Biography: Félix Torres Amat | Spanish writer and prelate. During the Liberal triennium (1820-1823).

(Sallent, Barcelona, 1772 – Madrid, 1847) Spanish writer and prelate. During the Liberal triennium (1820-1823), he was censor and representative of the Cathedral before the Barcelona Board. In 1823 he finished a new version of the Bible into Spanish. In 1831 he retired to the monastery of San Jerónimo de la Mutra, and in 1834 he was consecrated Bishop of Astorga. Prepared, together with his brother Ignacio, memories to help form a critical of the Catalan writers dictionary and give some idea of the ancient and modern literature of Catalonia (1836). He tried to claim the religious orthodoxy of his uncle Félix Amat in Life of Felix Amat, what led you to certain difficulties with the ecclesiastical authorities.

Félix Torres Amat

Sent by their parents to the University of Alcalá de Henares when he was twelve years old, he there studied ancient and modern languages under the direction of his brother John, College and Chaplain of the Colegio de San Ildefonso. Félix Torres Amat then moved to Tarragona, next to his uncle Félix Amat, Canon of the Cathedral. In Tarragona studied philosophy and Theology studies completed in San Isidro de Madrid and Cervera. He taught in Tarragona, and in 1806 he took possession of a canonry in the Collegiate Church of the Royal site of San Ildefonso.

Charles IV entrusted a translation into Spanish of the Bible, which ended in 1823; his version of the Bible, in its widespread time and today completely overcome, retaining only a historical value. In 1833 he was elevated to the bishopric of Astorga. In Barcelona made the project of establishing a section titled "Library of Catalan writers", next to the episcopal library which gave five hundred volumes.

In 1836 his memories to help form a critical of Catalan writers dictionarypublished in the Catalan capital. The dictionary of Torres Amat wanted just to inform native writers of the Principality, with the exception of Mallorca and Valencia; However, it included counties of Roussillon, Cerdanya, and Conflent, before its incorporation to France, and those of unknown origin, but which by their surnames could be Catalans (these would have to eliminate some). Torres Amat believed born in the Principality to the Mallorcan Ramón Llull and Anselmo Turmeda, and French writers such as Francisco de Mayronis (Mairenys or Mayrenys) and Guillaume de Machaut (Mechaut, Mexaud or Maixau).

Despite these flaws, the dictionary of Torres Amat was once a very remarkable contribution to Catalan literature. It is source of first-hand for many news of bibliographical collections of the libraries of his time, and contains interesting biographies of contemporary writers his own, as the traveller and naturalist Domingo Badía, known by Ali Bey, don Antonio de Capmany y Montpalau, the Barcelona bibliophile don José de Vega Sentmenat, etc. The Dictionary was completed with a supplement prepared by don Juan Corminas, Canon of Burgos, published in 1849. The supplement is rhetorical and much lower than the Torres Amat value.

Determined to rehabilitate the memory of his uncle Félix Amat, Bishop of Palmira, whose peaceful observations had been included in the index, Torres Amat wrote apologetics such prelate's life, in which several booklets of the biografiado are inserted. Such efforts caused him troubles and difficulties with Rome. Appointed Senator for Barcelona, he developed an intense political activity. Torres Amat was academic language and received numerous awards from national and foreign institutions.

Extracted from the website: Biografías y Vidas