Marc-Théodore Bourrit (1739–1819) was a traveller and writer from the

Republic of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...

Biography

Marc-Théodore Bourrit came of a family which was of French origin but had taken refuge at

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

for reasons connected with religion. His father was a watchmaker there, and he himself was educated in his native city. He was a good artist and etcher, and also a pastor, so that by reason of his fine voice and love of music he was made (1768)

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

of the church of St Peter (the former cathedral) at Geneva.Fergus Fleming ''The Conquest of the Alps'' 2002 – Page 60 "... ode that eulogised Balmat as the Columbus of the Alps, misspelled Paccard's name, disparaged Saussure as a mere amateur and included several laudatory references to one Marc-Théodore Bourrit. Nobody took much notice. Poor Bourrit." This post enabled him to devote himself to the exploration of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, for which he had conceived a great passion ever since an ascent (1761) of the Voirons, near Geneva. In 1775 he made the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the Buet (3096 m) by the now usual route from the Pierre à Bérard, on which the great flat rock known as the Table au Chantre still preserves his memory. In 1784–1785 he was the first traveller to attempt the ascent of

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

(not conquered till 1786), but neither then nor later (1788) did he succeed in reaching its summit. On the other hand, he reopened (1787) the route over the Col du Géant (3371 m), which had fallen into oblivion, and travelled also among the mountains of the

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

and the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland (; ; ), sometimes also known as the Bernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context it is referred to as ''Oberland'' witho ...

. He received a pension from

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, and was named the ''historiographe des Alpes'' by Emperor Joseph II, who visited him at Geneva. His last visit to

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

was in 1812. Bourrit's writings are composed in a naive, sentimental and rather pompous style, but breathe throughout a most passionate love for the Alps, as wonders of nature, and not as objects of scientific study. His chief works are the ''Description des glacières de Savoye'', 1773 (English translation, Norwich, 1775–1776), the ''Description des Alpes pennines et rhétiennes'' (2 vols., 1781), and the ''Descriptions des cols ou passages des Alpes'', (2 vols., 1803), while his ''Itinéraire de Genève, Lausanne et Chamouni'', first published in 1791, went through several editions in his lifetime.

Works

*''Description des glacières de Savoye,'' 1773. English translation, Norwich, 1775–1776. * * *''Itinéraire de Genève. Lausanne et Chamouni'', 1791; with several editions. *''Descriptions des cols ou passages des Alpes'', 2 vols., 1803.

References

External links

Pictures and texts of ''Description des Alpes Pennines et Rhétiennes'' by M. T. Bourrit can be found in the database VIATIMAGES

Pictures and texts of ''Description des cols ou passages des Alpes'' by M. T. Bourrit can be found in the database VIATIMAGES

Pictures and texts of ''Description des glacières, glaciers et amas de glace du Duché de Savoie'' by M. T. Bourrit can be found in the database VIATIMAGES

Pictures and texts of ''Nouvelle description des glacières, vallées de glace et glaciers qui forment la grande chaîne des Alpes de Suisse, d'Italie et de Savoye'' by M. T. Bourrit can be found in the database VIATIMAGES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourrit, Marc Theodore 1739 births 1819 deaths 18th-century writers from the Republic of Geneva Mountain climbers from the Republic of Geneva Swiss writers in French