Petrus Simons

[1] Orphaned young, Pierre was educated at the Bogard school in Bruges, where he showed such promise that the governors decided to send him to Leuven University for further studies.

On 20 March 1559 he graduated from the Faculty of Arts as second of his year among 154 students, and received a scholarship to go on to a Theology degree, studying at Holy Spirit College.

At Holy Ghost College, Simons had been taught by Cornelis Jansenius, who as bishop of Ghent appointed him canon penitentiary in 1569, and archpriest in 1570.

In September 1584, a fortnight before Ghent returned to royal control, Pope Gregory XIII confirmed the nomination of Simons to the diocese of Ypres and of Crabbeels to 's-Hertogenbosch.

He left bequests to the cathedral, to the Faculty of Theology in Leuven, to Groeninghe Abbey in Kortrijk, to the Bogard school in Bruges, and to his sister, with the diocesan seminary as residual legatee.

[1] The resulting 654-page volume was printed in Antwerp in 1609 by Jan Moretus, under the title Petri Simonis Tiletani Episcopi Yprensis De veritate libri sex, et reliqua eius, quae supersunt, multae eruditionis & pietatis opera.