Antonius Sanderus (Antwerpen, 1586 – Affligem, 1664)

Antoon Sanders (in Latin Antonius Sanderus) came from a distinguished Ghent family who briefly stayed in Antwerp after temporarily fleeing the Ghent Republic.
Antonius Sanderus, a man of exceptional intellectual prowess, embarked on his Latin studies in the renowned Jesuit college of Oudenaarde, further honing his knowledge in Ghent. His thirst for knowledge led him to pursue philosophy at the Jesuit College of Douai, where he earned a Master's Artium in 1609, a testament to his scholarly dedication.
In 1611, Sanderus was ordained a priest in Ghent and assumed the role of a pastor in a few hamlets near Eeklo. However, despite the relative calm of the Twelve Years' Truce, the region was not without its tensions. Sanderus found himself in a precarious position due to his controversial writings, which included critiques of Anabaptism in Flanders, sparking heated debates and raising eyebrows among his peers.
In 1615, he became Baccalaureus in theology at the University of Leuven, and in 1619, he returned to Douai, where he obtained a degree in theology at the University of Douai.
In 1621, he returned to Ghent, where he enjoyed the protection of Bishop Antonius Triest. In 1623, he was made chaplain and secretary to Cardinal Alfonso de la Cueva, the governor of Philip IV of Spain in the Southern Netherlands.
1625, he became a canon at St. Martins' Church in Ypres.

In the meantime, he conducted extensive research for a prestigious history work on the county of Flanders, the Flandria Illustrata. For these searches, he visited monasteries and castles to consult the archives, a testament to his dedication and thoroughness as a historian. However, this meticulous approach to research was not always appreciated by the other canons of Ypres, who felt he was neglecting his other duties.
That is why he resigned from his religious functions in 1654 and received the post of Censor Librorum in Brussels, a position of significant influence in the control and regulation of printed materials. In this role, he played a crucial part in shaping the intellectual and cultural life of the city.
In 1668, he offered his resignation as a canon of the chapter of Ypres. The reasons for this decision are not entirely clear, but it is believed that his increasing focus on his historical research and the offer of a more suitable environment for his work at the Affligem Abbey were contributing factors. Finally, he left the city to settle in the Affligem Abbey, where he was warmly received by the abbot Benedictus van Haeften.
He died there on January 16, 1664, and was buried in the abbey church.

Antonius Sanderus published historical works from 1610, but his magnum opus is the richly illustrated Flandria Illustrata, sive Descriptio Comitatus Istius per Totum Terrarum Orbis Terrarum. The publication was begun by Henricus Hondius, who had a publication contract with Sanderus as early as 1634. It was a landmark in studying Flanders' history, featuring numerous portraits, plans, views, and maps. In 1641, Hondius printed the first volume in Leiden as Theatrum Flandriae but immediately sold the rights to Joan Blaeu. They published two volumes of the work in 1641 and 1644, respectively, with a fake publisher's address in Cologne. The work's influence extended beyond its initial publication, with Blaeu using fifteen maps of the Flandria Illustrata for his Atlas Maior and most of the plans being used in the town book of the Royal Netherlands.
In 1659, he published a history of Brabant abbeys and monasteries: the Chorographia sacra Brabantiae.