Ghent

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DIOCESE OF GHENT (GANDENSIS or GANDAVENSIS).

The Diocese of Ghent at present comprises the whole territory of EastFlanders, one of the nine provinces ofBelgium. It numbers 1,103,930 inhabitants and 362parishes. Thesee was erected byPaul IV ("Super universi", 12 May, 1559) at the request of Philip II, King ofSpain and Sovereign of the Low Countries. Till that time Ghent had belonged to theDiocese of Tournai. Situated on the left bank of the Scheldt (Escaut), the newdiocese was bounded on the north by the western arm of that river, on the east by the new Dioceses ofAntwerp andMechlin, detached fromCambrai, on the south by Tournai, and on the west by the newDiocese of Bruges ("Ex injuncto",Pius IV, 1560, and "Regimini universalis Ecclesiae" especially for Ghent, 7 August, 1561). Previous to thisCharles V had obtained fromPaul III the secularization of themonks of the Abbey of Saint-Bavon, at Ghent (22 July, 1536), and in 1541 they transferred their chapter from the ancientabbey to theparochial church of St. John the Baptist, which henceforth bore the name of Saint-Bavon. In 1559 it was decided that this chapter should become that of thecathedral, and that at the death of Viglius, then mitredprovost of said chapter, the revenues of the abbacy, or provostship, should become the episcopal revenues.

After theconcordat betweenPius VII and the First Consul,Bonaparte, thepope called upon all thebishops ofFrance to resign theirsees. Prince de Lobkowitz, theBishop of Ghent, had died at Münster in 1795 and had not been replaced. By theBull "Qui Christi Domini" (29 November, 1801),Pius VII suppressed all the ancientdioceses throughout the French Republic, and erected sixty newdioceses, among which he re-established that of Ghent, comprising the two departments of Escaut and Lys, i.e. the three ancientdioceses of Ghent,Bruges, and Ypres, to which was added a portion ofMechlin andDutchFlanders.Gregory XVI detached the part appertaining toHolland (25 August, 1832), and by the erection of theSee of Bruges (27 May, 1834), determined the presentjurisdiction of the Diocese of Ghent. Ghent has had twenty-fourbishops, of whom the last is Mgr Antoine* Stillemans,consecrated 27 January, 1890. Among them,Cornelius Jansenius and Antoine* Triest are deserving of more special notice.

The former, who must not be confounded withJansenius, Bishop of Ypres, the author of the "Augustinus", was professor oftheology atLouvain when Philip II sent him as his representative to theCouncil of Trent. On his return toFlanders, he was named by the king firstBishop of Ghent, in 1568, and thisnomination was confirmed byPius IV on 6 July of the same year. His numerous and learned commentaries on theHoly Scripture reveal in him anexegete of great merit. The seventhbishop, Antoine* Triest, occupied thesee from 1622 to 1657. He was a veritable Mæcenas and thecathedral of Saint-Bavon is indebted to him for most of the masterpieces which adorn it. His generosity towards the poor found expression in important charitable foundations and in thezeal which he displayed in the establishment at Ghent of the Mont de Piété, an institution founded to lend to the poor without interest. Bishop Triest bequeathed considerable sums to this work. In 1813, during the episcopate of the Prince de Broglie (1807-1821), the seminarians of Ghent offered an heroic resistance to the despotism ofNapoleon. The emperor held thebishopprisoner and twice sought to wrest from him his resignation. He undertook to name a successor, and sent asBishop of Ghent a canon ofDijon, M. de la Brue de Saint-Bauzille, but all theclergy, with the exception of thirty out of a thousandpriests, refused to recognize him. Being called upon to submit to the intruder, the seminarians opposed an energetic refusal, were compelled to enter the imperial regiments, and were taken, some to Wesel, the others toParis. Many subsequently died at Wesel as a result of contagious diseases and privations of every sort, but remained faithful to their motto: "Rather soldiers than schismatics".

