Henri Spondanus

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Henri Spondanus (de Sponde) (born at Mauléon, in the French Department of Basses-Pyrénées, 6 January 1568; died at Toulouse, 18 May 1643) was a French Catholic jurist, historian and continuator of Baronius, and Bishop of Pamiers. He was a convert from Calvinism.

After studying humanities at the Calvinist college of Orthez, he accompanied the royal ambassador to Scotland and, upon his return, took up the study of jurisprudence. In 1589 he was jurist at the Parliament of Tours.

Convinced by the writings of Bellarmine and the instructions of Duperron, he became a Catholic, 21 September 1595. In 1600 he accompanied Cardinal de Sourdis to Rome, where he was ordained priest on 7 March, 1606; Pope Paul V then appointed him reviser of the briefs of the Pœnitentiaria.

In 1625 he was created Bishop of Pamiers. He labouredfor the preservation of Catholicism and converted numerous Protestants. Owing to ill-health he resigned his diocese in 1639 and retired to Toulouse.

His writings are:

  • "Les cimetières sacrés" (Bordeaux, 1596)
  • "Annales ecclesiastici Cæsaris Baronii in Epitomen redacti" (Paris, 1612)
  • "Annales sacri a mundi creatione ad ejusdem redemptionem" (Paris, 1637), an epitome of the "Annals" of Agostino Tornielli
  • "Annalium Baronii continuatio ab a. 1197 quo is desinit ad a. 1622" (Paris, 1639).

[edit] References

  • Pierre Frizon, Vita Spondani in later editions of the last-named work
  • Raess, Die Convertiten seit der Reformation, III (Freiburg, 1866), 285-95.

[edit] External links

This article incorporates text from the entry Henri Spondanus in the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

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