Marca, Pierre De
Marca, Pierre de
French bishop and scholar, b. at Gan in Béarn, 24 Jan., 1594, of a family distinguished in the magistracy; d. at Paris, 29 June, 1662. After studying letters at the college of Auch and law in the University of Toulouse, he became councillor (1615), and then president (1621), of the Parliament of Pau, and finally intendant of Béarn (1631), where his influence greatly helped to restore the Catholic religion almost extinguished by the queen, Jeanne d’Albret. His wife, who had borne him four children, died in 1631, and from that moment he used all his spare time in studying and in writing works on religious controversy, history — notably the “Histoire de Béarn” — and canon law. For the sake of utilizing his ecclesiastical léarning, Louis XIII summoned him to Paris to be a member of the Council of State (1639). At Cardinal Richelieu’s request he published the treatise “Concordia sacerdotii et imperii” (1641), in which he sets forth his Gallican views. After ten years of the pious and labourious life as a widower, he decided to enter the priesthood. On 28 Dec., 1641, the king made him Bishop of Couserans (Gascogny), but he was not preconized until ten years later, after having seen his “Concordia” placed on the Index and having signed a retractation of the views there expressed. Sent as intendant to Catalonia, which had submitted to France (1644), he wrote its history, under the title of “Marca Hispanica”; this work was published after his death by his secretary, the léarned Baluze. Shortly after his return from Catalonia, Marca was made Archbishop of Toulouse (28 May, 1652), and when Innocent X condemned Jansenism in 1653, he used his influence to have the condemnation accepted. After that he inspired the chief measures taken against this heresy in the general assemblies of the clergy (1655-60) and received from Pope Alexander VII (1656) a highly commendatory letter. Less commendable, however, was his attitude when Louis XIV caused the arrest of Cardinal de Retz, Archbishop of Paris, for his share in the uprising of the Fronde. In opposition to the pope and clergy who were offended by this violation of ecclesiastical immunities, Marca became the king’s counsellor, and wrote several pamphlets some of them anonymous, defending the Crown. After the submission and resignation of Cardinal de Retz, Marca was given the Archbishopric of Paris but died about three weeks after being preconized. He left a great reputation as historian, jurist, and canonist, but his theological léarning was deficient, and his subservience to the royal powrer excessive. He displayed a certain inconstancy in his opinions, and too much ambition and attachment to his own interests.
Among his numerous publications the most impotant are: “Histoire de Béarn”, folio (Paris, 1640); “De concordia sacerdotii et imperii seu de libertatibus ecclesiae gallicanae”, folio (Paris, 1641) (and other editions); “Marca hispanica seu limes hispanicus”, published by Baluze, folio (Paris, 1688). Some “Lettres inedites de Marca” have been published by Tartizey de Lorroque (Paris, 1881) and J. Bonnet in the “Revue de Gascogne”, January-June, 1910.
———————————–
BALUZE, Vita illustrissimi viri Petri de Marca archiepascopi Parisiensis, at the beginning of the editions of Concordia after 1663; DE FAGET, Vita illustrissimi et reverendissimi Petri de Marca in Petri de Marca dissertationes posthumae; DUBARAT, Notice biographique sur Pierre de Marca (Pau, 1896).
ANTOINE DEGERT Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IXCopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Marca, Pierre De
a French Roman Catholic theologian and historian, was born at Pan, in Beam, Jan. 24, 1594. He was of good family, was brought up by the Jesuits of Auch, and afterwards studied law at Toulouse. In 1613 he became member of the Council of Pan, and when, in 1621, this body was erected into a parliament by Louis XIII, he was appolinted its president, as a reward for his services to Romanism. After the death of his wife, which occurred in 1632, he entered the Church. In 1639 he was made counselor of state. Cardinal de Richelieu having commissioned him to reply to Hersent’s Optatus Gallus, Marca composed De Concordia Sacerdotii et Imperii (Paris, 1641 sq.), which is his ablest work, and was rewarded by the bishopric of Conserans, to which he was appointed in 1643. The pope, however, would not approve the Gallican writer as incumbent of the episcopal office, and the appointment was not sanctioned at Rome until Marca had recalled the work in 1647. In 1652 he was promoted to the archbishopric of Toulouse; later was transferred to the archiepiscopal see of Paris, and there died in the year of his transfer, 1662. He wrote also Dissertsatio de Priimatu Lu. dunensi et caeteris rimatibus (1644, 8vo): Relation de ce qui s’est fait depuis 1653 dans les assemblees des iveques au sujet des cinq propositions (Paris, 1657, 4to). This was unfavorable to the Jansenists, and was refuted by Nicole in his Belga percoantator, and some other writers. Collections of some other writings of Marca on divers subjects were published by Baluze (1669 and 1681, 2 vols. 8vo) and abb Faget (1668, 4to), who, however, brought out the best edition of Marca’s De Concordia (Paris, 1663, and often). See Gallia Christiana, vols. i and vii; De Faget, Vie de Pierre de lMarca; Bompart, Eloge de Marca (Paris, 1672, 8vo); De Longuerue, Dissertations diverses; AMercure de France, 1644 to 1662; Fisquet, France Pontificate. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 33:374; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 9:17 sq.