Lamen Fц?licitц? Robert

(1782-1854)
Born June 19, 1782 in Saint-Malo in Brittany (France). Father Lamennais, a trader, and he gave his eldest son, Jean-Pierre's teachings to his brother, who chastised the boy's misdeeds, locking in well-selected library, and thus helped to develop a taste for literature, in particular to the works of Rousseau. Reluctantly Felicite took up his father's business and then, after a period of doubt in some aspects of Catholicism, was convinced Jean Pierre, by the time the priest to devote his life to church. Together with his brother wrote a work Reflections on the state of the church in France (Rflexions sur l'tat de l'Eglise en France pendant le 18e sicle et sur sa situation actuelle, . 1808), . which contained proposals for radical reform and an attack on Napoleon I,
. This and the next book, which challenged the right to distribute religious positions of the emperor, the French tradition of the church in the establishment of dioceses (Tradition de l'Eglise sur l'institution des vques, 1814), have been banned. Expressed in their position ultramontantstva (antigallikanstva), ie. Support and centralization of papal authority, has become popular in large parts of young priests, who saw in Lamennais their leader, after he was ordained a priest in 1816.
The second experience of Catholic apologetics, experience of indifference to matters of faith (Essai sur l'indiffrence en matire de religion, v. 1, 1817), was received with enthusiasm by the new regime of Louis XVIII, but with the advent of the following volumes (v. 2, 1820; v. 3-4, 1823) questioned the orthodoxy of the views of the author. However, Pope Leo XII approved the work, and the brothers Lamennais, along with other priests founded the Congregation of St. Peter, whose tasks included the revival of the church in France. Activities of the society was discontinued during the July Revolution of 1830

. This led to the emergence of previously hidden trends in the philosophy of Lamennais: ardent advocacy of papal authority and infallibility of the Pope; adoption of the French political system of protection of the principle of secularism and religious freedom through the General Agency for the protection of religious freedom, . founded in collaboration with the Count Montalembert, . Abbe Lacordaire and others, preaching the principles of the republic and the establishment of a liberal newspaper 'Abner' ( 'L'Avenir') (1830),
. Lamennais expected from Pope Gregory XVI accolades for his position, but he never received, and moreover, carried out his principles were condemned by Pope, and in 1831 a newspaper was suspended. After two years of reflection Lamennais open an offshore broke with the church by publishing the Word of the believer (Paroles d'un croyant, 1834), probably the most original of all his works, which was immediately condemned by the papal encyclical. Then Lamennais started his career as a passionate journalist, elects unpopular topics. His essay Country and the government (Le Pays et le gouvernement, 1840) cost him years in prison. After his release, was published four-volume work of philosophy Sketch (Esquisse d'une philosophie, 1840-1846), known for in the third volume of a brilliant study of the nature of art. After the 1848 revolution and the establishment of the Second Republic Lamennais became a deputy of the Legislative Assembly on the side of 'Left' and the editor of the magazine 'Le ash konstityuan' ( 'Le Peuple constituant'), . but the coup of Louis Bonaparte put an end to his political career,
. The most significant achievement Lamennais in later years became famous translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Lamennais died in Paris on February 27, 1854

. Among other works Lamennais - Religion, . considered in its relations with political and civil systems (De la religion considere dans ses rapports avec l'ordre politique et civil, . 1825-1826); about the course of the revolution and the fight against the Church (Des progrs de la rvolution et de la guerre contre l'Eglise, . 1829); Acts of Rome (Affaires de Rome, . 1836); book people (Le Livre du peuple, . 1838).,