Alexandre Vincent Jandel

Who was Alexandre Vincent Jandel?

Alexandre Vincent Jandel was a French Dominican, who became Master of the Order of Preachers.

After a college course at Nancy, he entered the diocesan seminary there. He was ordained priest 20 September 1834, then appointed professor of Scripture, and soon afterwards rector of the seminary at Pont-à-Mousson. At this time he became acquainted with Bautain, Gerbet, Maria Alphonse Ratisbonne, and many other distinguished men, among them Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire. Such was the impression made on him by Lacordaire, that he began to think of entering the Domninican Order. The great preacher proposed to restore it in France, where it had been destroyed by the French Revolution.

In 1839 he therefore went to Rome, consulted Pope Gregory XVI on the matter, and finally received the habit on 15 May 1841. Two years afterwards Jandel and Lacordaire commenced the work of re-establishing their order in France. Lacordaire was an orator; Jandel was a ruler of men, calm, grave, sagacious, tenacious of traditions and customs, and pre-eminently practical. Though he had not the genius of his associate, he preached with great results.