Jean Giffre De Rechac
Jean Giffre De Rechac [1]
(whose religious name was Jean de Sainte-Marie), a French Dominican, was born at Quillebceuf Aug. 25, 1604. he took the habit of a monk, and taught Greek and Hebrew at Paris, then at Bordeaux. He travelled in the Orient as an apostolic missionary, and visited the isle of Scio and Constantinople. Returning to Paris about the end of 1631, he became in 1637 prior of the convent of the Dominicans at Rouen, and devoted himself with success to preaching. Being sent to Bordeaux in 1640, he collected numerous materials for writing the history of his order; and when, in 1656, the monks of St. Dominic founded several houses in France, he was charged with the erection of divers novitiates. He died April 9, 1660. We have of his works, Les Vreis Exercices Solides et Pratiques de la Vie Spirituelle et Religieuse (loulen, 163840, 4 vols. 12mo): — Vie de Scaint- Hyacinthe (Paris, 1643. 12mo): — Les Viies e Trois Bienhaeureux de Bretagne. Ives Malcreuc, Evque de Rennes, Alain de lt Roche, Pierre Quinztin (ibid. 1645, 12mo): — Vie de Renaud de Saint-Gilles, Doyen de Saint-Agnau d'Orleans (who died in 1220) (ibid. 1646, 12mo): — Vie de Saint-Dominique, avec la Foundation de tous les Convents des Freres Precheurs de l'un et de l'autre Sexe en France Ce et dans les Pays-Bas (ibid. 1647. 4to): — Les Vies et Actions Minmorables des Sainties et Bienheureuses de l'Ordre des Frires Precheurs (1635, 2 vols. 4to): — and a great number of other works printed or in MS., among them Prophties De Nostradamus S Expliquees (Paris, 1656,12mo), published without the name of the author. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.
