Gervaise Francois-armand

Gervaise Francois-Armand, a Trappist monk, was born at Paris in 1660. Having studied under the Jesuits, he then entered among the barefooted Carmelites; but, not finding this reform sufficiently austere to satisfy his love of asceticism, he took the habit of La Trappe in 1695, and insinuated himself so much into the favor of the celebrated abbe De Rance that he was appointed abbot of La Trappe on the death of Zozimus Foisel in 1696. The able, however, soon repented of his choice, for the new abbot began, by his austerity and intriguing spirit, to foment divisions among the monks, and to undo all that De Rance had done. He soon resigned, and in leaving La Trappe he drew up a long Apology. When his Histoire generale de Citeaux (Avignon, 1746, 4to)

appeared, the Bernardines, who were violently attacked in it, obtained an order from the court against him, and he was arrested at Paris and conveyed to the abbey of Notre Dame des: Reclus, where he died in 1755. He wrote La Vie der St. Cyprien (Paris, 1717, 4to): — La Vie d'Abailard et d'Heloise (Paris, 1720, 2 volumes, 12mo): — La Vie de St. Irenee (Paris, 1723, 2 volumes 12mo): — La Vie de l'Aputre St. Paul (Par. 1734, 3 volumes, 12mo): — La Vie de St. Epiphane (Paris, 1738, 4to): — L'honneur de l'eglise defendu contre P. Le Courayer (1742, 2 vols. 12mo). See Richard, Bibliotheque Sacre; Hook, Eccles. Biogr. volume 5; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 20:130.