DUVOISIN, JEAN-BAPTISTE. — Apologist, born at Langres on 19 Oct. 1744, died at Nantes on 9 July 1813. Professor at the Sorbonne, canon of Auxerre, vicar general of Laon and prior of Gahard in the diocese of Rennes, he was considered, when the Revolution broke out, one of the most significant figures of the Church in France. A non-juror, deported to England, he joined his bishop at Brunswick; thereafter he earned his living by teaching literature and science, without however interrupting his apologetic labours. Returning to France, he was appointed bishop of Nantes and consecrated on 1 Aug. 1802.
A diligent organiser, an eloquent and polished preacher, widely known for his uncommon learning, he was judged by Napoleon “one of the oracles of Christendom” (Mémoires, I, p. 121). Adviser to the emperor on many ecclesiastical matters, he received from him honours and dignities; yet, even while servilely aiding Napoleon in his struggle against the Pope, he sought to avoid schism. Said to have been the driving force behind the Council of 1809, he was one of the four prelates entrusted with the mission to Savona to induce Pius VII to make concessions. A court bishop and ardent Gallican, before, during and after the Council of 1811, though he did not escape censure for his part in the “Savona intrigue,” he rendered valuable assistance to Napoleon in the negotiations for the ill-fated Concordat of Fontainebleau.
He wrote: Dissertation critique sur la vision de Constantin (Paris 1774); De l'autorité des livres du Nouveau Testament contre les incrédules (1775); L'autorité des livres de Moyen établie et défendue contre les incrédules (1778); Essai polémique sur la religion naturelle (1780); De vera religione ad usum Theologiae candidatorum (2 vols., 1785); Examen des principes de la Révolution Française (Brunswick 1795); Défense de l'ordre social contre les principes de la Révolution Française (London 1798); Essai sur la tolérance (Brunswick 1798); Démonstration évangélique suivie d'un essai sur la tolérance (1800).