Namur

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Diocese of Namur (Namurcensis), constituted by theBull of 12 May, 1559, from territory previously belonging to the Diocese of Liege, and made suffragan of the newmetropolitan See ofCambrai. TheConcordat of 1801 re-established a Diocese of Namur, its limits to coincide with those of the Department of Sambre-et-Meuse, and to be suffragan ofMechlin. On 14 Sept., 1823, the Diocese of Namur was increased by the territory ofLuxemburg, which had formerly belonged to theDiocese of Metz, and which, forming, under the First Empire, part of the Departments of the Forêts and the Ardennes, had been given, in 1815, to the Kingdom of theNetherlands. After the Revolution of 1830, which brought about the separation between the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg and theBelgian Province of Luxemburg, the City of Luxemburg, received avicar Apostolic. In 1840 thejurisdiction of this vicar was extended to the whole grand duchy. On 7 October, 1842, thejurisdiction of the Diocese of Namur was definitively restricted to the twoBelgian Provinces of Namur and Luxemburg.

In 1047, Albert II, Count of Namur, caused the erection, on the site of an ancientchapel, which an unauthenticated legend says was dedicated by Pope Cornlius in the third century, of a collegiate church, served by twelve canons, who had the right of administeringjustice within their lands. The first dean, Frederick of Lorraine, brother-in-law of Albert II, about 1050 secured from the chapter ofMainz a portion of the head of St. Aubain,martyr. The collegiate church took the name of St. Aubain the Martyr. In 1057 Frederick becamepope under the name ofStephen IX. The various successors of Albert II enriched this foundation with numerous privileges. In 1209Innocent III, by aBrief, took it under his protection. In 1263 Baldwin, Emperor of Constantinople, heir of the counts of Namur, sold the countship to Guy de Dampierre, Count ofFlanders, and the House of Dampierre also protected the collegiate church. In 1429 Count John III sold the countship to Philip the Good, Duke ofBurgundy. Thenceforth, until theFrench Revolution, Namur belonged to the House of Burgundy-Austria, except during the years 1692-95, when it was occupied byLouis XIV. Charles the Bold,Philip the Fair,Charles V, Albert and Isabella allknelt and took theoath in the sanctuary of St. Aubain. This church thus held a most important place in the political life of the country. It was rebuilt in the eighteenth century after the model of St. Peter's atRome, as thecathedral. Don John ofAustria is buried there.

TheChurch of Namur resisted Josephinism. In 1789, despite the formal prohibition ofJoseph II, the image of the Blessed Virgin was carried in processions through the streets inhonour of the Immaculate Conception. Under the Directory, thevicar capitular, Stevens, formerly a professor in theUniversity of Louvain, and famous for his opposition to Josephinism, directed theclergy by mysteriously circulated communications issued from his hiding-place at Fleurus. After the Concordat, when theFrenchman Leopold-Glaude de Bexon had been madeBishop of Namur, Stevens feared that the newbishop would be too compliant towardsNapoleon. The pamphlets which he circulated under the title "Sophisme dé voilé" advised theclergy to refuse adhesion to the Concordat, as it would be taken by the State for adhesion to theOrganic Articles. Apetite église formed ofpersons calling themselves "Stevenists" was formed in the diocese. It was strengthened by the subservience of Bishop Bexon, whom age had weakened, for the prefect Péres and by the circular (13 November, 1802) in which he denied having disapproved of theOrganic Articles. At last Bexon resigned, 15 Sept., 1803, and was succeeded by Pisani de la Gaude. But Stevenism continued to exist. Stevens admitted that the Concordat was legitimate, and that the newbishops might be received; he only protested against the formula of adhesion to the Concordat. But the Stevenists went farther: they held that thejurisdiction of thebishops was radically defective, and they would recognize no other spiritual head than Stevens. Theschism lasted until 1814, when Pisani de la Gaude accepted the declaration recognizing the legitimatebishop which the Stevenists were willing to make. Stevens died on 5 September, 1828. He had submitted all his writings to theHoly See, which never passed judgment. Since 1866 the right of appointing the dean and chapter of Namur has been reserved to thepope.Dechamps, laterCardinalArchbishop ofMechlin, wasBishop of Namur from 1865 to 1867.

