Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

Abbé Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (8 September, 1814 – 8 January, 1874) was a noted French writer, ethnographer, historian and archaeologist. He became a specialist in Mesoamerican studies, travelling extensively in the region. His writings, publications, and recovery of historical documents contributed much to the later understanding of the region's languages, writing, history and culture (in particular, that of the Maya and Aztec).

Dispatched to Quebec

A year previously he had come to the attention of the Canadian Abbé, Léon Gingras, whom he had met (and apparently impressed) in Rome. Abbé Gingras made entreaties to his friend and collegue the vicar-general of Quebec, Abbé Charles-Félix Cazeau, to have Brasseur de Bourbourg assigned to a position in the seminary there. Correspondence began in late 1844, with Abbé Gingras pressing his claims that the seminary "...move heaven and earth to ensure that such a splendid bird does not escape us and fly to Montreal, where it would be so highly thought of".

Related Topics:
Quebec - Seminary - 1844

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A year later after having obtained his ordination, Brasseur de Bourbourg's post came through with approval from the Archbishop Joseph Signay, and in the autumn of 1845 he left Europe bound for the British colony of the Province of Canada, stopping over briefly in Boston on the way.

Related Topics:
Archbishop - Joseph Signay - British - Province of Canada - Boston

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Upon his arrival in Quebec City he took up a position as a professor of ecclesiastical history at the seminary (the Séminaire de Québec, founded in 1663). After only a short time however, his series of lectures was to be discontinued, for some unspecified reason.

Related Topics:
Quebec City - 1663

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Perhaps finding himself with time on his hands, Brasseur de Bourbourg embarked upon a programme of research into the history of the Quebec archdiocese, and in particular of its 17th Century founder, François de Laval, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec (after whom the seminary's later transformation into a University, the Université Laval, is named). The results of his archival investigations were published in early 1846 as a biography of Laval. This contents or approach of this pamphlet seemed to displease somewhat his Canadian collegues, for a dispute arose which made his position there uncertain, or at least uncomfortable. Also, the harsh winter climate did not seem to be agreeing with him (to judge by some comments he made in the dedication of his later History of Canada), and may also have been a factor in his departure which was soon to follow.

Related Topics:
Archdiocese - 17th Century - François de Laval - Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec - Université Laval - 1846

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He left the seminary later in that year, returning to Boston where he found a position within the diocese of Boston. The current Bishop, John Bernard Fitzpatrick with whom he evidently came to be on better terms than in his previous engagement, made him vicar-general of the diocese.

Related Topics:
Diocese of Boston - Bishop - John Bernard Fitzpatrick

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Towards the end of the year Brasseur de Bourbourg returned to Europe, to spend some time conducting research in the archives of Rome and Madrid, in preparation for a new tangent he was about to embark on - travels to Central America.

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