Jean François Foppens

Johannes Franciscus Foppens
Native name	Jean François Foppens
Born	(1689-11-17)November 17, 1689 Brussels, Spanish Netherlands
Died	July 16, 1761(1761-07-16) (aged 71) Mechelen, Austrian Netherlands
Resting place	St. Rumbold's Cathedral
Occupation	clergyman
Language	Latin
Education	Master of Arts, Licentiate of Theology
Alma mater	Leuven University
Genre	ecclesiastical history, literary biography and bibliography
Subjects	Belgian bishoprics Belgian authors
Notable works	Bibliotheca belgica, sive virorum in Belgio vita scriptisque illustrium catalogus (2 vols., Brussels, 1739)

Jean François Foppens, sometimes Latinized Johannes Franciscus Foppens (1689–1761), was a Belgian ecclesiastical historian, and literary biographer and bibliographer. He is best known for his Bibliotheca belgica, sive virorum in Belgio vita scriptisque illustrium catalogus (2 vols., Brussels, 1739), a catalogue of Belgian authors and their works.^[1]

Life

Foppens was born in Brussels on 17 November 1689, the son of a family of printers. He was sent to Leuven University in 1704 and graduated Master of Arts in 1706, at the age of 17. Around 1713 he began lecturing on Philosophy at the university while studying Theology. In 1715 he graduated Licentiate of Theology and began a clerical career, holding a canonry of the church of St Martin in Aalst, then St. Salvator's Cathedral in Bruges, and finally St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen. He died in Mechelen on 16 July 1761 and was buried in the cathedral.

Works

• Historia episcopatus Antverpiensis (Brussels, 1717)
• Historia episcopatus Sylvaeducensis (Brussels, 1721)
• Auberti Miraei opera diplomatica et historica (4 vols., Brussels, 1723–1748)
• Bibliotheca belgica, sive virorum in Belgio vita scriptisque illustrium catalogus (2 vols., Brussels, 1739)
• Basilica Bruxellensis (Mechelen, 1743)

References

1. H. Helbig, "Foppens (Jean-François)", Biographie Nationale de Belgique, vol. 7 (Brussels, 1883), 193–195.