Dom Henricus Smeulders, O.Cist. (13 May 1826 – 28 June 1892), born Joseph-Gauthier-Henri, was a Belgian Abbot of the Common observance. He was considered one of the major historical figures of

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

history of the second half of the 19th century.

Career

He entered in 1843 in

Bornem Abbey Bornem Abbey is the only Cistercian abbey of Common Observance in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The current Abbey is the successor of the former St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, destroyed in the French Revolution. Both are built in honour ...

, 17 years old. He became

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

in 1858 at the

Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, Rome. During his life in Bornem he was between 1858 and 1865

Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

. By request of the Abbot General he was sent back to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and became famous for his knowledge of the Cistercian history. He was requested by the Italian Cistercian Congregation to succeed Procurator Hieronymus Bottino, who died in 1871. He was elected titular abbot of Santa Maria di Valdiponte, in 1878. His fame in Rome was remarked by pope

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

, who sent him as apostolic delegate to Canada. He was accompanied by his secretary Dom Amadeus. After his return in Rome, he requested to retrait and he died there in 1892. He was buried in

Campo Verano The Campo Verano (Italian: ''Cimitero del Verano'') is a cemetery in Rome, Italy, founded in the early 19th century. The monumental cemetery is currently divided into sections: the Jewish cemetery, the Catholic cemetery, and the monument to the ...

. His portrait is kept inside the Abbey of Bornem.

References

Cistercian abbots Belgian abbots Belgian Cistercians People from Bornem People from Mol, Belgium Belgian librarians 19th-century Belgian Roman Catholic theologians Pontifical Gregorian University alumni 1826 births 1892 deaths {{Belgium-RC-clergy-stub