Ruinart, Thierre

Ruinart, Thierre, a monk of the congregation of St. Maur, and a learned writer of martyrological and historical works, was born at Rheims in 1657, and entered the Order of St. Maur in the abbey St. Faron, at Meaux, in 1674. He was sent to the abbey St. Pierre at Corbie, to study philosophy and theology, and while there was chosen to assist Mabillon (q.v.) because of his interest in Christian archaeology. He traveled for literary purposes to Alsace and Lorraine, and afterwards to Champagne, and, in consequence of exposure, destroyed his health. He died Sept. 27, 1709. His works are, 4

eta Primorum Martyrum, etc. (Par. 1689, 2 vols.); improved and accompanied with a brief Life of the author, in a posthumous edition (Amst. 1713). The work contains, among other things, a refutation of Dodwell's opinion that the number of martyrs in the first three centuries was inconsiderable: — Hist. Vandal. Persecutionis (Par. 1694), in two parts, only the first of which was entirely composed by him: — Gregor. Episc. Turonensis Opera Omnia (ibid. 1699), preceded by the Annales Francorum, and containing the additions of Fredegard and others. This work was admitted by Dom Bouquet into his collection of the historical works of France: Acta SS. O. Benedict. (1701, 2 vols.), by Mabillon and himself, embracing the 6th century of the order: — An Apologie de la Mission de St. Maur (ibid. 1702), designed to prove that Benedict of Nursia and St. Maur of Ganfeuil founder of the Order of St. Maur, were one and the same person: — In defense of Mabillon he wrote Eccl. Paris. Vindicata adv. R. P. Barth. Germon., etc. (ibid. 1706-12): — He also wrote in honor of his master a Vie de D. Jean Mabillon (ibid. 1709), and issued a second edition of that autthor's De Re Diplomatica. Ruinart's Iter Literarium in Alsatiam et Lotharingiam; Disquisitio Hist. de Pallio Archiepiscopali; and Beati Urbani Papoe II Vita appeared after the author's death. See Tassin, Hist. Lit. de la Congreg. de St. Maur.