BOL'LANDISTS, an association or succession of Jesuits by whom the Acta Sandal-um (q.v.), or Lives of the Saints of the Christian Church, were collected and published (1643-1794). They received their name from JOHN BoLLand, b. in the Netherlands 1596, d. 1665, who, with the help of Gottfried Ilenschen, edited the first 5 vols., con taining the month of Jan., in two vols., published in 1643, and the month of Feb., in 3 vols., published in 1658. The project had been undertaken by a Flemish Jesuit, Herbert of Rosweyd, and on his death, in 1629, his collections were intrusted to Bolland, who established himself in Antwerp, opened a correspondence all over Europe. and asso ciated young men of his order with himself in the work. Several distinguished names arc ranked among the B., as Gottfried Henschen (died 1681), Daniel Papebroek (1714), Conrad Alining (1723), Peter Bosch (1736), Suyskens (1771), Hubei's (1782), Dom Anselmo I3erthod (1788), and Jos. Ghesquiere (1802). The abolition of the order of Jesuits in 1773 caused the removal of the Bollandist society to the monastery of Can deabeg, in Brussels, till the persecutions under Joseph II. brought about its dissolution.
In 1789, the abbey of Tongerloo, in Brabant, took up the colossal task of carrying on the Acta Sanctorum; but scarcely had the 53d vol. appeared, in May, 1794. when the French occupation put an end to the work. It was not till 1837 that a new Bollandist association of Jesuits was formed, under the patronage of the Belgian government, which set aside a yearly stun of 6000 francs for this object. In 1845, this new society published, in two.parts, the 54th vol. of the work, containing, among others, the life of St. Theresa, extending to 671 folio pages. Other volumes have since appeared, and more arc in preparation, so that there is room to hope that at least the next generation may see the completion of this vast work; of which Gibbon has truly said;' that !' through the medium of fable and superstition it communicates much historical and philosophical instruc tion." M. Guizot, having aseertain«1 that the 3 vols. for April contain 1472 lives, esti mates that the 53 vols., published before the French revolutiou suspended the progress of the undertaking, contain more than 25,000 lives of saints.