He was Professor and Research Director at the École pratique des hautes études since 1963, known for his work in the field of the history of education, and mapping from the 16th to 18th century.
He obtained his Bachelor of Arts after attending high schools in Draguignan and Montpellier, where he was transferred due to the profession of his father.
In addition to his spiritual formation and the traditional theological study, he studied geography at the University of Montpellier under Jules Sion, who supervised his 1939 PhD thesis in human geography.
In 1959 he was appointed Professor in the History of Mapping at the École Nationale des Chartes, is a French grande école which specializes in historical sciences.
He extended his research interest further into the field of the history of education in the modern era.