Anton Sander was a Flemish

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 Catholic cleric and historian.

Biography

Having become master of philosophy at the University of Douai

University of Douai

The University of Douai is a former university in Douai, France. With a Middle Ages heritage of scholar activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started in 1562. It closed from 1795 to 1808...

 in 1609, he studied theology for some years under Malderus (Jan van Malderen) at the Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

, and Willem Hessels van Est

Willem Hessels van Est

Willem Hessels van Est was a Flemish commentator on the Pauline epistles.-Biography:He was born at Gorcum, Holland....

 (Estius) at Douai, and was ordained priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 at Ghent

Ghent

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

.

For some years he was engaged in parochial duties, and combated the Anabaptist

Anabaptist

Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....

 movement in Flanders with great zeal and success. In 1625 he became secretary and almoner

Almoner

An almoner is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing cash to the deserving poor.Historically, almoners were Christian religious functionaries whose duty was to distribute alms to the poor. Monasteries were required to spend one tenth of their income in charity to...

 of Cardinal Alphonsus de la Cueva, later becoming canon

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

, and in 1654 penitentiary

Penitentiary

Penitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...

 at Ypres

Ypres

Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...

. After three years, however, he resigned this office to devote himself entirely to scientific, and especially to historical studies. He soon found himself compelled to claim the hospitality of the Benedictine

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...

 Abbey

Abbey

An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

of Afflighem, since he had reduced himself to absolute poverty by the publication of numerous works.

Writings

As a writer he Latinized his name to Antonius Sanderus
He combined high intellectual gifts with great zeal, and left behind forty-two printed, and almost as many unprinted, works. The most important are the following:

• "De scriptoribus Flandriae libri III" (Antwerp, 1624)
• "De Gandavensibus eruditionis fama claris" (Antwerp 1624)
• "De Brugensibus eruditionis fama claris libri II" (Antwerp, 1624)
• "Hagiologium Flandriae sive de sanctis eius provinciae liber unus" (Antwerp, 1625; 2nd ed., Lille, 1639).

A general edition of these four works appeared under the title: "Flandria illustrata" (2 volumes, Cologne, 1641-44; The Hague, 1726).

Of his other works may be mentioned:

• "Elogia cardinalium sanctitate, doctrina et armis illustrium" (Louvain, 1625)
• "Gandavium sive rerum Gandavensium libri VI" (Brussels, 1627)
• "Bibliotheca belgica manuscripta" (2 parts, Lille, 1641-3)
• "Chorographia sacra Brabantiae sive celebrium in ea provincia ecclesiarum et coenobiorum descriptio, imaginibus aeneis illustrata" (Brussels, 1659; The Hague, 1726); this is his chief work.

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