Hippolyte Hélyot

Hippolyte Hélyot (born January 1660, Paris—died Jan. 5, 1716, Paris) was a French historian and Franciscan friar whose greatest work provides the definitive and most detailed source of information on Roman Catholic religious orders and lay congregations up to the end of the 17th century.

After entering the Franciscan convent of Picpus in Paris in 1683, Hélyot was sent twice to Rome. Later, when he was appointed secretary of his order, his travels in France enabled him to gather the materials for his extensive Histoire des ordres monastiques, religieux et militaires, et des congrégations séculières de l’un et de l’autre sexe, 8 vol. (1714–19). Although Hélyot lived to write only five volumes, the remainder of the history was completed by his colleague, Père Maximilien Bullot. Hélyot also wrote several essays, including the Idée du Christ mourant (1695; “Concept of the Dying Christ”).