan missions at Autun Cathedral . From 1856 to 1857 he was vicar general and archdeacon .

Episcopate

On March 27, 1867, he was elected Bishop of La Rochelle and on May 25, 1867, Jean-François Landriot , Archbishop of Reims , with the assistance of Frédéric de Marguerye , Bishop of Autun , and Jean-Sébastien Devoucoux , Bishop, donated to him of Evreux in Autun Cathedral , the episcopal ordination . At that time he was the youngest bishop in France. On March 24, 1884 he was raised to Archbishop of Rouen .

Because of the splendor of his services and orations, he was nicknamed Thomas le Magnifique .

cardinal

Nil fortius, nil dulcius.
Cardinal Thomas coat of arms.

From Pope Leo XIII. he was appointed cardinal priest on January 16, 1893 and received on June 15, 1893 the Chapeau rouge and the title of S. Maria Nuova e S. Francesca Romana al Foro .

Death and burial

Thomas died on March 9, 1894 of "pulmonary congestion" (congestion pulmonaire) and was buried in the Sainte-Marguerite chapel in the Cathedral of Rouen . For his tomb, 50,000 francs were collected in a very short time . Cardinal Louis-Ernest wanted Barrias to be the sculptor . However, the clergy refused to erect a tomb in the Chapelle de la Vierge or in front of the Portail des Maçons . While the disputes continued, Barrias died and it was only thanks to Archbishop Frédéric Fuzet that the project could be brought to a conclusion. The Barrias student Albert Guilloux was hired for the work and the tomb was ultimately erected in the Chapelle Sainte-Catherine . The sarcophagus was completed and consecrated in 1911 during the Fêtes du Millénaire de la Normandie . The bombardment of April 19, 1944 destroyed the tomb. The bones were transferred to the archbishops' crypt. Today only a memorial stone set into the ground reminds of the tomb.

Web links

Entry on Léon-Benoit-Charles Cardinal Thomas on catholic-hierarchy.org

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Thomas, Léon-Benoit-Charles. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website ), accessed July 28, 2017.
↑ Aug. Picard Defontaine, Léon Alfred Jouen: La cathédrale de Rouen. Rouen et Paris 1932 p. LXXIV Pl. - 166 (XI - De la Révolution à nos jours (1791-1931)).

predecessor	Office	successor
Henri-Marie-Gaston Boisnormand de Bonnechose	Archbishop of Rouen 1883-1894	Guillaume-Marie-Romain Sourrieu
Jean-François Landriot	Bishop of La Rochelle 1867–1883	Etienne Ardin

personal data
SURNAME	Thomas, Léon-Benoit-Charles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Thomas le Magnifique
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French bishop and cardinal
DATE OF BIRTH	May 29, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH	Paray-le-Monial , France
DATE OF DEATH	March 9, 1894
Place of death	Rouen

[Miranda-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Thomas, Léon-Benoit-Charles. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website ), accessed July 28, 2017.

[2] Aug. Picard Defontaine, Léon Alfred Jouen: La cathédrale de Rouen. Rouen et Paris 1932 p. LXXIV Pl. - 166 (XI - De la Révolution à nos jours (1791-1931)).