Twoabbeys in the Diocese of Namur had great renown during theMiddle Ages: theBenedictine Abbey of Brogne, founded bySt. Gérard, and thePremonstratensian Abbey of Floreffe. In 1819 a preparatoryseminary was installed atFloreffe, which was suppressed by the Government in 1825 and re-established in 1830. TheBenedictine Abbey of Gemblours, founded in 922 by Guibert de Darnau, acquired great renown in the twelfth century. Sigebert and Gottschalk wrote there an important chronicle. Ravaged by theCalvinists in 1578, and by fire in 1712, the Abbey of Gemblours was suppressed in 1793. The Abbey of Waulsort was founded in 946 for Scotch (Irish)monks underBenedictine rule. Its first twoabbots were St. Maccelan and St. Cadroes; thebishop St. Forannan (d. 980) was alsoAbbot of Waulsort. In 1131Innocent IIconsecrated the main altar of the church of the Abbey of Géronsart, administered by theCanons Regular of St. Augustine. The buildings of the Abbey of Paix Notre-Dame, founded in 1613 by the ReformedBenedictines ofDouai, have since 1831 sheltered acollege of theJesuits. The Assumptionist fathers have anovitiate at Bure. A very important centre of studies was founded at Maredsous in 1872 by theBenedictines; it was erected into anabbey in 1878, and in 1888 provided with a beautifulGothicchurch. The "Revue Bénédictine" and the "Analecta Maredsolâna" have already assured the fame of thisabbey. The firstabbot was Placide Wolter, who in 1890 becameAbbot of Beuron; the second was Hildebrand de Hemptinne, who, in 1893, becameAbbot ofSt. Anselm atRome andprimate of theBenedictine Order. In 1907 there were in the community of Maredsous 140monks, 64 of whom werepriests. A college for highereducation and a technicalschool are connected with theabbey. At Maredret, near Maredsous, waa established in 1893 theBenedictine abbey of St. Scholastica, which in 1907 numbered 41nuns.

The Diocese of Namur honours with special veneration Sts. Maiternus, Servatus (Servais), and Remaculus, the first apostles of the Diocese of Tongres, which later became that ofLiege, and somesaints of the Diocese of Liege, Sts. Lambert, Hubert, and Juliana. Mention may also be made ofSt. Foillan) ofIrish origin, founder, in 650, of themonastery of Fosses; St. Begge, sister ofSt. Gertrude of Nivelles, and foundress, in 692, of themonastery of Andenne, where herrelics are preserved; St. Hadelin, founder of themonastery of Celles, d. about 690; St. Walhere, or Vohy,parishpriest of Onhay (thirteenth century); St. Mary of Oignies, b. at Nivelles about 1177, celebrated for her visions, d. at the béguinage of Oignies, where her director, Jacques de Vitry, who becameBishop of St. Jean d'Acre andcardinal, wished also to be buried. Lastly, the Diocese of Namur honours in a special manner theMartyrs of Gorkum, whoserelics it possesses. At Arlon, which now belongs to the diocese, was born Henri Busch, famous as "Bon Henri", founder of the shoemakers' and the tailors' fraternities inParis (seventeenth century).

Thereligions congregations administer in the Diocese of Namur, according to "La Belgique Charitable", 2orphanages for boys, 7 for girls, 1 mixed, 18hospitals or infirmaries, 4 clinics, 194 infantschools, 1 house of rescue, 6 houses for the care of the sick in their homes, 1 asylum for deaf mutes, 2 houses of retreat, l insane asylum. In 1907 the Diocese of Namur numbered 583,722 inhabitants, 36 deaneries, 37parishes, 677 succursals, 96 auxiliarychapels, 111 curacies paid by the State.

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