Jean-Jacques Bourasse

Jean-Jacques BourassÈ

Archæologist and historian, b. at Ste.-Maure (Indre-et-Loire), France, 22 December, 1813; d. at tours, 4 October, 1872. He made his preparatory studies for the priesthood in Paris. In 1835, he taught the natural sciences at the preparatory seminary of Tours, where he began a course of archæology that soon attracted attention. The results achieved by him in a field of research, then comparatively new, were such as to entitle him to be considered a veritable pioneer in France, of the science of Christian archæology. In 1884 he became professor at the grand sÈminaire and held the chair of dogmatic theology there for six years. He then discontinued teaching in order to devote himself entirely to the preparation of his various archæological works. Among the productions published by him the best known are: "ArchÈologie ChrÈtienne" (1841); "Les CathÈdrales de France" (1843); "Les plus belles Èglises du monde" (1857); "Recherches hist. et archÈol. sur les Èglises romaines en Touraine" (1869).

BUCHBERGER, Kirchliches-Handlexicon, I, 116: VIGOUROUX in Dict. de la Bible, I, 1894; CHEVALIER, L'abbÈ BourassÈ in Bulletin de la SociÈtÈ archÈologique de Touraine (1873), II 377-423.

M.J. WALDRON