Gabriel-Amédée-Mäel de Clérisseau

## Évêque du Puy-en-Velay

Msgr. le Évêque du Puy-en-Velay by miniaturist Samuel Cooper, circa 1655.

### Previous Posts

Prieur commendataire du Monastère Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Celle (1650—1651)Abbé commendataire de Fontaine-le-Comte (1651—1654)

## Titles and Occupations

### Secular Successor

Henri Cauchon de Maupas, Évêque du Puy-en-Velay

### Court Posts

Aumônier de Catherine de Portugal, Impératrice de Grandelumière (1652—1654)

## Biography

### Born

17th June 1631, Hôtel de Clérisseau, Bordeaux, Guyenne, Grandelumière.

### Died

Unknown day, June of 1658, Tromsøysundet Strait, Denmark–Norway (age 27)

### Burial

Never buried, body never found, presumed to be in Denmark–Norway.

### Romantic Interests

Catherine de Portugal, Impératrice de Grandelumière (1654; 1655-present)

### Issue

Philippe Étienne Xavier de Grandelumiére, Duc d'Orléans (disputed)

### Father

Charles Angélique François de Clérisseau, Seigneur de Castelsarrasin †

### Mother

Marie-Marguerite d'Acigné de Gran-Bois, Dame de Castelsarrasin †

### Siblings

Marie Josèphe de Clérisseau, Marquise de Gordes
Étienne Xavier de Clérisseau, Archidiaconé de La Rochelle
Pierre Nicolas de Clérisseau, Vicomte de Caussade
Raphaël-Henri de Clérisseau, Seigneur de La Mancelière
Henriette Séphora de Clérisseau, Demoiselle de Caussade
Éloïse-Alizée de Clérisseau, Demoiselle de Clérisseau

### Religion

Roman Catholicism

**Gabriel-Amédée-Mäel Clérisseau, Évêque du Puy-en-Velay** (17th June, 1631—June of 1658 (?)) was a Grandelumieran clergyman, theologian and philosophist. Better known as Msgr. le Évêque du Puy-en-Velay due to his clerical jurisdiction, this eclessiastical personage created both eureka and mystery. He was part of the latest generation of the (de) Clérisseau family, classified as n*oblesse d'ancienne extraction* kin from Aquitaine that had taken the parlement of Bordeaux by storm and domineered it for the second half of the 16th century and first half of the 17th, dubbing the term *dynasties présidentielles*. Inducted into the imperial court of Charles XI the Évêque proved to be an ardent confidante of the Iberian-hailing Dauphine-turned-Empress —Catherine de Portugal— ever since her arrival to the palatial grounds. Their relation became publicly strained in 1654 following his resignation from her household yet from 1655 onwards their relation improved.

He began his clerical career in July of 1650 as commendatory Prieur of the Monastery of Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Celle, carefully dotted on by Msgr. l'Archévêque de Sens —Alphonse Chrétien de Blois—, Gabriel moved onto becoming a commendatory abbot to Fontaine-le-Comte in 1651 and retained said role until 1654 when he was consecrated bishop. In late May 1654 he departed the imperial court, which he had been attending irregularly since 1652 due to his employed status in the Empress' household, bound for the *Côte d'Azur.* The cross-country trek was product of Msgr. l'Archévêque-titulaire d'Athènes, [1]Nicola Guidi di Bagno, Apostolic Nuncio to Grandelumière. During his visit to St. Peter's Basilica in 1654 he was appointed by Pope Innocent X as Évêque du Puy-en-Velay in Auvergne, on that same year he engaged in a pilgrimage throughout Germany and Italy.

After a pilgrimage lasting the 1656-1658 lapse of years, he sauntered over to the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway alongside his mentor, Msgr. du Sens, where he died during an avalanche on June of 1658, in what is presumed to be the Tromsøysundet Strait, near the modern-day city of Tromsø. His body, if recovered, was never identified and an empty casket was buried, from popular request, in his diocese of Puy-en-Velay.

