Background
Papebroch was born in 1628 in Antwerp, then in the Duchy of Brabant, part of the Spanish Netherlands, and attended the Jesuit college in his hometown.
historian priest writer hagiographer
Papebroch was born in 1628 in Antwerp, then in the Duchy of Brabant, part of the Spanish Netherlands, and attended the Jesuit college in his hometown.
Bolland took a great interest in Daniel"s education and encouraged him to learn Greek and other languages and to study literary composition. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1658. In 1660 Papebroch began his work with Bolland, in the scholarly study of the hagiography of the Catholic saints.
He was assigned to work on the records of those saints celebrated in the month of March.
In July of that year, Bolland sent the 32-year-old Papebroch to Italy, along with Godfrey Henschen, to collect documents, but by the time he returned Bolland had died. Paperbroch, together with Henschen, then continued the work in the tradition of the Bollandists.
He continued this work until his death in 1714.