DUVOISIN, JEAN-BAPTISTE. - Apologist, b. at Langres on 19 Oct. 1744, d. at Nantes on 9 July 1813. Professor at the Sorbonne, canon of Auxerre, vicar general of Laon and prior of Gabard in the diocese of Rennes, he was considered, when the revolution broke out, one of the most significant figures of the Church of France. Refusing the oath, deported to England, he joined his bishop at Brunswick; then he earned his living by teaching letters and sciences, without however interrupting his apologetic works. Having returned to France, he was appointed bishop of Nantes and consecrated on 1 Aug. 1802.
A diligent organizer, an eloquent and polished preacher, well known for his uncommon learning, he was judged by Napoleon "one of the oracles of Christianity" (Memoirs, I, p. 121). An adviser to the emperor in many ecclesiastical affairs, he received dignities and honors from him; yet, while servilely assisting Napoleon in his struggle against the Pontiff, he strove to avoid schism. The animator, it is said, of the Council of 1809, he was one of the four prelates who accepted the task of going to Savona to induce Pius VII to make concessions. A court bishop and an ardent Gallican, before, during and after the Council of 1811, not content with having taken part in the "intrigue of Savona," he was of valid help to Napoleon in the negotiations of 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 (ibid. 1775); L'autorité des livres de Moyse établie et défendue contre les incrédules (ibid. 1778); Essai polémique sur la religion naturelle (ibid. 1780); De vera religione ad usum Theologiae candidaturum (2 vols., ibid. 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 (ibid. 1800).