Broglie, Aucuste-Thmopore-Pavl DE, abbé, professor of apologetics at the Institut Catholique at Paris, and writer on apologetic subjects, b. at Auteuil, 18 May, 1834; d. 11 May, 1895. He was the son of Achille-Victor, Due de Broglie, and his wife, Albertine de Staél, a Protestant and the daughter of Madame de Staél. After the death of the mother, who died young, he was brought up by the Baroness Auguste de Staél, née Vernet; this aunt, although also a Protestant, exerted herself “to make a large-minded Christian of him in the Church to which she did not belong’? (Monseigneur d’Hulst in “ Le Correspondant”, 25 May, 1895). Entering the Navy young, Broglie was appointed Ensign in 1857 and soon after Lieutenant. While thus occupied he felt himself called to the ecclesiastical state. After taking the preparatory studies he was ordained priest, 18 October, 1870. In his numerous publications the Abbé de Broglie was always a faithful defender of Catholic dogma. At the time of his death, which resulted from the violence of an insane person, he was preparing a book on the agreement of reason and faith. His most important work is ‘“L’histoire des religions’. Of his other writings, some of which were pamphlets and some articles in reviews, the following may be mentioned: “Le positivisme et la science expérimentale”; ‘Religion de Zoroastre et ‘religion védique”; “ Le bouddhisme”; “ Religions néo-brahmaniques de inde”; “L’islamisme”; “La vraie définition de la religion”; “La transcendance du christianisme”; “ L’histoire religieuse d’Israél”; “ Les prophétes et les prophéties, d’aprés les travaux de Kuenen”; “L’idée de Dieu dans l’Ancien et le Nouveau Testament”; “Le présent et l’avenir du catholicisme en France”. Two posthumous publications, “Questions bibliques” and “Religion et critique”, were edited by the Abbé Piat.
Prat, L’apologétique de V'abbé de Broglie (Paris, 1896).
Clodius Piat.