Emmanuel d’ Alzon

Emmanuel d’ Alzon (born Aug. 30, 1810, Le Vigan, France—died Nov. 21, 1880, Nîmes) was a French ecclesiastic who founded the order of Augustinians of the Assumption (or Assumptionists).

D’Alzon studied in Paris, in Montpellier, and in Rome, where he was ordained (1834). He was named canon and vicar-general of Nîmes and retained this position until his death. In 1843 he acquired Assumption College in Nîmes, where he founded (1845) the congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption, dedicated to education and to missionary work; it received papal approval in 1864. To help in this work he also founded a congregation of women, the Oblates of the Assumption. He was sent in 1863 to establish a mission in Constantinople (now Istanbul). In 1871 he started the Alumniates, apostolic schools for the ecclesiastical education of poor boys.