Louis Receveur
1842 sketch of the Bougainville grave and tree
Born	c1750
Died	17 February 1788(1788-02-17) (aged 37–38)
Burial place	La Perouse, New South Wales 33°59′17″S151°13′56″E / 33.988169°S 151.232105°E /-33.988169; 151.232105
Nationality	French

Claude-Francois Joseph Louis ReceveurO.F.M. Conv., (1757 – 17 February 1788) was a Frenchfriarpriest,naturalist andastronomer who sailed withJean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse.

Receveur was also considered a skilledbotanist,geologist,chemist,meteorologist, andphilologist and has been described as beingas close as one could get to being anecologist in the 18th century.^[1]

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Since theConventual Franciscans encourages its members to pursue service to society, 'Père Laurent Receveur', embraced scientific studies and also undertook a number of missions for the French navy between 1776 and 1780.^[2] Then in 1785, when La Perouse was appointed byLouis XVI and his minister of marine, theMarquis de Castries, to lead an expedition around the world. Receveur was one of two priests on the expedition and was stationed aboard the shipL'Astrolabe; the other wasJean-André Mongez.

At some stage during December 1787 or January 1788, the La Perouse expedition arrived atTutuila in theSamoan Islands. Those who made land-fall came into conflict with the local indigenous people atAʻasu. Receveur was gravely injured, receiving what was described as a “violent contusion of the eye”.

The expedition continued to Australia where it arrived atBotany Bay six days after theFirst Fleet. La Perouse erected a camp on shore and established relations with the British, who sailed around fromSydney Cove to visit his camp. However, Receveur never recovered from his injuries and died on 17 February 1788. He was buried at the camp.

Receveur was the firstCatholic priest and thesecond non-indigenous person to be buried in Australia. Hisobsequies are considered to have constituted the first Catholic religious ceremony held in Australia.

Local churches ofLa Perouse in Sydney hold a special memorialmass in February each year to recognise the historical religious significance of Receveur's arrival, death and burial.^[3]

Abbe Receveur Place inLittle Bay, New South Wales was named in his honour.

• List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics

• Edward Duyker (2011)."Receveur, Laurent".Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved11 October 2015.
• Duyker, Edward (2011),Père Receveur : Franciscan, scientist and voyager with Lapérouse (2nd ed.), Dharawal Publications,ISBN 978-0-9870727-0-2

• 1757 births
• 1788 deaths
• 18th-century French Roman Catholic priests
• 18th-century French astronomers
• Catholic clergy scientists
• Explorers of Australia

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