'Gabriel Sagard, baptized Théodat' (
fl.
1614 –
1636), was a Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Recollect order (''French:
Récollet'') who arrived in
New France June 28,
1623 to join four other members of his order who had arrived in
1615. Sagard travelled to a
Huron village on the southern shore of
Lake Huron in August where he began his missionary work and study of the
Huron language. In July 1624 at
Quebec he was ordered by his superior to return to Paris. Some time around 1636, Sagard left the Recollect order and may have died living with the
Franciscans.
Sagard is remembered for his writings on New France and the Hurons - ''Le grand voyage au pays des Hurons (Paris, 1632)'', ''L'histoire du Canada (1636)'', which includes a revised and expanded ''Le grand voyage'', and ''Dictionnaire de la langue huronne''. An English translation of ''Le grand voyage'' by historian
George M. Wrong was published by the
Champlain Society in 1939 under the title ''Sagard's long journey to the country of the Hurons'' and is available online at the Champlain Society website.
His origins, dates of birth and death are obscure. Some historians say he was christened Théodat; others say Théodat was his religious name.
External links
★
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
★
Champlain Society Digital Collection