Aernout van Buchel

Aernout van Buchel (Latinised: Arnoldus Buchelius) (Utrecht, 1565 – Utrecht, 15 July 1641) was a Dutch antiquarian and humanist, specialising in Genealogy and Heraldry.

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Life

Buchel was the illegitimate child of a Canon of the St. Peter's Church in Utrecht. He studied in Leiden for several months, but in 1585 he continued his studies in France, where he made contacts with other learned men who were interested by Roman ruins, inscriptions and writings. He travelled to Rome, where he wrote down numerous interesting facts and information about buildings, inscriptions and art. In 1588 he returned to Utrecht.

In response to the demolishing of buildings and destruction of works of art after the Protestant Reformation, van Buchel started writing and drawing threatened inscriptions, tombstones, arms boards and other noteworthy items with the aim of preserving their memory before they were lost to the destruction. The only remaining drawings and description of the lost St. Salvator's Church in Utrecht were made by van Buchel. He put together a number of manuscripts that, together, form a treasure of immeasurable worth for research into lost buildings and inventories.

Buchel hardly published anything during his life. His book about the bishops of Utrecht, published posthumously, is still seen as a standard work on the subject. His diary until 1600 was published in 1907 as 'Diarium' by G. Brom and L.A. van Langeraad. During his life he was a respected scholar, and with Petrus Scriverius one of the first antiquaries of the Netherlands.

Works

The Monumenta passim in templis ac monasteriis Trajectinae urbis atque agri inventa, describes antiquities in the city of Utrecht and some villages in the area, such as Kortenhoef, Maarssen, Houten, Maartensdijk, Westbroek, Tienhoven en Breukelen. The manuscript is kept in the Utrecht Archive.

The Inscriptiones monumentaque in templis et monasteriis Belgicis inventa, describes inscriptions in a number of settlements in the Sticht, particularly Amersfoort, Holland, mainly Leiden, but also The Hague, Delft, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and in the Duchy of Brabant, mainly Antwerpen, but also Louvain and Brussels. The manuscript is kept in the University library in Utrecht.

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Literature