Sommervogel

Carlos Sommervogel (8 January 1834 – 4 March 1902) was a French Jesuit scholar. He was author of the monumental Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, which served as one of the major references for the editors of the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Born in Strasbourg, Sommervogel was the fourth son of Marie-Maximillian-Joseph Sommervogel and Hortense Blanchard. After studying at the lycée of Strasbourg, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Issenheim, Alsace, 2 February 1853, and was sent later to Saint-Acheul, Amiens, to complete his literary studies.

In 1856, he was appointed assistant prefect of discipline and sub-librarian in the College of the Immaculate Conception, Rue Vaugirard, Paris. Here he discovered his literary vocation. The Bibliothèque of Augustin and Aloys de Backer was then in course of publication, and Sommervogel, noting its occasional errors and omissions, made a systematic examination of the whole work.

Four years later, Augustin de Backer, seeing his list of addenda and errata, a manuscript of 800 pages, containing over 10,000 entries, obtained leave to make use of it. Sommervogel continued at Rue Vaugirard until 1865, reviewing his course of philosophy meanwhile.

He then studied theology at Amiens, where he was ordained in September, 1866. From 1867 until 1879 he was one of the staff on the Jesuit publication Études, being managing editor from 1871 to 1879. During the Franco-Prussian war he served as chaplain in Faidherbe's army, and was decorated in 1871 with a bronze medal for his self-sacrifice.

Fr. de Backer in the revised edition of his Bibliothèque (1869-76) gave Sommervogel's name as co-author, due to the latter's significant contributions.

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