Boniface of Brussels (1183 – 19 February 1260) was a Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Lausanne from circa 1231 until 1239 when he resigned after agents of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II assaulted him.[2] His relics are housed at the Kapellekerk, and at La Cambre where he died.


Boniface
Bishop of Lausanne
Stained-glass window in St. Peter's Church, Brussels
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseLausanne
SeeLausanne
Appointed1231
InstalledMarch 1231
Term ended1239
PredecessorGuillaume di Cenblens
SuccessorJean di Cossonay
Orders
Consecrationc. 1231
RankBishop
Personal details
Born
Boniface

1183
Died19 February 1265[1]
La Cambre
Sainthood
Feast day19 February
Venerated inCatholic Church
Beatified1603
by Pope Clement VIII
Canonized1702
Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States
by Pope Clement XI
AttributesEpiscopal attire

Biography

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Boniface was born in what is today Belgium in 1183. A Cistercian monk of the Abbey of Cambre, near Brussels, he left in 1200 left to study at University of Paris.[1]

Distinguished for his learning, he taught dogma and became a popular lecturer. He was ordained to the priesthood while in France and from 1222 until 1229 taught at the college. But there soon became a bitter dispute between the teachers and students which prompted him to leave and find work elsewhere.[3] He later taught until 1231 in Cologne at the cathedral school.[2]

 
Tomb inside the Chapel Church, Brussels

He became the Bishop of Lausanne in 1231 and was enthroned in his new see in March 1231 after receiving his episcopal consecration. He was enthusiastic about this appointment but was faced with corrupt priests which he condemned in a pulpit address while also singling out King Frederick II.[3] The king sent his agents to attack Boniface who sustained serious injuries but managed to escape. In 1239, he travelled to Rome and secured permission from a reluctant Pope Gregory IX to resign.[4] He later served as an auxiliary bishop in Brabant.[5]

In 1245 he attended the First Council of Lyon which Pope Innocent IV had convoked, and later retired to La Cambre Abbey. Boniface died in 1265.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Monks of Ramsgate. "Boniface of Laus". Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 5 September 2012  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b "St. Boniface of Lausanne". Catholic Online. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b "St. Boniface of Lausanne (Feast: February 19)". America Needs Fatima. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Saint Boniface of Lausanne". Saints SQPN. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  5. ^ Reinhold, Gregor. "Lausanne and Geneva." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 26 September 2021  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

Sources

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