Montazet, Antoine De Malvin De

Montazet, Antoine De Malvin De a French prelate, was born August 17, 1713, in the castle of Quissac, near Agen. He belonged to a good family of the Agenais, and, embracing the ecclesiastical profession, obtained, among other benefices, the abbeys of Saint-Victor of Paris and of Monstier in Argonne. At the close of 1742 he became almoner to the king, and in 1748 was appointed bishop of Autun. March 31, 1759, he was raised to the archbishopric of Lyons in the place of cardinal de Tencin. "Zealously opposed to the philosophers," says Feller, "an ardent defender of the prerogatives of his see, which he claimed privileged even to the reformation of metropolitan judgments, a successful adversary to the customs and privileges of his chapter, which he succeeded in suppressing by civil authority, this prelate holds a distinguished place in the history of the Gallican Church of this century." He had numerous debates with M. de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris, relative to the religious quarrels of the time. He felt much inclined to side with the Jansenists, and did say much in their favor; yet he never became one of the number of the Appellants, and avoided any formal proceedings of opposition against the bull Unigenitus. He died May 2, 1788, at Paris. Montazet had a happy memory, a brilliant imagination, an active mind; his eloquence was lofty, energetic, and copious. In 1757 he was admitted to the French Academy. His principal writings are, Lettre a l'Archeveque de Paris (Lyons, 1760, 4to); he there takes the title of Primate of France: — Mandement contre "L'Histoire du Peuple de Dieu" de Berruyer (Lyons, 1762, 12mo): — Instruction pastorale sur les sources de l'incredulite et les fondements de

la religion (Paris, 1775, 4to); this work was greatly praised up to the time whee it was reprinted under the title of Plagiats de M. l'Archeveque, and with the passages drawn from the Principes de la foi chretienne of Daguet; but there is reason for believing that the composition of the Instruction pastorale is by P. Lambert: — Catechisme (Lyons, 1768): — Rituel de diocese de Lyon (Lyons, 1788, 3 volumes, 12mo). It was under his auspices that the Institutiones Theologicae appeared (Lyons, 1782,1784,6 volumes, 12mo); and the Institutiones Philosophicae (Lyons, 1784, 5 volumes, 12mo); this system of theology, proscribed in France, was introduced into Italy and Spain, where it was held in esteem for a short time. See L'Ami de la Religion, 22:161, 172; Bachaumont, Memoires secrets, passim; Migne, Diet. des Jansenistes, s.v.; Feller, Diet. Hist. s.v.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.; Jervis, Hist. Ch. of France (Lond. 1872, 2 volumes, 8vo), 2:325 sq.