Bernard de Montfaucon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernard de Montfaucon
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Dom Bernard de Montfaucon, O.S.B.
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| Born | 13 January 1655 |
| Died | 21 December 1741 (aged 86) |
Dom Bernard de Montfaucon (born January 13, 1655 – died December 21, 1741) was a French Benedictine monk. He was a very smart scholar who helped create the study of palaeography. This is the study of old handwriting and ancient texts. He also edited important writings by early Christian leaders, known as the Fathers of the Church. Many people see him as one of the people who started the modern study of archaeology. Archaeology is the study of human history through digging up old things.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming a Monk
Bernard de Montfaucon was born on January 13, 1655. He was born in a small village called Soulatgé in France. When he was seven, he went to a school run by priests in Limoux.
Later, Montfaucon joined the French army as a volunteer. He fought in a war called the Franco-Dutch War in 1673. He was a captain and fought in two campaigns. He became very sick during the war. While ill, he promised to become a monk if he got better and could return home.
After his father passed away in 1675, Montfaucon kept his promise. He joined the Benedictine monastery in Toulouse. There, he spent his time learning many old languages. These included Greek, Hebrew, and Coptic.
Important Work and Discoveries
In 1687, Montfaucon moved to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. He began working on publishing the writings of early Greek Church leaders.
In 1708, Montfaucon published a very important book. It was called Palaeographia Graeca. In this book, he was the first person to use the word "palaeography." This word means the study of ancient writing. His book showed the whole history of Greek writing. It explained how Greek letters changed over time. It also showed how to understand old, hard-to-read texts. This book was so good that it was the main guide for studying Greek handwriting for almost 200 years.
Between 1719 and 1724, Montfaucon published 15 volumes of another big work. It was called L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures. This title means "Antiquity Explained and Represented in Figures." This work showed many pictures of ancient objects. It included detailed drawings of famous items like the "Portland Vase." The pictures were made from old manuscripts found in French libraries.
In 1719, Montfaucon was chosen to join the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. This was a very important group of scholars. He also became a special advisor to the young King Louis XV.
Bernard de Montfaucon passed away on December 21, 1741. He was buried at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
His Lasting Impact
Montfaucon helped lay the groundwork for studying old Greek manuscripts. Scholars today still respect his work. Many agree that he created the study of palaeography. He also made it a very advanced field.
Montfaucon also played a big part in making the Bayeux Tapestry famous. The Bayeux Tapestry is a very long embroidered cloth. It tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. In 1724, another scholar found some drawings of parts of the tapestry. Montfaucon became very interested. He then found the actual tapestry in Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy. It had been displayed there for centuries, but not many people outside the area knew about it.
Montfaucon published these drawings in his book Les Monumens de la Monarchie Françoise. He also sent an artist to Bayeux to copy the entire tapestry. This copy was much more accurate to the original style. Thanks to Montfaucon, the Bayeux Tapestry became widely known and studied. Modern scholars still thank him for his careful work in examining different historical accounts to understand the tapestry.
Works
- Analecta graeca, sive varia opuscula graeca inedita (Paris, 1688)
- S. Athanasii opera omnia (Paris, 1698)
- Diarium italicum (Paris, 1702)
- Bibliotheca Coisliniana (Paris, 1705)
- Collectio nova patrum graecorum (2 vols., 1706)
- Palaeographia Graeca, sive, De ortu et progressu literarum graecarum (Paris, 1708)
- Bibliotheca Coisliniana olim Segueriana, Paris: Ludovicus Guerin & Carolus Robustel, (Paris, 1715)
- L'antiquité expliquée et representée en figures/Antiquitas explanatione et schematibus illustrata (Bilingual edition, vols. 1-15, Paris, 1719-1724)
- Les monumens de la monarchie françoise (for Henrik IV, vols. 1-5, Paris, 1729–1733)
- Sancti patris nostri Ioannis Chrisostomi opera omnia (Paris, 1718—1738)
- Bibliotheca bibliothecarum manuscriptorum nova (vols. 1-2, Paris, 1739)
See also
In Spanish: Bernard de Montfaucon para niños
- Lectionary 295 – a manuscript given to Montfaucon