## Early Life (1631—1650)

### Familial bearing and heritage

The city of the one-hundred sonorous tower bells — A glimpse into the city that gathers both romanesque and gothic architectural magnun opuses, the 1431-founded University of Poitiers with alumni featuring Descartes and Balzac. Nested within the shapeshifting communes surrounding it was the Hôtel de Clérisseau owned by an ancient bureaucratic —first as seneschals in service of the Emperor then as prévôts and one-time *Connétable* de Grandelumière, then parliamentarians with the creation of these in the 1550's— family originating from Bordeaux that was building up over generations. Under the shadows for years, collecting familial *alliances* and prestige. The self-made ardent catholic ménage braved through storms, ups-and-downs, near-ruin, numerous emperors and migrations until the gamechanging Paul-François de Clérisseau (1499—1583) played his cards correctly and struck gold. The perpetual chain of irrelevancy was broken, the doors to the spotlight opened at last.

The Clérisseaus, owners of the Vicomté de Caussade in Languedoc, are fairly recent to relevancy yet not age, it's administrative positions and subsequent marriages bringing them much-needed renewal with the families *de La Platière*  —progenitors of the [2]Maréchal de Bourdillon—, *Roquefeuil-Anduze*  —mother house being the Maison de Roquefeuil that went back to 1032—, breton *noblesse d'épee* famille, the *d'Acigné de Gran(d)-Bois* *,* and most recently the Famille *d'Escoubleau de Sourdis*  —bringers of the [3]Cardinal François de Sourdis (1574—1628), former Archévêque de Bordeaux. A turbulent rise to prominence was hand-in-hand with enemies in Bordeaux and Occitaine and most notably the stringent anti-Huguenot Parlement de Bordeaux. The most recent generation of the Clérisseau, in the main Caussade line, encompasses 7 individuals all varying in personalities and spread about to consolidate the building momentum their predecessors afforded them—their current core being Poitou.

### Teenagehood

In his adolescence, transcending childhood bubbles, the reality of the Clérisseau situation set in on him. Most importantly, it's vast reliance on the unpredictable Parlement, which while Gabriel didn't outright oppose he veered from the familial gold mine to more solid ways and developed his own philosophy. A philosophy founded on the growing knowledge his education brought him. It was at this time the savvy businessman and intellectual prowess of Gabriel was nurtured — At the same time a paralyzing shock reverberated through the siblings as both Marie-Marguerite and Charles Angélique, matriarch and patriarch, perished in a bridge collapse while on an outing. Through contacts of contacts, the Clérisseau situation was brought to the attention of Alphonse Chrétien de Blois, the Archevêque de Sens, who took Gabriel under his aegis as the remaining household strived within their bountiful resources, giving the fortune new management.

The first thoughts of entering court were formulated by both him and to an extent Étienne. The Clérisseaus, well-off, prestigious and with a set future for it's newer generations: parliamentary life. A swift purchase of a post could land another of the male Clérisseau offspring a spot to last for the ages, but one word from Paris and all could be undone. A parisian branch was not given thought to and it was these two siblings who are credited the foundation of the Parisian Clérisseaus. Several years later his youngest sister, Éloïse, sauntered to Paris.

Prior to his tenure as an ordained member of the clergy, he had a two-year-long spell in the *Côte d'Azur* reaching the post of Able Seaman.

### Education

Paris, 1649. Fruit of the aforementioned resourceful kin, Gabriel had a plentiful road laid ahead of him even while in the womb. Enrollment at the Université de Poitiers became a must for this generation of Clérisseaus and by the age of 13 he was already familiarized with the college. With a bout of luck with Bernard de Nogaret de La Valette d'Épernon, Duc d'Épernon and Governor of Guyenne, a scheme was devised to obtain his endorsement.

In a successful bid, M. d'Épernon arranged for Gabriel to be sent to the University of Paris' theological College of Sorbonne where his (not yet) theological career begun. Enrolled within the Faculty of Sciences, he preferred to see the best of both worlds, Science and Religion despite ongoing grudges at stake from Rome — noteworthy case being that of Galileo Galilei's debacles.

As 1649 waned into 1650, an expected dawning came on him regarding the tumoltous time the church of St. Peter faced and a gradual change, more-or-less influenced by the Archbishop, was made towards studying theology, its subdivisions, branches and intrigues.

