Brenart was born in Leuven on 23 November 1720, the son of Jean-Antoine Brenart, baron of
Korbeek-Lo, who was professor of civil law in the
University of Leuven. Felix himself graduated
licentiate of
both laws on 26 August 1744. After he had served as a
canon of the chapter of
St. Peter's Church, Leuven, on 16 January 1751 he was appointed
dean of the chapter of
St Gummarus Church in
Lier and on 26 January 1758 ecclesiastical councillor on the
Great Council of Mechelen. On 21 February 1777 he was nominated to the see of Bruges. On 29 June of that year he was consecrated in Mechelen by
Cardinal Franckenberg, with the bishops of Ghent and Ypres as co-consecrators. He made his solemn entry into his see on 3 August. On 16 October 1786,
Emperor Joseph II decreed government interventions in the life of the Church, closing diocesan seminaries and reforming civil and ecclesiastical administration. Brenart was a vigorous opponent of these changes, and welcomed the
Brabant Revolution of 1790. During the
Flanders campaign of the early
French Revolutionary Wars he became a refugee first in
Brabant, then in
Guelders and finally in
Westphalia. He died at
Anholt, in Westphalia, on 26 October 1794, and was buried three days later in the crypt of the parish church there. He bequeathed the furniture of the episcopal palace in Bruges, and of his country house at
Sint-Kruis outside Bruges, to the alleviation of poverty in the city of Bruges. ==Publications==