Antoine Pagi

Pagi, Antoine, and his nephew François, two French ecclesiastical historians. Antoine, b. March 31, 1624, at Rognes in the Department of Bouchesdu-Rhone; d. June 5, 1699 at Aix. After studying with the Jesuits at Aix, he entered the monastery of the Conventual Franciscans at Arles, and made solemn profession on January 31, 1641. For some time he devoted himself to preaching, but at the age of twenty-nine years he was elected provincial, an office which he held four times. He devoted his spare time to the study of history. Discerning numerous chronological errors, and frequently misstatements of facts in the "Annales ecclesiastici" of Baronius, he made it his life-work to correct them and otherwise elucidate the valuable work. Pagi's first volume was printed during his lifetime (Paris, 1689); the remaining three volumes, reaching till the year 1198, the last year in the work of Baronius, were completed in manuscript shortly before his death. The whole work was edited in four volumes by his nephew Francois Pagi: "Critica historico-chronologica in universos annales ecclesiasticos em. et rev. Caesaris Card. Baronii" (Geneva, 1705; second ed., 1727). Mansi embodied it in his edition of the "Annales" of Baronius (Lucca, 1736-59). Though, on the whole, the "Critica" manifests great care and an unusual knowledge of history, it is not entirely free of errors. His other works are: "Dissertatio hypatica seu de consulibus caesareis" (Lyons, 1682), printed also in "Apparatus in Annales ecclesiasticos" (Lucca, 1740), pp. 1-136; "Dissertatio de die et anno mortis S. Martini ep. turonensis", and a few minor treatises in defense of his "Dissertatio hypatica", in which he had set down various rules for determining the consulship of the Roman emperors, and which had been attacked by Cardinal Noris and others. He also edited: "D. Antonii Paduani O. Min. sermones hactenus inediti" (Avignon, 1685).

François , b. September 7, 1654, at Lambesc in Provence; d. January 21, 1721, at Orange. After studying with the Oratorians at Toulon, he became a Conventual Franciscan. was three times provincial, and assisted his uncle in the correction of the "Annales" of Baronius. Besides editing the "Critica" of his uncle he wrote a history of the popes up to the year 1447: "Breviarium historico-chronologico-criticum illustriora Pontificum romanorum gesta, conciliorum generalium acta. complectens" (4 vols., Antwerp, 1717-27). The history was continued in two volumes by his nephew, Antoine Pagi, the Younger (Antwerp, 1748-53).

Michael Ott.