Gabriel Florent de Choiseul Beaupré

Gabriel-Florent de Choiseul-Beaupré born in Dinant and baptized on June 16, 1685 (Spanish Netherlands) was a French clergyman.

Parents :
- Jacques François de Choiseul, marquis of Beaupré (1633-1686)
- Anne-Marie of Chastelet (1644-1705)

He was Bishop of Saint-Papoul from 1718 to 1723, then Bishop of Mende from 1723 to 1767. The accession to this last bishopric had also conferred on him the title of Count of Gévaudan, this title being devolved to the bishops of Mende, since the act of « paréage » (feudal law contract) signed in 1307 by the king and Guillaume VI Durand. He was also a cousin of the ministers César Gabriel de Choiseul-Praslin and Étienne François de Choiseul.

He was first commendatory abbot of the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Tironneau (order of Cîteaux) in the diocese of Le Mans on December 23, 1706, then of Sainte-Colombre (order of Saint-Benoît) in the diocese of Sens, March 31, 1714. He then became chaplain to the king, before being appointed bishop of Saint-Papoul in May 1716 and consecrated on July 17, 1718.

He harangues the king at Versailles at the head of the deputies of the states of the province of Languedoc on August 17, 1722. He attends the following October 17 the king's coronation, as well as the general assembly of the clergy, held in Paris in 1723, in his capacity as deputy of the province of Toulouse and the province of Albi.

Choiseul-Beaupré was appointed Bishop of Mende in Gévaudan, October 17, 1723, on the proposal of Cardinal Ottoboni in Rome, December 20, 1723, and September 11, 1724. But it was not until 1765 that he sadly returned to history for his multiple correspondences about the Beast of Gevaudan.

On December 31, 1764, he issued a letter in which he ordered that on January 6, 1765, the Blessed Sacrament be exposed in all churches in order to chase away what he called the "scourge of God". It also requires 40 hours of prayers to be recited.

He died on July 7, 1767 at the age of 82.