Bishop Myriel
Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel, referred to as Bishop Myriel or Monseigneur Bienvenu, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables. Myriel is the Bishop of Digne in southeastern France.
| Bishop Myriel | |
|---|---|
| Les Misérables character | |
Bishop Myriel, depicted by Gustave Brion, 1862. | |
| Created by | Victor Hugo |
| Portrayed by | Henry Krauss Cedric Hardwicke Edmund Gwenn Fernand Ledoux Claude Dauphin Peter Vaughan Ken Caswell Paul Monaghan Earl Carpenter Colm Wilkinson Derek Jacobi |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel |
| Nickname | Monseigneur Bienvenu |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Bishop |
| Occupation | Priest (Bishop) |
| Family |
|
| Spouse | Unnamed wife (deceased) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 1739 |
| Death | 1821 (age 82) |
The actual Bishop of Digne during the time in which Myriel's appearance in the novel is set was Bienvenu de Miollis (1753–1843) who served as Hugo's model for Myriel. In the novel and the film and musical adaptions of it, the Bishop is a heroic figure who personifies compassion and mercy.
As Hugo set to work on the novel in 1848 after a long interruption, his anti-clerical son Charles objected to presenting Myriel as "a prototype of perfection and intelligence", suggesting instead someone from "a liberal, modern profession, like a doctor". The novelist replied:
I cannot put the future into the past. My novel takes place in 1815. For the rest, this Catholic priest, this pure and lofty figure of true priesthood, offers the most savage satire on the priesthood today.