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Michel Poncet de la Riviere (11 July 1671 in Strasbourg, France – 2 August 1730 in Chateau d’Eventard, near Angers, France) was a French clergyman, preacher and, from 1706 to 1730, the 79th bishop of Angers. He was the son of Vincent-Matthias Ponchet de la Riviere, the Lord Lieutenant of Alsace, and his wife, Marie Betauld; the nephew of Michel Poncet de la Riviere, the 61st Bishop of Uzes (1677–1728); the uncle of Mathias Poncet de la Riviere, the 90th Bishop of Troyes (1742–1758); and the cousin of Joseph Poncet de la Riviere, the Jesuit missionary of Canada.
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Early life
Michel de la Riviere studied theology at the University of Bourges, where he graduated with a doctorate in 1695. His uncle rewarded him with the appointments as the dean of Navacelles near Uzes and the Vicar General of Uzes in the Cevennes, where young Michel had to deal with the revolt of the Camisards, for which he drew up a proposal for their expulsion. In 1689, he also became the abbe commendataire [ honorary abbot ] of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Pierre in Vierzon and managed to add the post of canon, through regale, in Sarlat. He was ordained as a priest in the next year.
On 7 June 1706, Michel de la Riviere was appointed as the 79th Bishop of Angers. Two months later, on 1 August, he was consecrated in Paris at the Eglise des Grandes-Jesuits [ Great Church of the Jesuits ] by the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal de Noailles.
The Bishop of Angers
As the Bishop of Angers, La Riviere was firm and orthodox. He assigned his Vicar General, Francois Babin, to write the essay, Conferences d’Angers, published in 1716; promoted the Papal bull, Unigenitus, against Jansenism; condemned Les Hexples, ou les six colomnes sur la Constitution Unigenitus, the 1721 collection of six Jansenist essays; denied the appeal from the Benedictines of the five Angevin abbeys; defeated two bishops in a debate at the Assembly of the Clergy in 1725. But he also found the time to dedicate in 1710 l'Eglise du Bon-Pasteur [ Church of the Good Shepherd ], built on rue Saint-Nicolas [ St. Nicholas Street ] in Angers, for the Soeurs du Bon Pasteur [ not to be confused with the modern Good Shepherd Sisters ], a local community of non-cloistered nuns; and to build, at his own expense, the Chapel of the Calvary, set against the Cathedral, as the shrine of the mission cross. He was also on a shortlist of three clergymen for the post of the preceptor of King Louis XV in 1714 but he did not get the post.
In his youth, before he became famous as an orator, Michel devoted himself to poetry with some success. As an orator, he was considered to be one of the best, along with Jean Baptiste Massillon and Jacques-Benigne Bossuet. He earned great praise for two speeches he made at the Court – one of them in 1715 during Lent and the other in 1722 for the coronation of King Louis XV – but Saint-Simon felt that La Riviere's skills as an orator were not the equal of these important occasions. A year later, in 1723, his fortunes came to a sudden end. Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, the Regent of France, had just died. His death caused the clergy considerable distress because, in spite his notoriously dissolute lifestyle, his funeral oration would have to be delivered to the pleasure and satisfaction of the King and his Court. La Riviere was chosen for this job. But, during the funeral, when he came to the matter of the salvation of the Duke’s soul, the Bishop blurted, “Je crains; mais j'espere [ I fear but I hope ]”. These words were enough to banish him from the Court. However, his oration remains as one of the best funeral sermons ever written in the French language. In fact, d'Alembert declared, “Quand l'eveque d'Angers n'eut ecrit que ce peu de mots en toute sa vie, il ne devrait pas etre place dans la classe des orateurs ordinaires [ If the Bishop of Angers had not written these few words, he would be counted only among the ordinary orators ].” It is notable for the following passage:
(French) “Du pied du plus beau trone du monde il tombe ... dans l'eternite. Mais pourquoi, mon Dieu, apres en avoir fait un prodige de talents, n'en feriez-vous pas un prodige de misericorde?”
(English) “From the foot of the most beautiful throne of the world he falls ... in eternity. But why, my God, after having made a miracle of talent, have You not done a miracle of mercy?”
Last years
In his retirement, La Riviere was rewarded with the esteem of the men of letters when he was elected as a member of the Academie francaise in 1728. He was received at the Academy on 10 January 1729 but he was not able to enjoy such an honor for a long time. On 2 August 1730, he died at the Chateau d’Eventard, in Ecouflant, 3 miles (5 km) north of Angers.
La Riviere left only a few speeches, sermons, harangues and parish letters, and a funeral sermon, Oraison funebre de tres-haut, tres-puissant et tres-excellent prince Mgr Louis, Dauphin, prononcee dans l'eglise de l'abbaye royale de Saint-Denys, le dix-huitieme juin 1711 [ French, Funeral Oration of Most High, Most Perfect and Most Excellent Prince, Msgr. Louis, the Dauphin, delivered at the Church of Saint-Denis, on the Eighteenth of June 1711 ].
Another book, which seems to have been written by the Bishop, or at least by his secretary, appeared in 1721. The literal translation of its Latin title is:
Series of Lessions, of the Breviary of Angers, of the Most Reverend and Illustrious Father in Jesus Christ Don Michel Poncet de la Riviere, Bishop of Angers, Recognized by the Authority and Approval of the Venerable Chapter, Chateau-Gontier, House of Joseph Gentil, Printer and Bookseller of the Town and College, 1721, by the Privilege of the King.