Guido de Bres

Guido de Bres (also known as Guido de Bray, Guy de Bray and Guido de Brès, 1522 – 31 May 1567) was a Walloon pastor, Protestant reformer and theologian, a student of John Calvin and Theodore Beza in Geneva. He was born in Mons, County of Hainaut, Southern Netherlands, and was executed at Valenciennes. De Bres compiled and published the Walloon Confession of Faith known as the Belgic Confession (Confessio Belgica) still in use today in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is also used by many Reformed Churches all over the world.

Early life De Bres was born in Mons, today in southwestern Belgium. His father, formerly known as Jean Du Beguinage (alternatively: Jan le Béguinage), was an itinerant blauschilder [lit. blue painter] which is indicative of the tin-glazed process, a precursor to Delftware, introduced into the Netherlands by Guido de Savino in 1512 at Antwerp. Jean changed his name to de Bres when he settled in Mons. He and his wife had five children: Jehan, Jherome, Christoffel, Guido and daughter Mailette. Rehalenbeck suggests one other son, Michel.

De Bres was brought up by his mother, a devout Roman Catholic. Guido was a Roman Catholic and was very strong in that faith by all accounts.

Death and legacy In 1567, after the Siege of Valenciennes, de Bres was arrested for his Calvinist beliefs and his rebellion during the siege. He was tried before the Spanish Inquisition, received the death penalty and was hanged at Valenciennes. He died in front of a large crowd after making a final statement of his beliefs. He was pushed off the scaffold by the hangman whilst addressing the crowd. Twelve days before his death he wrote a letter to his wife, which speaks of his trust in God.

De Bres wrote a number of books. The Belgic Confession is part of the Three Forms of Unity, a set of official statements of doctrine used by churches with roots in the continental Reformed tradition. Its text is still in wide use in particular among confessionally Reformed churches.