Henri Spondanus

Henri Spondanus (de Sponde) (born at Mauléon, in the French Department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, January 6, 1568; died at Toulouse, May 18, 1643) was a French Catholic jurist, historian and continuator of the Annales Ecclesiastici compiled by Cardinal 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 Parlement of Tours.

Convinced by the writings of Robert Bellarmine and the instructions of Duperron, he became a Catholic, 21 September 1595. In 1600 he accompanied Cardinal François 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 Apostolic Penitentiary.

In 1625 he was created Bishop of Pamiers. He labored for 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).

References

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

External links

•  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Henri Spondanus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Henri Spondanus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.