François Fénelon
François de Salignac de la Mothe, more commonly known as
François Fénelon (
1651 -
1715), was a
French Roman Catholic theologian,
poet and writer.
Fénelon is best remembered as the author of
The Adventures of Telemachus, a scabrous attack on the
French monarchy, first published in
1699 .
He was born at the
château de Fénelon, in
Sainte-Mondane,
Périgord.
Fénelon was appointed
Archbishop of Cambrai in
1695, however the publication of his
Explanation of the Sayings of the Saints on the Interior Life was condemned and Fénelon retired.
When he was Almoner to
Louis XIV his majesty was astonished one Sunday to find, instead of the usual crowded congregation, only himself and his attendants, the priest, and the other officers of the chapel. "What is the meaning of this?" said the king; the prelate answered, "I caused it to be given out, that your majesty did not attend chapel to-day, in order that you might see, who came here to worship God, and who to flatter the King."
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Free ebook of François Fénelon at
Project Gutenberg