During the episcopate of Mgr Delebecque (1838-64) nine Americanbishops sent two of their colleagues to askpriests from the Diocese of Ghent, intending to place under their direction and instruction theseminary which they proposed to found at Troy, New York. Mgr Delebecque acceded to this request, and in the month of August, 1864, MM. van den Hende, Gabriels (nowBishop ofOgdensburg), Roelants, and Puissant embarked for America. The Diocese of Ghent continued its collaboration in theseminary at Troy until July, 1896. It was also at Ghent and under the auspices of Mgr Delebecque that the work was founded, in 1859, which is now known asle Denier de Saint Pierre, i.e.Peter's Pence.

Among theclergy of Ghent Jean-François Van de Velde (1743-1823) is most deserving of notice. While he acquired a well-merited reputation as professor ofHoly Scripture at theUniversity of Louvain, and his published andmanuscript works place him in the front rank of thetheologians of his time, he is chiefly entitled to notice for the important part which he played in the religious affairs of his country, first, underJoseph II, by his intrepid opposition to the decrees with regard to marriage (1784), and later, underNapoleon, by his decisive intervention at the national council, which the emperor assembled atParis in 1811, and where, as the counsellor of Mgr de Broglie, he presented a "Mémoire sur l'incompétence du concile national à changer la discipline de l'Église, en vertu de laquelle le Pape seul donne l'institution canonique aux évêques nommés" (Memorandum concerning the incompetency of the national council to alter thediscipline of the Church, in virtue of which thepope alone conferscanonical institution on the nominatedbishops).

One who was well entitled to be called "the Vincent de Paul ofBelgium" also deserves mention. The inexhaustible charity of Canon Pierre-Joseph Triest (1760-1836) was extended to all human miseries, and for their more efficacious relief he founded in succession the Sisters of Charity (1803), the Brothers of Charity (1807), the "Association of Maternal Charity" (1822), theBrothers of St. John of God (1825), and the Sisters of the Holy Childhood of Jesus (1835).

We shall speak only of the first and second of these institutions, the development of which was truly extraordinary. The Sisters of Charity now number more than 1300, and their benevolent activity is spread throughoutBelgium,Holland,England, the Congo,India (Punjab), and Ceylon, they are engaged not only in the instruction of children, but give intelligent and devoted care to deaf mutes, the insane and incurables. InEurope more than 6000 infirm are sheltered in their houses. TheCongregation of the Brothers of Charity, which numbers about 1000 religious, is spread throughoutBelgium and has been extended successively toCanada, theUnited States,England,Ireland, and theNetherlands. At present it possesses 44 establishments where more than 6000 insane, aged, and sickpersons and many other unfortunates are cared for. The Brothers teach and care for more than 11,000 children and poor youths, 440 deaf mutes and blindpersons, 450 youthful delinquents and 1000 foundlings.

Truly remarkable religious monuments of thediocese are: thecathedral of Saint-Bavon and the churches of Saint-Nicholas, Saint-Jacques, and Saint-Michel at Ghent, the church of Saint-Martin at Alost, and the churches of Notre-Dame and Sainte-Walburge at Oudenarde. From anarchitectural point of view thecathedral of Saint-Bavon at Ghent is one of the most beautiful churches inBelgium and is undoubtedly the richest in objects of art. Among its numerous works ofsculpture thetomb of Bishop Triest, by Jérôme Duquesnoy, is incontestably the masterpiece, and has been rightfully called "the most beautiful work of national statuary". Thecathedral of Ghent is deservedly famous for theimmortalaltar-piece of the brothersHubert and Jan Van Eyck, known as "The Adoration of the Lamb", which was completed in 1432. Thecathedral now possesses only the central panel of the picture, the most important portion of the work. The side panels are atBerlin and atBrussels. [Note: The Ghent alterpiece, after many trials and tribulations during reformation and two worldwars, is on display in the Ghent Cathedral (Saint Bavo). In 1934 the panel depicting the Just Judges wasstolen and never recovered. It is now substituted with a copy.]

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