CHEVALIER, ULYSSE

French bibliographer and historian; b. Cyr Ulysse Joseph Chevalier, at Rambouillet, Seine-et-Oise, France, Feb. 24, 1841; d. Romans, Drôme, France, Oct. 27, 1923. Chevalier was ordained in 1867, and was later named professor of archaeology at the major seminary at Romans (1881) and then of Church history at the Institut catholique of Lyons (1887). He was the recipient of academic honors and a member of many learned societies, including the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres. Guided by the great Léopold Delisle, Chevalier followed a life of scholarship, and by 1912 his publications totaled 512. Among the most important are: Répertoire des sources historiques du moyen âge: part one Biobibliographie (2d ed. 1905–07) and part two Topobibliographie (1894–1903; repr. New York 1962); Gallia christiana novissima in seven volumes (begun by J. H. Albanès but published with additions by Chevalier, 1899–1920); and Repertorium hymnologicum in six volumes, a catalogue of more than 30,000 hymns and chants used in the Roman rite (1892–1921). He wrote also numerous works on the history of Dauphiné. His name is associated with famous controversies over the authenticity (which he denied) of the Holy shroud of Turin (1900) and the Holy House of Loreto (1907). Chevalier's works are somewhat uneven in performance and some of them have become outdated. However, they have rendered appreciable service in the past and remain useful today, especially for the medievalist.

Bibliography: M. le Chanoine Ulysse Chevalier, correspondant de l'Institut: Son oeuvre scientifique, sa bio-bibliographie (new ed. Valence 1912). h. leclercq, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie, ed. f. cabrol, h. leclercq, and h. i. marrou, 15 v. (Paris 1907–53) 9:1743–44. p. thomÉ de maisonneufve, L'oeuvre scientifique du chanoine U. Chevalier (Grenoble 1933). g. bardy, Catholicisme. Hier, aujourd'hui et demain, ed. g. jacquemet (Paris 1947–) 10:1048–49. r. limouzin-lamothe, Dictionnaire de biographie française (Paris 1929–) 8:1071–72.

[m. i. j. rousseau]