Lamennais, Félicité-Robert de

(1782-1854)

   writer, thinker

   A philosopher who attempted to combine political and theological liberalism, Félicité de Lamennais (or La Mennais) was born in Saint-Malo. He was ordained a priest in 1816 and at first was a royalist and ultramontane (conservative Catholic) who developed his ideas in an early writing, Essai sur l'indifférence en matière de religion (1817-23). This work made him famous. He later posited the subordination of temporal power to the spiritual in De la religion considérée dans ses rapports avec l'ordre politique et social (1825). Because of these views, he incurred the hostility of the Gallicans (see galli-canism). In 1830, with henri lacordaire and marc montalembert, Lamennais founded L'Avenir, a journal advocating a liberal Christianity and the separation of church and state. After its condemnation by Rome (1832), Lamennais announced his break with the church in Paroles d'un croyant (1834) and also in another writing, Affaires de Rome (1836-37). He moved toward a form of democratic humanitarianism that he explained in Le Livre du peuple (1838), Le Pays et le Gouvernement (1838), and l'Esquisse d'un philosophe (1841-46), in which he presented his view of a God who must, according to Lamennais, be the basis for all social reforms. In 1848, Lamennais was elected to represent the people as a member of the National Assembly and became editor of the journal Le Peuple constituent.