Didier de La Cour
Encyclopedia
Dom Didier de La Cour de La Vallée (1550 – 1623) was a Benedictine monk, responsible for the foundation of the reforming Congregation of St. Vanne
in 1604.
, Meuse, in December 1550, into an ancient noble family of Lorraine
but one which had grown so poor that they were obliged to work on their own lands. At 18, he entered St. Vanne's Abbey in Verdun
and later studied at the University of Pont-à-Mousson
, where he became friendly with Servais de Lairuelz and Saint Pierre Fourier.
He returned to Verdun fired with the desire to reform monastic life, but came up against the hostility of the other monks. His aim was to apply in his monastery, of which he became prior, the Rule of St. Benedict in its original rigour. Despite the initial difficulties, his efforts ultimately met with success. In 1604, the Congregation of St. Vanne was formed, which brought together all the reformist monasteries of Lorraine. By the time of Dom Didier's death in 1623, the congregation contained forty monasteries in three provinces, and had inspired the formation in France
of the parallel reform movement of the Congregation of St. Maur.
Congregation of St. Vanne
The Congregation of St. Vanne or Congregation of St. Vanne and St. Hydulphe , sometimes also known as the Vannists was a Benedictine reform movement centred on Lorraine. It was formally established in 1604 on the initiative of Dom Didier de La Cour, prior of the Abbey of St...
in 1604.
Life
Dom Didier was born at MontzévilleMontzéville
Montzéville is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
, Meuse, in December 1550, into an ancient noble family of Lorraine
Lorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
but one which had grown so poor that they were obliged to work on their own lands. At 18, he entered St. Vanne's Abbey in Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
and later studied at the University of Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.Population : 14,592 . It is an industrial town , situated on the Moselle River...
, where he became friendly with Servais de Lairuelz and Saint Pierre Fourier.
He returned to Verdun fired with the desire to reform monastic life, but came up against the hostility of the other monks. His aim was to apply in his monastery, of which he became prior, the Rule of St. Benedict in its original rigour. Despite the initial difficulties, his efforts ultimately met with success. In 1604, the Congregation of St. Vanne was formed, which brought together all the reformist monasteries of Lorraine. By the time of Dom Didier's death in 1623, the congregation contained forty monasteries in three provinces, and had inspired the formation in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
of the parallel reform movement of the Congregation of St. Maur.
Sources
- Michaux, Gérard, 1998: Dom Didier de La Cour et la réforme des Bénédictins de Saint-Vanne, in Les Prémontrés et la Lorraine XIIe - XVIIIe siècle, pp. 125–144 (XXIIIe colloque du Centre d'études et de recherches prémontrées, directed by Dominique-Marie Dauzet and Martine Plouvier). Beauchesne: Paris.