Charles Clémencet

Charles Clémencet (1703 – 5 August 1778) was a French Benedictine historian.

He was born in Painblanc, in present-day Côte-d'Or, and was one of the authors who helped complete the great chronological work Art de vérifier les dates (the usual short form of a long title). He also wrote part of the monumental Histoire littéraire de la France, and the history of the abbey of Port Royal. He died in Paris in 1778.

Main publications

1750: L'Art de vérifier les dates des faits historiques, des chartes, des chroniques et autres anciens monuments, depuis la naissance de Notre-Seigneur, par le moyen d'une table chronologique, with Maurus Dantine
1753: Lettres d'Eusebe Philalethe a M. Franc̜ois Morénas sur son prétendu Abregé de l'histoire ecclésiastique, dans lesquelles on refute les fables ridicules, les erreurs grossieres avancées par cet auteur, en faveur des Jésuites, contre les disciples de Saint Augustin, pour servir de supplément à l'Abrégé de l'histoire ecclésiastique
1755–1757:Histoire générale de Port-Royal, depuis la réforme de l'abbaye jusqu'à son entière destruction (10 volumes)
1758: La Vérité et l'innocence victorieuses de l'erreur et de la calomnie. Lettre a un ami sur la Réalité du projet de Bourg-Fontaine
1759: Œuvres posthumes de M. l'abbé Racine, prêtre-chanoine de Notre-Dame de la cité d'Auxerre et auteur de l'Abrégé de l'histoire ecclésiastique avec des réflexions
1760: Conférences de la Mère Angélique de Saint Jean, sur les Constitutions du monastère de Port-Royal du Saint Sacrement (3 volumes)
1773: Histoire littéraire de S. Bernard, abbé de Clairvaux, et de Pierre le Vénérable, abbé de Cluny, qui peut servir de supplément au XIIe de l'histoire littéraire de la France

Collaborations

1733–1763: Histoire littéraire de la France, où l'on traite de l'origine et du progrès, de la décadence et du rétablissement des sciences parmi les Gaulois et parmi les François (12 volumes)
1847: Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France, tomes XII-XIII

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Charles Clémencet — Benedictine historian, b. at Painblanc, in the department of Côte-d'Or, France, 1703; d. at Paris, 5 August, 1778. Clémencet entered the Congregation of Saint-Maur at an early age; for a short time he was lector of rhetoric at Pont-le-Voy, but, on account of his great abilities, was soon called to Paris. Here he took part in almost all of the important literary labours of his congregation, showing a marked preference for historical research. At first his superiors commissioned him to edit the "bibliotheca" (Myriobiblion) of Photius. Clémencet soon retired from this task and devoted all his powers to a chronological work for which Dantine, another member of the congregation, had made the preparatory studies. This chronology, Clémencet's principal work, had the very prolix title: "l'art de vérifier les dates où faits historiques des chartes, des chroniques, et anciens monuments depuis la naissance de Jésus-Christ, par le moyen d'une table chronologique, ou l'on trouve les années de Jésus-Christ et de l'Ere d'Espagne, les Indictions, le Cycle pascal, les Pâques de chaque année, les Cycles solaires et lunaires. Avec un Calendrier perpétuel, l'Histoire abrégée des conciles, des papes, des empereurs romains, grecs, français, allemands et tures; des rois de France, d'Espagne et d'Angleterre, d'Ecosse, de Lombardie, de Sicile, de Jérusalem, etc., des duccs de Bourgogne, de Normandie, de Bretagne; des Comtes de Toulouse, de Champagne et de Blois par des religieux bénédictins de la congrégation de Saint Maur" (Paris, 1750). The work was compiled with extraordinary industry, and contains, as the title shows, a large amount of historical material. In its judgment of persons and facts, however, it betrayed a strong bias to Jansenism and Gallicanism, and was, consequently, frequently attacked, one opponent in particular being the Jesuit Patouillet. The assertion was made, and not without reason, that the title out to read: "L'art de vérifier les dates et falsifier les faits".

Clémencet also wrote volumes X and XI, issued at Paris, 1756 and 1759, of the monumental work "Histoire littéraire de la France". The volumes prepared by Clémencet are a rich collection of authorities and are of importance not only for the literary history of France but also for the history of the development of all the nations of the Middle Ages. It was intended that he should edit volume XII of the "Histoire littéraire", preparing for it the life of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, but he gave up the undertaking and wrote instead an independent work entitled: "Histoire des vies et écrits de Saint-Bernard et de Pierre le Vénérable" (Paris, 1773). His strong predilection for Jansenism is shown in two of his writings, namely: "Histoire générale de Port-Royal depuis la reforme de cette abbaye jusqu'à son entiere destruction (10 vols., Amsterdam, 1755-1757), and "Conferences de la Mère Angélique de Saint-Jean, Abbesse de Port-Royal" (3 vols., Utrecht, 1760). Of the former of these two works only the first half could be published, as the second part contained too strong a defence of Jansenism. On account of his leaning to Jansenism, Clémencet was a bitter opponent of the Jesuits. He attacked them in several exceedingly sharp pamphlets and worked for the suppression of the Society. Among his literary labours should also be mentioned his share in an excellent edition of the works of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. Prudentius Maranus, another member of the Congregation of Saint-Maur, had begun the task. Clémencet issued the first volume under the title: "Gregorii Theologi opera quae extant omnia" (Paris, 1778). This edition is still valuable and far surpasses all the earlier editions.

Bibliography

Charles Clémencet; et al., eds. (1750). L'Art de vérifier les dates (in French). Paris. via HathiTrust