Dom Johannes Bertelius O.S.B. | |
|---|---|
| Abbot ofSt Willibrord's Abbey,Echternach | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Installed | 1595 |
| Term ended | 1607 |
| Predecessor | Jean Glatz |
| Successor | Pierre Richardot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jean Bertels 1544 (1544) |
| Died | 19 June 1607(1607-06-19) (aged 62–63) |
| Alma mater | Leuven University |
Johannes Bertelius [alsoJean Bertels] (1544 – June 19, 1607), abbot ofEchternach and writer of a history ofLuxembourg, was born inLeuven.
After obtaining a degree in philosophy at the Pedagogy of the Lily inLeuven University, Bertelius was elected abbot ofAltmünster Abbey, Luxembourg, in 1573 and was consecrated in 1576. On his orders the relics ofJohn the Blind, Duke of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, were buried there. In 1595 kingPhilip II of Spain appointed him abbot of the Benedictine monastery ofSt. Willibrord at Echternach.
The following year the abbey was pillaged by Dutch freebooters and Bertelius was taken prisoner and removed toNijmegen. He was released only after a ransom payment. After his return, he devoted himself to literary work until his death. He was buried in a chapel of the monastery at Echternach.
In 1581, Bertelius published a catalogue of the abbots of the Altmünster abbey and hisDialogi XXVI in regulam S. Benedicti. In 1595, theCatalogus et series episcoporum Epternacensium was printed. The year 1606 saw the publication of a treatise on the pagan gods worshipped by the ancient Germanic tribes (Deorum sacrifiorumque gentilium descriptio). The main work by Bertelius, however, is theHistoria Luxemburgensis, printed in Cologne in 1605. This was the first history of Luxembourg.
Apart from the Latin works by Bertelius, there exists a collection of drawings made by him which has been edited by Paul Spang.
