Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/629

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CHAMPLAIN


567


CHAMPLAIN


tional Diocese of Mont-Blanc, with Anneey as the see and Lyons as the metropolitan. The Concordat of l s 02 created a Diocese of Chambery and Geneva, suffragan of Lyons. A Bull dated 17 July, 1M7, i lhambery, once more a city of the Sardinian 3, the scat of an archdiocese, with Aosta for suffragan; the Dioceses of Anneey (re-established in 1822), Saint-Jean-Maurienne, and Tarc.ntaise (iv 1825), -""'i also beca ne suffragans oi Chambery. After the annexation of Savoy to France, in I860, this condition continued, except that the Diocese of Aosta was made a suffragan of Turin.

The Cistercian Abbey of Bautecombe, founded in 1135, is one of the burial places of the House of Savoy. The ri-lic known as the Holy Winding-Sheet of Chris! was kept at Chambery until 1598, in which year the Duke of Savoy had it transported to Turin, when Si Charles Borromeo wished to venerate it. Notre I 1 rlc Myaiis (antedating tliet welfth century), where St. Francis de Sales officiated, and where diocesan mis- sionaries now reside, and Notre-Dame de l'Aumone omilly (thirteenth century); whither Francis I of France went as a pilgrim, arc still places of pil- grimage. Before the execution of the law of 1901 there were in the archdiocese Capuchins. Cistercians of the Immaculate Conception, and Trappists; the last are there yet. The Sisters of St. Joseph, an order founded at ChamU'ry in 1S12 and devoted to teaching and charitable work, are now widespread, having 12 establishments in Brazil, 9 in North America, 1 in Iceland, 2 in Sweden. .5 in Russia, 10 in Denmark, and s in Norway. In 1900 the arch- diocese had the following religious institutions: 1 foundling asylum. '2 maternity hospitals, 1 orphanage for boys, 5 for girls. 1 insane asylum, 1 house of retreat. 3 houses for nursing sisters, 8 hospitals and



asylums, and ."i industrial schools. At the close ol end of the period under the Concordat i, statistics showed a population of 164,424, with 18 parishes, 153 succursal parishes (mission churches), and 49 vicariates supported by the State.

Bili.u:t. Mtmoirta p"ir terror o :■ Chamb'Tv (Chambery, 1865); Hoband, P iattique

du diocese de Chambtry ' 1893):

de la Sarnie (Anne ilieh, Topo-bibl.s. v.

Geokgf a Go's m.

Champlain, Samuel de, founder of Quebec and Father of New France, b. at Brouage, a \ illage in the

province of Saintonge. France. 1570. or. according

to the "Biblipgrapbie Saintongeoise", 1567; d. at Quebt" ber, 1635. Be was I he

Antoine Champlain, a mariner, and Marguerite Le Roy, and his early education was entrusted to the parish priest. While still a youth Champlain ac- companied his lather on several voyage-, and thus became familiar with the life of a mariner. When I ws nty vears of age he tendered his services to the Marechal d'Aumont, one of the chief commanders'


Samv


of the Catholic army in its expeditions against the Huguenots. The career of a soldier did not appeal to the youth, whose ambition was to become a navigator. "Navigation", he wrote, "has always seemed to me to occupy the first place. By this art we obtain a knowledge of different countries, regions, and realms. By it we attract and bring to our own land all kinds of riches; by it the idolatry of paganism is over- t lirow n.andChris- tianityproclaimed throughout all the regions of the earth. This is the art . . . which led me to explore is of a portion of Amer- ica, especially those of New France, where I have always de- sired to see the lily flourish, to- gether with the only religion, Catholic, Apos- tolic, and Roman" il.es voyages du Sieur de Champlain. Paris. 1613, Pt. V). '

In 159S Champlain returned to Brouage and made preparations for a voyage to Spain in the interest of his fellow-countrymen. While at Seville he was offered the command of the Saint Julien, one of the vessels fitted out by Spain to oppose the attack made on Porto Rico by the English. It was during his cruise in the Saint Julien that Champlain first suggested t he possibility of uniting the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans by cutting through the Isthmus of Panama. Champlain kept a journal of his explora- tions in the Gulf of Mexico, and after his return to France, in 1601 or 1602, he received a pension and the appointment of geographer to the king. It was in the year 1603 that Champlain first visited the shores of Canada, as the lieutenant of Aymar de Chastes, viceroy under Henry IV. Pierre de Chauvin had proposed to make a permanent settlement at Tadous- sac, but Champlain was not in favour of this place. and, having cast anchor at the foot of Cape Diamond, he considered that the point of Quebec would be the most advantageous site for the future colony. He then proceeded with Pont -Grave to explore the St. Lawrence as far as Sault Saint Louis, and gathered from the native- such information as he could con- cerning Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Detroit River. Niagara Falls, and the rapids of the St. Lawrence, and returned to France in August. 1603. The next year he followed the fortunes of de Mont-' expedition in Acadia, as geographer and historian. The party wintered on the island of Sainte-Croix, and in the spring Champlain explored the country between the island and Port Royal, continuing this work until the fall of 1607. As the lieutenant of de Mont- I plain laid the foundation of the Vbiiati n dt Quebec on the 3d of July. 1608, and around this modest dwelling arose the little villi- r later the

founder joined the Hurons in an expedition against the Iroquois whom they defeated. Criticism has been directed against Champlain for having become involved in Indian warfare; hut with a knowledge of the conditions of trade, and of the situation of the few Frenchmen at this time, his action seems to have been in the U

during this expedition that Champlain discovered the lake which still bears his name. On his visit to