ROHRBACHER, René-François. — Ecclesiastical historian, b. 27 Sept. 1789 at Langatte near Sarrebourg, d. 17 Jan. 1856 at Paris.
He entered the major seminary of Nancy in 1810 and was ordained priest two years later. He formed ties with F. La Mennais, followed him to La Chesnaie, and in 1828 settled at Malestroit, where he was entrusted with the philosophical and theological instruction of the novices of the congregation that the La Mennais brothers intended to found. In 1826 he published two writings against Gallicanism and in 1827 a Tableau des principales conversions qui ont eu lieu parmi les protestants depuis le commencement du XIXe siècle, in polemic against the La Mennaisian assertion regarding the decline of the contemporary Church. Having separated from La Mennais after the encyclical Mirari vos, in 1835 he returned to Lorraine and became professor of Sacred Scripture in the major seminary of Nancy. His Histoire universelle de l'Église catholique, which he had been working on since 1826, appeared in Paris in 28 volumes between 1842 and 1849 (2nd ed., ibid. 1849–53). Rich in information though not critically elaborated, it aims to highlight the importance of the Church and the papacy in world history. With this work, which is predominantly apologetic in character, R. effectively contributed to the disappearance of what remained in the lands beyond the Alps of Jansenism and Gallicanism. The work was also translated into German (v. KNOPFLEER, ALOIS) and English. Besides the Italian translation, G. Teglio also produced a version of Le Vite dei santi per ogni giorno dell'anno, the original volumes of which had been published by R. in 1853–54. The universal history was continued by P. BALA (v.) and C. Bonacina.