John Calvin (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564) was a French pastor and theologian of the Protestant Reformation. He broke with the Roman Catholic church in 1530, and in 1536 published the first edition of his most influential work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Fleeing persecution of the Protestants in France, he spent time in Basel and Strasbourg before settling in Geneva. He was a tireless preacher and writer, and in addition to the Institutes, wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, as well as many volumes of tracts and correspondence. While best known as a theologian, John Calvin was a pastor at heart, and it is estimated that as a pastor in Geneva he gave approximately one third of his personal income to charitable efforts in the city.