GABRIEL DE CHINON. Relations nouvelles du Levant, ou Traités - Lot 109

GABRIEL DE CHINON. Relations nouvelles du Levant, ou Traités de la religion, du gouvernement & des coûtumes des Perses, des Arméniens & des Gaures. A Lyon, chés Jean Thioly, 1671. In-12, [14] f., 481-[11] p., full contemporary speckled tan basane, 5-rib spine, gilt title, ornate caissons, red speckled edges (epidermures, craquelures to spine, split jaws, missing headpieces, rubbed edges and corners, light wetness towards beginning and end of work). First edition This posthumous work by Père Gabriel de Chinon, published in 1671, is more than just a travelogue: it is a veritable missionary treatise offering a detailed analysis of the religion, government and customs of the Zoroastrians, Shiite Persians and Armenians. He devotes particular attention to the Armenians of Djulfa, deported by Shah Abbas I. Father Gabriel de Chinon (1610-1668), a Capuchin missionary sent to Persia and Armenia around 1640, stayed in the Safavid Empire until his death. His travels included Mosul, Djoulfa, Isfahan, Tiflis and Yerevan. Provenance: Carmelite Convent of Rennes "Conventus. Carm. Disc. Rhedonensis" (stamp on dedication leaf); L. Moreri Signature on title: "L. Moreri", most probably Louis Moréri, French priest and encyclopedist; another unidentified signature on title.