Idelette Calvin
Encyclopedia : I : ID : IDE : Idelette Calvin
Idelette Calvin (died 1549), whose maiden name was 'Idelette de Bure, was the only wife of the French reformer John Calvin (Jean Chauvin). He sought marriage to affirm his approval of marriage over celibacy. He asked friends to help him find a woman who was "modest, obliging, not haughty, not extravagant, patient, and solicitous for my health." In 1539, he married Idelette de Bure, a widow of a converted Anabaptist in Strasbourg. She had a son and daughter from the previous marriage. Only the daughter moved with her to Geneva.
In 1542 the Calvins had a son that died after only two weeks. Although her health began to fail, Idelette actively served the sick and poor in Geneva. She died in 1549. John Calvin wrote that Idelette was a helper in ministry, never stood in his way, never troubled him about her children, and had a greatness of spirit.
References
- Bainton, Roland (1974). Women of the Reformation in England and France. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. ISBN 0807056499.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.