John Calvin-Life,Legacy and Theology

JOHN CALVIN : LIFE, LEGACY AND THEOLOGY -
PROF. M. M. NINAN
topics. Shortly after he recovered, he strained his voice while preaching, which brought on a violent fit
of coughing. He burst a blood-vessel in his lungs, and his health steadily declined. He preached his
final sermon in St. Pierre on 6 February 1564. On 25 April, he made his will, in which he left small
sums to his family and to the collège. A few days later, the ministers of the church came to visit him,
and he bade his final farewell, which was recorded in Discours d'adieu aux ministres. He recounted
his life in Geneva, sometimes recalling bitterly some of the hardships he had suffered. Calvin died on
27 May 1564 aged 54. At first his body lay in state, but since so many people came to see it, the
reformers were afraid that they would be accused of fostering a new saint's cult. On the following day,
he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Cimetière des Rois. The exact location of the grave is
unknown; a stone was added in the 19th century to mark a grave traditionally thought to be Calvin's.
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