Robert Guérard

Robert Guérard (born at Rouen, 1641; died at the monastery of Saint-Ouen, 2 January1715) was a French Benedictine scholar of the Congregation of St. Maur.

Life

For some time he collaborated at Saint-Denys in the Maurist edition of the works of Augustine of Hippo. In 1675, however, he had to leave Saint-Denys by order of Louis XIV, who wrongly suspected him of having had a hand in the publication of "L'Abbé commendataire", a work which severely criticized the practice of holding and bestowing abbeys, etc., "in commendam.

His superior sent him to the monastery of Notre Dame at Ambronay, in the Diocese of Belley. While in exile, he discovered at the Carthusian monastery of Portes a manuscript of Augustine's "Opus imperfectum" against Julian of Eclanum, which was afterwards used in the Maurist edition of Augustine's works.

After a year of exile he was recalled, and spent the rest of his life successively at Fécamp Abbey and Saint-Ouen.

Works

He is the author of a biblical work entitled "L'Abrégé de la sainte Bible en forme de questions et de réponses familières", which he published at Rouen in 1707 (later edition, Paris, 1745).

References

*Tassin, Histoire literaire de la Congr. de St-Maur (Brussels, 1770), 372-4;
*BERLIERE, Nouveau Supplement a l'hist. lit. de la Congr. de St-Maur (Paris, 1908), I, 270;
*MICHAUD, Biographie universelle, s.v.