Duvergier de Hauranne, Jean

(1581-1643)

   theologian

   One of the founders of jansenism, Jean Duvergier de Hauranne, abbot of Saint-Cyran, was born near

   Bayonne and studied at Louvain and Paris where he became a close friend of the Dutch theologian Cornelius Jansen. Together they developed a theory of predestination based on Augustinian lines. After 1630, Duvergier became the spiritual counselor at the Jansenist convent of Port-Royal and was closely associated with other leading Jansenist theologians. His insistence on strict doctrines and theology, hostility to the Jesuits, and political ties to the parlements, as well as his opposition to the foreign and religious policies of Cardinal Richelieu, caused him to be put into prison (1638). He remained there until Richelieu's death in 1642, but his health was ruined, and he died shortly after. An erudite thinker, Duvergier, through his writings, mirrored Jansenist theology. The strength of the Jansenist movement, lasting into the 18th century, was largely due to his influence.

   See also arnauld, antoine; arnauld family.