Henri Spondanus

Who was Henri Spondanus?

Henri Spondanus 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

Annales ecclesiastici Cæsaris Baronii in Epitomen redacti

Annales sacri a mundi creatione ad ejusdem redemptionem, an epitome of the "Annals" of Agostino Tornielli