## Adulthood (1650—)

### Eclessiastical Beginnings (1650—1651)

With his Sorbonne studies on hold, Gabriel's father was able to strike a position for Gabriel as Prior of a Monastery in Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Celle, via the Eglise de Saint-Sulpice. The starting point for any aspiring cleric. While not starkly remarkable it was the beginning of his clerical career. Auspiciously paired with a highly competent and iron-willed Abbot —Barthélemy de Vigouroux— for his first year in the divine path, Gabriel was none too keen on falling behind and the strictness of his superior made sure that wasn't the case. However, his term as a prior ended prematurely due to a reshuffle to another position, that of Abbot himself in the Abbey of Fontaine-le-Comte.

Not noteworthy by any means, being an Abbot himself granted little change in his way-of-living other than a swap in his authority within his nuns and monks. With Poitiers offering little past dozens of hectares of green gold, Gabriel once again set his eyes on propelling his philosophical studies and his aura past Poitou. This is how Paris once again came on the horizon — hand-in-hand with the Cour Impériale.

### La vie parisienne (1651—1654)

Arriving in Paris by 1651, the 18-year-old Gabriel once again set his sights on finishing his studies at Sorbonne. Accomplishing such by the time 1652 came around, his stay in Paris could go in diverging ways. Navigate his way around court and see what comes out of it or dedicate his life to philosophy. What did he choose? The first option. Thus the first phase of Clérisseau presence in Paris commenced.

As 1651 morphed into 1652 and the latter to another year, Gabriel transformed into, at-first, a silent figure. The singular noteworthy to fact to note being his affiliation to the Dauphine as her almoner upon her arrival — 1653 onwards proved distinctly different, culminating his studies at Sorbonne, metamorphosing into a carefully cultivated appearance and talking level with varying acquaintances and connections. The ecclesiastic has come a long way from his beginnings, yet much of him remained a mystery for some.

The termination of his career as almoner to the-now Empress Catherine de Portugal in May 1654 for unspecified reasons added depth to the persona of Gabriel. Questions surrounding his resignation were scarce however, more notable events taking the interest of others. Namely, a visit by Madame la Princesse, Lucrece de Harlay —a mainstream surname at the Paris Parlement— to the College de Sorbonne, where he and other alumni toured her around the grounds. An appearance at the latest Talmont ball, his graduation from the Faculté de théologie catholique de Paris on June 1st 1654, and a departure from Paris to the Palais des Papes in Avignon— all in quick sucession.

### Côte d'Azur, Rome, Aix-la-Chapelle (1654—1656)

A newspaper clipping described the early stages of his trek, being printed on June 2nd, 1654.

*"On the 29th of May, 1654, former almoner of the Empress, M. l'Abbé de Fontaine-le-Comte culminated his studies at the University of Paris' theological college of Sorbonne. The abbot — an infrequent attendee of court in recent times— was seen meeting with  Msgr. l'Archévêque-titulaire d'Athènes, Nicola Guidi di Bagno, apostolic nuncio to Grandelumière since 1644, over the span of the past two weeks. Sa Sainte Grâce, we deduce, is the main benefactor of the abbé's cross-country jaunt which went from Paris to Toulouse and the exclave of Avignon as it's most recent stop.*

*M. l'Abbé departed Paris bound for the Côte d'Azur with a stop at the Capitole de Toulouse, the facet of the southern citadel. He was recieved by a relative, Gaspard de Fieubet, Premier président of the Parliament of Toulouse on the 31st of May. These were followed by a stay at M. le Marquis d'Excideuil's hôtel particulier and a visit to conseiller M. de Saussans and Mme. de Saussans —Isabelle de Fieubet— sister of the président in the Hôtel d'Ulmo. These events combined strengthen the belief that the southern travesty will be anything but brief...*

*(...) Furthermore he sauntered past Toulousian boundaries after being summoned by Msgr. l'Archévêque d'Avignon, Dominique II Marini on June 1st in the Palais des Papes in the Comtat Venaissin, Avignon. He currently harbours himself in the medieval residence."*

The trek evolved out of the Comtat Venaissin, accompanied by Msgr. l''Archévêque d'Avignon, into the ancestral and mountainous Italian peninsula. Sauntering past the Alpine pass and emerging into the Po Valley, Gabriel gathered insight, creativity and in some cases physical souvenirs during his stopovers in Genoa, Turin, Milan, Bologna and Venice proper. At the end of these stops was milennia-old Rome and the marble-littered halls of St. Peter's Basilica where he was involved in audiences with Pope Innocent X and the Principessa Maidalchini —rumored mistress of his Holiness and effective manager of papal affairs—, and where his post of Bishop of Puy-en-Velay was bestowed upon him, the consecration being carried out in Italy.

