Godfrey Henschen

Godfrey Henschen (also Henskens or Godefridus Henschenius in Latin), 21 June 1601 – 11 September 1681, was a Jesuit hagiographer, one of the first Bollandists,[1] from the Spanish Netherlands.

He studied the humanities at the Jesuit college of Bois-le-Duc (today the town of 's-Hertogenbosch) and entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus at Mechlin on 22 October 1619.

Bolland had asked for an assistant, a request supported by the abbot of Liessies Abbey, Antoine de Wynghe.

It was Henschen who, by his commentary on the Acts of St. Amand, suggested to Bolland the course to follow, and gave to the work undertaken by his mentor its definitive form.

As climbing the steep steps began to prove difficult, he asked for and obtained the use of a vacant room on the second floor, which later became the Bollandist Museum.

[4] In July 1660, at Bolland's direction, Henschen and Daniel van Papenbroek journeyed to Rome by way of Germany and the Tyrol, collecting ancient documents for their studies along the way.

Holstenius died during their stay at Rome, and his successor, Peter Allatius, who had his own pretensions of publishing, proved less amicable.