Aernout van Buchel
Encyclopedia
Aernout van Buchel (Utrecht
, 1565 – Utrecht, 15 July 1641) was a Dutch
antiquarian
and humanist
, specialising in Genealogy
and Heraldry
.
of the St. Peter's Church
in Utrecht. He studied in Leiden for several months, but in 1585 he continued his studies in France, where he made contacts with other learned men who were interested by Roman ruins, inscriptions and writings. He travelled to Rome
, where he wrote down numerous interesting facts and information about buildings, inscriptions and art. In 1588 he returned to Utrecht.
In response to the demolishing of buildings and destruction of works of art
after the Protestant Reformation
, van Buchel started writing and drawing threatened inscriptions, tombstones, arms boards and other noteworthy items with the aim of preserving their memory before they were lost to the destruction. The only remaining drawings and description of the lost St. Salvator's Church
in Utrecht were made by van Buchel. He put together a number of manuscripts that, together, form a treasure of immeasurable worth for research into lost buildings and inventories.
Buchel hardly published anything during his life. His book about the bishops of Utrecht, published posthumously, is still seen as a standard work on the subject. His diary until 1600 was published in 1907 as 'Diarium' by G. Brom and L.A. van Langeraad. During his life he was a respected scholar, and with Petrus Scriverius
one of the first antiquaries of the Netherlands.
and some villages in the area, such as Kortenhoef
, Maarssen
, Houten
, Maartensdijk
, Westbroek
, Tienhoven
en Breukelen
. The manuscript is kept in the Utrecht Archive.
The Inscriptiones monumentaque in templis et monasteriis Belgicis inventa, describes inscriptions in a number of settlements in the Sticht
, particularly Amersfoort
, Holland, mainly Leiden, but also The Hague
, Delft
, Amsterdam
, Rotterdam
, and in the Duchy of Brabant
, mainly Antwerpen, but also Louvain
and Brussels
. The manuscript is kept in the University library in Utrecht.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, 1565 – Utrecht, 15 July 1641) was a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, specialising in Genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
and Heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
.
Life
Buchel was the illegitimate child of a CanonCanon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the St. Peter's Church
Pieterskerk, Utrecht
The Pieterskerk is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the Dutch city of Utrecht, dedicated to Peter the Apostle. Its construction began in 1039 and it was inaugurated on 1 May 1048 by Bernold, Bishop of Utrecht...
in Utrecht. He studied in Leiden for several months, but in 1585 he continued his studies in France, where he made contacts with other learned men who were interested by Roman ruins, inscriptions and writings. He travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he wrote down numerous interesting facts and information about buildings, inscriptions and art. In 1588 he returned to Utrecht.
In response to the demolishing of buildings and destruction of works of art
Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
after the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, van Buchel started writing and drawing threatened inscriptions, tombstones, arms boards and other noteworthy items with the aim of preserving their memory before they were lost to the destruction. The only remaining drawings and description of the lost St. Salvator's Church
St. Salvator's Church
The Sint-Salvator church was one of the five collegiate chapters in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The others were the Dom Church, the St. Peter's Church, the St. John's church and the St. Mary's church. The St. Salvator church was situated on the present-day Dom square right next to the Dom Church....
in Utrecht were made by van Buchel. He put together a number of manuscripts that, together, form a treasure of immeasurable worth for research into lost buildings and inventories.
Buchel hardly published anything during his life. His book about the bishops of Utrecht, published posthumously, is still seen as a standard work on the subject. His diary until 1600 was published in 1907 as 'Diarium' by G. Brom and L.A. van Langeraad. During his life he was a respected scholar, and with Petrus Scriverius
Petrus Scriverius
Petrus Scriverius, the Latinized form of Peter Schrijver or Schryver was a Dutch writer and scholar on the history of Holland and Belgium....
one of the first antiquaries of the Netherlands.
Works
The Monumenta passim in templis ac monasteriis Trajectinae urbis atque agri inventa, describes antiquities in the city of UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and some villages in the area, such as Kortenhoef
Kortenhoef
Kortenhoef is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wijdemeren, and lies about 3 km northwest of Hilversum.Kortenhoef was a separate municipality until 1966, when it was merged with 's-Graveland....
, Maarssen
Maarssen
Maarssen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht. It lies in an area called the Vechtstreek.On January 1, 2011 Maarssen merged with Breukelen and Loenen to Stichtse Vecht....
, Houten
Houten
Houten is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The expected population in 2015 will be 50,000. The municipality consists of the following towns:* Houten * 't Goy * Schalkwijk...
, Maartensdijk
Maartensdijk
Maartensdijk is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt, and lies about 4 km north of Bilthoven....
, Westbroek
Westbroek
Westbroek is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt, and lies about 6 km northwest of Bilthoven.In 2001, the village of Westbroek had 510 inhabitants...
, Tienhoven
Tienhoven (Maarssen)
Tienhoven is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 7 km north of Utrecht.Tienhoven was a separate municipality until 1957, when it was merged with Maarssen....
en Breukelen
Breukelen
Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...
. The manuscript is kept in the Utrecht Archive.
The Inscriptiones monumentaque in templis et monasteriis Belgicis inventa, describes inscriptions in a number of settlements in the Sticht
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
, particularly Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, Holland, mainly Leiden, but also The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, and in the Duchy of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
, mainly Antwerpen, but also Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The manuscript is kept in the University library in Utrecht.
External links
- The complete manuscript of the Monumenta with a Latin transcription and a Dutch translation
- The complete manuscript of the Inscriptiones with a Latin transcription and a Dutch translation
- The Utrecht Archive about the Monumenta