René-Prosper Tassin
Encyclopedia
René-Prosper Tassin was a French historian, belonging to the Benedictine
Congregation of Saint-Maur.
He was professed at the Abbey of Jumièges in 1718. United in close friendship with his brother-religious, Dom Toustain, he collaborated with him on a new edition of the works of Theodore the Studite
, which task led them to visit Rome together. Their work was interrupted by a dispute between the Benedictine Abbey of St. Ouen and the chapter of Rouen
, which was supported by the erudite Jean Saas. Tassin and his friend wrote against Saas in defence of their brethren.
They then resided at the Abbey of Rouen where they remained till 1747, when they were summoned to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
, at Paris, by their general. To defend the authenticity of the deeds of their abbey they were obliged to make a deep study of diplomacy, dealing with diplomas, charters, and other official documents, which Mabillon had already set forth in his celebrated Latin work, De re diplomatica.
As a result of their researches they wrote the Nouveau traité de diplomatique, six quarto volumes, which appeared between the years 1750 and 1765. Toustain having died before the second volume was entirely printed, Tassin completed the great work alone, but he wished the name of his friend to be associated with all the volumes; these, consequently, are known like the first two as the work of "two Benedictines".
Later Tassin wrote his Histoire littéraire de la Congrégation de Saint-Maur (Paris and Brussels, 1770, in quarto), a model history containing the lives and list of works, printed or in manuscript, of all the learned authors of the Congregation, from its formation (1618) till the time when Tassin wrote, together with a list of their works, printed or in manuscript. Several manuscript works of Tassin are in the National Library at Paris.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Congregation of Saint-Maur.
He was professed at the Abbey of Jumièges in 1718. United in close friendship with his brother-religious, Dom Toustain, he collaborated with him on a new edition of the works of Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium...
, which task led them to visit Rome together. Their work was interrupted by a dispute between the Benedictine Abbey of St. Ouen and the chapter of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, which was supported by the erudite Jean Saas. Tassin and his friend wrote against Saas in defence of their brethren.
They then resided at the Abbey of Rouen where they remained till 1747, when they were summoned to the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just beyond the outskirts of early medieval Paris, was the burial place of Merovingian kings of Neustria...
, at Paris, by their general. To defend the authenticity of the deeds of their abbey they were obliged to make a deep study of diplomacy, dealing with diplomas, charters, and other official documents, which Mabillon had already set forth in his celebrated Latin work, De re diplomatica.
As a result of their researches they wrote the Nouveau traité de diplomatique, six quarto volumes, which appeared between the years 1750 and 1765. Toustain having died before the second volume was entirely printed, Tassin completed the great work alone, but he wished the name of his friend to be associated with all the volumes; these, consequently, are known like the first two as the work of "two Benedictines".
Later Tassin wrote his Histoire littéraire de la Congrégation de Saint-Maur (Paris and Brussels, 1770, in quarto), a model history containing the lives and list of works, printed or in manuscript, of all the learned authors of the Congregation, from its formation (1618) till the time when Tassin wrote, together with a list of their works, printed or in manuscript. Several manuscript works of Tassin are in the National Library at Paris.