Louis-Andre de Grimaldi

Louis-André de Grimaldi was a French nobleman and bishop who lived in the 18th and early 19th centuries. He was one of the Princes of Monaco, descended from the House of Bourbon. He became the Vicar General of the Archbishop of Rouen and was appointed as the Bishop of Le Mans in 1767. He made some unpopular changes in his diocese, such as removing the high altar and selling the silver without an inventory. He was also a patron of arts and culture, and commissioned a portrait by Charles-Étienne Gaucher. In 1777, he was transferred to the diocese of Noyon, where he became a Peer of France. He ordained Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord to the priesthood, who later became a famous diplomat and politician. He was known as a "Voltairean prelate", meaning that he was influenced by the Enlightenment philosophy of Voltaire. He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and spent his time in Paris and London. He refused to take the oath to the civil constitution of the clergy in 1791, which was a law that reorganized the Catholic Church in France under the control of the state. He emigrated to England, where he lived until his death in 1804. He never resigned from his episcopal office and opposed the Concordat of 1801, which was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII that restored the Catholic Church in France. He died without leaving any traces or legacy for his diocese or his family.