BENEDICT


Meaning of BENEDICT in English

n.

orig. Jacques Fournier

born , Saverdun, near Toulouse, France

died April 25, 1342, Avignon, Provence

Pope (1334–42).

A French cardinal and theologian, he became the third pontiff to reign at Avignon (see Avignon papacy ), succeeding John XXII . The bishop of Pamiers and Mirepoix and a zealous inquisitor before his elevation to the papacy, Benedict devoted himself to the reform of the church and its religious orders; he also tried unsuccessfully to prevent the outbreak of the conflict between England and France that became the Hundred Years' War . His bull Benedictus Deus (1336) set forth the doctrine of the beatific vision as a vision of God granted to the souls of the just immediately after death.

Benedict XII, detail from a bust by Paolo da Siena, 1342; in the Grotto of the Vatican, Rome

Alinari-Anderson/Art Resource/EB Inc.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.