Prince Ivan Sergeyevich Gagarin was a Russian Jesuit, known also as Jean-Xavier after his conversion from Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism. He was the founding editor of Études.
Background
Ivan Sergeyevich Gagarin was born on July 20, 1814 in Moscow City, Russian Federation. He was of the Gagarin family, which traces its origin to the medieval rulers of Starodub-on-the-Klyazma. Ivan Sergeyevich was the son of the Russian state-councillor, Prince Sergey Gagarin, and Varvara Pushkina. His grandfather - Prince Ivan Gagarin (1752-1810) was the captain of the fleet, distinguished himself in the Chesme battle, together with Count Alexei Orlov participated in the abduction and forwarding of "Princess Tarakanova" from Saint Petersburg from abroad. Consisted in one of the Russian Masonic lodges. He took part in the restoration after the fire of the Menshikov Tower.
Education
Ivan Sergeyevich received a brilliant home education.
Career
Ivan Sergeyevich entered the service of the state at an early age, and was first named attaché to his uncle, Prince Gregory Gagarin, at Munich, on whose death, in 1837, he acted as secretary to the legation at Vienna. He was afterwards transferred to the Russian embassy at Paris, where his services were requisitioned in a similar capacity.
Ivan Sergeyevich frequented the salon of his near relation, Madame Sophie Swetchine, and was on terms of familiar intercourse with Father de Ravignan, Lacordaire's successor in the pulpit of Notre-Dame de Paris.
In the latter half of 1843 Ivan Sergeyevich entered the Society of Jesus, and passed his novitiate at Saint-Acheul. He was afterwards sent to Brugelette (in Belgium) where the French Jesuits in exile had a high school. He then taught church history and philosophy, at the College of Vaugirard and the school of Ste-Geneviève, and at Laval. He spent some time in Versailles and, in 1855, was back at Paris. From this time onwards he wrote extensively in the Catholic cause.
When the religious orders were expelled from France, Ivan Sergeyevich went to Switzerland, but soon returned to Paris, where he died.
Religion
His conversion to Catholicism took place in 1842. On 19 April of that year Ivan Sergeyevich made his profession of faith, and was received into the Catholic Church by Ravignan. According to Russian law, this put an end to his diplomatic career, and he forfeited all rights to his inheritance.
Personality
Gagarin's literary output was considerable; many of his articles which appeared in current reviews and periodicals were afterwards collected and published in book form.
As a polemist Ivan Sergeyevich was thorough, and his work as a religious propagandist was of importance. His main object was win over Russia to the Catholic Church. In conjunction with Fr. Daniel, Gagarin founded (1856) the journal "Etudes de théologie, de philosophie et d'histoire"; he established the "Œuvre de Prop. des Sts. Cyrille et Méthode" (1858), to promote corporate union amongst the Churches; and contributed to the "Contemporain", "Univers", "Ami de la Religion", "Précis historiques", "Correspondant", "Revue des questions historiques", etc.
