ROH
117
ROHRBACHER
have enjoyed some little consideration among his
brethren as he was appointed prior of the cell of Bel-
voir, but from this ofhce he was deposed and retired
to St. Albans, where he probably wrote his chronicle,
known as the "Flores Historiarum", extending from
the Creation to 1235. From the year 1202 it is an
original and valuable authority, but the whole mate-
rial has been worked over and in a sense re-edited
with editions by Matthew Paris (q. v.) in his "Chro-
nica Majora". Wendover is less prejudiced than
Paris, but he is also less picturesque, and whereas
Paris in his generalizations and inferences as to the
causes of events anticipates the scope of the modern
historian, Wendover is content to discharge the func-
tions of a simple chronicler. The "Flores Histori-
arum" was edited for the English Historical Society
in 1841 by H. O. Coxe in five volumes, beginning with
the year 447, when Wendover for the first time turns
directly to the history of Britain. But in 1886-1889
the more valuable part of the work (from 1154 to
1235) was re-edited by H. G. Hewlett as part of the
Rolls Series in three volumes.
Hunt in Dirt. Nat. Biog., s. v. Wendover; Lu.a.rd, prefaces to the earlier volumes of M.\tthew Paris, Chronica Majora in the Rolls Series: Hardy, Catalogue of Materials of Brit. Ilist., Ill (London, 1871), and the prefaces to the editions of Flores His- toriarum.
Herbert Thurston.
Roh, Peter, b. at Conthey (Gunthis) in the canton of Valais (French Switzerland), 14 August, 1811; d. at Bonn, 17 May, 1872. Up to his thirteenth year he spoke only French, so that he had to learn German from a German i)riest in the vicinity before he was able to begin his gymnasial stutlies in the boarding- school kept by the Jesuits at Brig in Switzerland. Later he became a day-pupil at the gymnasium kept by the Jesuits at Sittin. While here he resolved to enter the Society of Jesus (1829); strange to say the external means of bringing him to this decision was the reading of Pascal's pamphlet "Monita Secreta". He taught the lower gymnasial classes at the lyceum at Fribourg. During these years of study Roh showed two characteristic qualities: the talent of imparting knowledge in a clear and convincing man- ner, and an unusual gift for oratory. These abilities determined his future work to be that of a teacher and a preacher. He was first (1842-5) professor of dogmatics at Fribourg, then at the academy at Lucerne which had just been given to the Jesuits. At the same time he preached and aided as oppor- tunity occurred in missions. These labours were in- terrupted by the breaking out of the war of the Swiss Sonderbund, during which he was military chaplain; but after its unfortunate end he was obliged to flee into Piedmont, from there to Linz and Gries, finally finding a safe refuge at Rappoltsweiler in Alsace as tutor in the family of his countryman and friend Siegwart-Mviller, also expatriated. Here he stayed until 1849. A professorship of dogmatics at Lou vain only lasted a year. When the missions for the com- mon people were opened in Germany in 1850 his real labours began; as he said himself, "Praise God, I now come into my element. " Both friend and foe acknowledge that the success of these missions was largely due to Roh, and his powerful and homely eloquence received the highest praise. He was an extemporaneous speaker; the writing of sermons and addresses was, as he himself confessed, "simply im- possible" to him; yet, thoroughly trained in philoso- phy and theology, he could also write when neces- sary, as several articles from him in the "Stimmen aus Maria-Laach" prove. His pamphlet "Dasalte Lied: der Zweck heiligt die Mittel, im Texte ver- bes.sert und auf neue Melodie gesetzt" has preserved a certain reputation until the present day, as Father Roh declared he would give a thousand gulden to the person who could show to the faculty of law of Bonn
or Heidelberg a book written by a Jesuit which taught
the principle that the end justihes the means. The
prize is still unclaimed. Some of his sermons have
also been preserved; they were printed against his
will from stenographic notes. Father Roh's greatest
strength lay in his power of speech and "he was the
most powerful and effective preacher of the German
tongue that the Jesuits have had in this century".
Knabe.nbauer, Erinnerungen an P. Peter Roh S. J., reprint of the biography in Stimmen aus Maria-Laach (1872).
N. SCHEID.
Rohault de Fleury, a family of French archi- tects and archaeologists of the nineteenth century, of which the most distinguished member was Charles Rohault de Fleury, b. in Paris 23 July, 1801; d. there 11 August, 1875. After a scientific course pursued at the Ecole Polytechnique at Paris, he studied sculpture, but abandoned this study for architecture in 1825. He designed several public and private buildings which adorn one of the most artistic sec- tions of the present Paris and was the author of the first edition of the "Manuel des lois du batiment" published by the Central Society of Architects (Paris, 1862). The last years of his life he devoted to religious archaeology and published the important results of his studies in the following magnificently illustrated works: "Les instruments de la Passion", Paris, 1870 (see Cross, IV, 531); "L'evangile, etudes iconographiques et archeologiques". Tours, 1874; "La Sainte Vierge", Paris, 1878; "Un Tabernacle Chretien du V^ siecle". Arras, 1880; "La Messe, 6tudes archeologiques sur ses monuments", Paris, 1883-98. Some of these works were published after his death by his son George (1835-1905) who was himself a prominent archaeological writer. The latter's works treat of Italian art-monuments: "Monuments de Pise au moyen age", Paris, 1866; "La Toscane au moyen &ge, lettres sur 1 'architecture civile et mihtaire en 1400", Paris 1874; "Le Latran au moyen age", Paris, 1877.
(Euvres de Charles Rohault de Fleury, architecte (Paris, 1884).
N. A. Weber.
Rohrbacher, R6n£ Francois, ecclesiastical his- torian, b. at Langatte (Langd) in the present Diocese of Metz, 27 September, 1789; d. in Paris, 17 January, 1856. He studied for several months at Sarrebourg and Phalsebourg (Pfalzburg) and at the age of seven- teen had compl(>ted his Cla.ssical studies. He taught for three years at the college of Phalsebourg; entered in 1810 the ecclesiastical seminary at Nancy, and was ordained priest in 1812. Appointed assistant priest at Insming, he was transferred after six months to Lun^ville. A mission which he preached in 1821 at Flavigny led to the organization of a diocesan mission band. Several years later he became a member of the Congregation of St. Peter founded by Felicite and Jean de La ^lennais, and from 1827 to 1835 directed the philosophical and theological studies of young eccle- siastics who wished to become the assistants of the two brothers in their religious undertakings. When Felicite de La Mennais refused to submit to the con- demnation pronounced against him by Rome, Rohr- bacher separated from him and became professor of Church history at the ecclesiastical seminary of Nancy. Later he retired to Paris where he spent the last years of his life. His principal, work is his monu- mental "Histoire Universelle de I'Eglise Catholique" (Nancy, 1842-49; 2nd ed., Paris, 1849-53). Several other editions were subsequently published and con- tinuations added by Chantrel and Guillaume. Writ- ten from an apologetic point of view, the work con- tributed enormously to the extirpation of Gallicanism in the Church of France. Though at times uncritical and devoid of literary grace, it is of considerable use- fulness to the student of history. It was translated into German and partially recast by Hiilskamp,
