Armand Jean Bouthillier de Rancé

See also: Bouthillier (homonymy), Rancid

Armand Jean Bouthillier de Rancé , born the January 9th 1626 with Paris, deceased the October 27th 1700 with Soligny-the-Trap door, is the founder about the Trappistes (or cistercians of the strict observance).

Biography

An abbot society man

Armand Jean Bouthillier de Rancé came from the nobility. His/her father was private secretary of the queen Marie de Médicis. Whereas it was intended for a military career, its family engaged it in an ecclesiastical career in the place of her Denis brother who had died. As of the eleven years age, in 1637, it was Chanoine of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris and Commendatory abbot of five monasteries, of which that of the Trap door, in Normandy. In 1638, his/her mother died and his/her sister entered to the convent the same year. In 1650, his/her father died.

This year, it became acquainted with the Duchesse of Montbazon, older than him fourteen years, which introduced it into the large world. It was ordered priest in 1651 after studies in Paris. It passed its doctorate in 1654 to the Sorbonne. He lived at the court and started by benefitting from the life that one carried out to it. In 1657, his/her uncle, the archbishop of Turns, wanted to name it Archidiacre with death tax, but this nomination could not be carried out. The April 28th of the same year died its mistress, the duchess of Montbazon. Its disappointment to be able to be appointed archdeacon and the pain to have lost that which he liked marked a turning in its life. During the years which followed it distributed its fortune and its benefit.

The reform cistercian

In 1660, it visited its monastery of the Trap door which fell in ruins, as well internally as outside. Also started it to raise the buildings, it returned the monks who were there in their giving a pension and made come from the monks of the reformed convent of Perseigne to replace them. They were monks who belonged to a reforming current inside the order Cistercien. They were called the total abstainers because they obliged to fast regularly and to live work of their hands. For the period of rebuilding of the Trap door, Rancé lived and worked in the middle of its monks.

The August 20th 1662, one could restore the prayer in chorus. At this point in time it took the resolution to become effective abbot of the Trap door, whereas since his childhood he was abbot only for the title and the incomes. In May 1663, it went to the convent of Perseigne whose Trap door at its time was still a house-girl and completed her Noviciat there. In 1664, it deposited the statutes and accepted from the bishop of Sées his nomination like abbot. Starting from the July 14th 1664, it resided at the Trap door.

The base of the reform that Perseigne had transmitted to the Trap door was the rebirth of the primitive spirit of the Rule of saint Benoît. Rancid presented it in its Declarationes in regulam beati Benedicti AD usum Domus Dei Beatae Mariae de Trappa which was however never printed and are known only by one Latin manuscript, a French translation and some quotations. These efforts of reform led to the creation of the Ordre cistercian of the strict observance, or Trappists, who was recognized in 1678 by the Pape Innocent XI. What marked Rancé in its efforts of reform, it was a major feeling of the need for the repentance. At the base of the reform one thus finds the renouncement of oneself, humility and the Ascèse which appeared by strict rules of silence, of arduous manual work, in particular in agriculture, and of abstinence. It is this desire of humility which made him push back any scientific study in the monastery.

It forever be question of canonizing Rancid. Inside the order its festival is celebrated the October 27th.

Chateaubriand wrote the Life of Rancid in 1844.

On the genesis of the portrait of Rancid by Hyacinthe Stone

If one knows the bonds of the abbot with the duke of Saint-Simon, one knows perhaps less the stratagem which the duke used to obtain from the large portraitist, an effigy that the abbot refused to accept. Saint-Simon delivers the crusty history in his Mémoires :

Rigaud was then the first painter of Europe for the resemblance of the men and a strong and durable painting; but it was necessary to persuade with a man also overloaded of work, to leave Paris for a few days, and to still see with him if its head would be enough strong to return a resemblance of memory. This last proposal, which frightened it initially, was perhaps the vehicle to make him accept the other. A man who excels on all those of his art, is touched to excel there in a single way; he wanted some to carry out the test well and to give for that the time necessary. The money perhaps rained to him too. I hid extremely, at my age, of my voyages to the Trap door; I wanted entirely to thus hide also the voyage of Stone, and I put for condition of my share that he would work only for me, which he would keep me a whole secrecy, and that, if he made a copy for him of it, as he absolutely wanted it, he would keep it in a whole darkness, until with the years I allowed him to let see. Mien, he wanted thousand ecus cash on his return, being defrayed of all, outward journey in station in chair, one day, and to return the same. I did not dispute anything and taken with the word of all. It was in spring, and I agreed with him that it would be on my return of the army, and that it would leave very for that . thus Returning of Fontainebleau, I laid down only one night in Paris, where, while arriving, I had taken my measurements with Rigaud, which left the following day with me. I informed while arriving my accomplices, and I say to Mister of the Trap door that an officer of my knowledge had such a passion to see it, that I begged it to agree there to agree (because he did not see almost any more anybody); I added that, on the hope that I had given some to him, it was going to happen, that he was strong stammerer and speech would not importune it, but which he hoped to compensate by his glances. Mister of the Trap door smiles with kindness, found this officer curious about well little thing, and promised to me to see it. Arrived stone, the new abbot, Mr. Maisne and me carried out as of the morning in a species of cabinet which was used during the day for the abbot to work and where I had accustomed to see Mister of the Trap door, which came there from its infirmary. This cabinet was enlightened on the two sides and had only white walls, with some prints of devotion and of the seats of straw, with the office on which Mister of the Trap door had written all his works, and which was not still changed of anything. Stone found the place with wish for the light; the Abbot put himself at the place where Mister of the Trap door had accustomed to sit down with me, with a corner of the cabinet, and fortunately Rigaud found it very clean with looking well at its point. From there, we led it in another place where we were of course that he would be seen nor stopped of nobody. Stone extremely by the way found it for the day and the light, and it brought there at once all that it was necessary for him for the execution .