### Death

A newspaper clipping dated 7th of July, 1658;

*The weeks, months and years encapsuling the 1656—1658 lapse was a cacophony of activity for Msgr. l'Évêque du Puy-en-Velay and Msgr. l'Archévêque de Sens, who embarked on a pilgrimage, charitable and entrepeneur journey throughout Grandelumière. The duo's first stop was the latter's episcopal see of Sens-Auxerre where the 600-year-old Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Sens was announced to start a process of renovations conducted at the behest of the duo, with divine service ceasing, scaffholding, workers and construction workers domineering the landscape of the cathedral.*

*The dyad then sojourned to the ancient Comté d'Angoulême, jurisdiction of Msgr. du Puy where a period of almsgiving, donations and most important of all, the announcement of the Manufacture d'Angoulême for porcelain works, a project manifested by Msgr. du Puy and funded by him and other céramistes of the Charente and Aquitanian region, with works as of 1658 well underway, with a finished date set for the 1660—1661 period. A smaller scale production, to aid the financing of the Manufacture was commenced in the periphery of the main works, providing commissions of soft-paste porcelain in pastel colors for courtiers and the Imperial family.*

*Ceasing their stay in the prestigious county, the duo sauntered to Bordeaux where their almsgiving persevered, a charity opera being hosted by Msgr. du Puy's brother, M. le Vicomte de Caussade which generated ample funds — Funds employed in the duo's next stop of Puy-en-Velay for a campaign of funding local leather enterprises. From Auvergne, the ecclesiastical pair veered to Calais and from there on to Danish shores and the Artic circle during September of 1657.*

*During the junket to these far-away lands a calamity shook the pair when, sources state, an avalanche overtook an entourague containing the two personages, Msgr. de Sens reportedly made it back to Grandelumièran shores, Msgr. du Puy, on July 2nd, 1658, was confirmed dead by Danish authorities.*

## Character Synopsis

### Personality

Donning street-smart levels of knowledge, possessing a wide repertoire of books, a down-to-earth understanding of society and an university-level education is our individual. Gabriel can hardly believe the hardships court goes through, yet with a cool air and modesty befitting someone of his rank, he behaves benevolently. Even then, you can hardly tell what goes in the mind of this Poitevin — Thanks to his education and personal philosophy you can find him engaging in enlighthening conversation rather than casual talk, something he hears often enough, yet this varies from person to person.

### Appearance

Clad in his divinely mandated attire, donning conservative-length tufts of jet-black hair and a set of hazel eyes is Gabriel. His facial features were juxtaposed natural white skin more often than not tanned, hydrated lips, anrched eyebrows, black-leaning-to-brown eyes, aswell as an expression of passive tiredness due to marginally noticeable bags under his eyes.. Height-wise he stood at 6'1 in his adulthood. A prosthetic arm where his left one would be found at, of dark colors, leather and lightweight metal juxtaposing itself with the rest of Gabriel's physique, an impediment in the eyes of some. In the eyes of many? The cherry on top for his cryptic demeanor. The reason for it being a severe infection due to a wound in 1650, which worsened enough to merit his arm getting amputated.

## Titles, Styles and Honours

### Titles and Styles

* *Monsieur de Clérisseau (17 June 1631—24 July 1650)*
* *Mon père,* Monsieur le Prieur commendataire du Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Celle (24 July 1650— 31 March 1651)
* *Mon père,* Monsieur le Abbé commendataire de Fontaine-le-Comte (31 March 1651—23 December 1654)
* *Sa Grâce Sainte,* Msgr. le Évêque du Puy-en-Velay, also Comte du Velay (23 December 1654—June 1658)