House of Theodore Beza, Vézelay
Theodore Beza was born here in 1519. Photo
Nicholas Thompson.
Portrait of Theodore Beza (1519-1605).
A wider view of Beza's House. Photo
Nicholas Thompson.On June 24, 1519, Theodore Beza was born in Vézelay, France. Beza would later lead the Protestant Reformation in Geneva with John Calvin and become the chief spokesman for Calvinism.
The house where Beza spent the first two years of his life is located on the main street of Vezelay and is marked by a small plaque.
History
Beza was born into a noble family in Vézelay. His father was the rich Pierre de Beze, bailiff of the county and a descendant of one of the proudest families of the duchy. His mother was Marie Bourdelot, renowned for her intelligence and her charities. Theodore was the couple's seventh child: they already had two sons and four daughters.
Beza did not stay in Vézelay for long: by the time his mother died when he was almost three years old, he had already been taken to Paris by his uncle Nicolas de Beze, a councillor in the Parliament of Paris. The uncle gave the precocious child the best teachers that money and influence could secure, and the rest is history.
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of Beza's House. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Vézelay Map or get our free Google Earth download.
More Information
- Lieux de mémoire en Bourgogne - Musee Protestantisme
- Ch. 19: Theodore Beza - Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church
- Theodore Beza - On Doctrine