after-dined, I introduced my officer to Mister of the Trap door. He sat down with us in the situation which he had noticed the morning, and remained approximately three fifteen minutes with us. Its difficulty in speaking was to him an excuse to hardly enter the conversation: from where it was gone from there to throw on its very prepared fabric the images and the ideas of which it had filled well. Mister of the Trap door, with which I remained still a long time, and that I less had maintained than thought of amusing it, did not realize anything and felt sorry for only the embarrassment of the language of this officer. The following day, the same thing was repeated. Mister of the Trap door found initially that a man that he did not know, and who could put so with difficulty in the conversation, had sufficiently seen it, and it was only by kindness that he did not want to refuse me to let it come. I hoped that one would not have any more, and what I live portrait me confirmed it, so much it appeared to me taken well and resembling; but Stone wanted absolutely still a meeting, to improve it with its liking. It was thus necessary to obtain from Mister of the Trap door, which was shown some tired, and which refused me initially; but I made as well, as I tore off, rather than I did not obtain from him, this third visit. He says to me that, to see a man who did not deserve and who only wished to be hidden, and which did not see anybody any more, so much of visits were wasted time and ridiculous; that, for this time, it yielded to my importunity and the imagination which I protected from a man that it could not include/understand, and who did not know each other nor did not have anything to think, but that it was at least provided that it would be the last time and that I would not speak to him more about it. I say to Rigaud to make in kind not have to return there more, because there was no more average to hope. He ensured me that in half an hour he would have all that he had proposed, and which he would not have need to see it more. Indeed, it held me word and was not whole half an hour. When it had left, Mister of the Trap door testified his surprise to me so much and to be so looked at a long time, and by a species of dumb man .

Rigaud worked the remainder of the day and the following day still without more seeing Mister of the Trap door, of which he sees taken leave by withdrawing near him the third time, and made a masterpiece as perfect as he had been able to succeed by painting it with discovered on itself. The resemblance in last exactitude, softness, serenity, the majesty of its face, noble, sharp, piercing fire of its eyes, if difficult to return, the smoothness and all the spirit and the large one that its aspect expressed, this frankness, this wisdom, interior peace of a man which has his heart, all was returned, until the graces which do not swage not left this face exténué by penitence, the age and the sufferings. The morning, I made him take with the pencil the Abbot sitting at the office of Mister of the Trap door, for the attitude, the clothes, and the office even, such as it was, and it left the following day, with the invaluable head which it had caught so well and so perfectly returned, to adapt it to Paris on a fabric into large and to join to it the body, the office and all the remainder. It was touched to the tears of the large spectacle of the chorus and the general communion to large the mass the day of Toussaints, and it could not refuse with the Abbot a copy into large similar with my original. It was transported of satisfaction to have succeeded so perfectly, in a so new way and without example, and, as soon as it was in Paris, he put themselves at the copy for him and that for the Trap door, working by intervals at the clothes and the remainder of what was to be in my original. That was long, and he acknowledged me that, of the effort which he had been made with the Trap door, and of the repetition of the same images that he remembered for better carrying out the copies, he had thought of losing the head, and had been about it since in the impotence, during several months, to work of the whole to these portraits. Vanity prevented it from holding me word, in spite of the thousand ecus, that I made him carry and shortly after his arrival to Paris: it could not be held with time, i.e. three months after, to show its masterpiece before returning it to me, and, by there, to make my secrecy public. After vanity the profit comes, which completed to allure it, and, thereafter, it gained more than 25.000 books in copies, of its own consent, and it is what made publicity. As I live that it was done by it, I ordered myself of it to him, after him to have reproached his inaccuracy, and I gave quantity of it.

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