Françoise de Bette

Françoise Bette (1593–1666) was, from 1637 to 1666, the 26th abbess of Forest Abbey.[1]

She was born in Lede, in the county of Flanders, the daughter of Adrian Bette, knight, of a noble family with links to the Habsburg court. Her cousin, Guillaume Bette, first marquis of Lede, was a knight of the Order of Santiago.

As abbess she faced financial strains, which she attempted to meet by selling off part of the abbey's land. She also attempted to reform the monastery, which had acquired a reputation for loose discipline. She was not notably successful in either effort.

In 1644 she commissioned a precious reliquary in Baroque style to house the relics of Saint Alena. This was probably paid for by her family. It is now in the parish church of Forest, Belgium.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Ursmer Berlière et al., Monasticon Belge, vol. 4 (Liège, 1964), p. 211.
  2. ↑ Bart Fransen, "Recherches historiques / Historisch onderzoek", Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, 32 (2006-2008), pp. 95-101.
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