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Concept
Guillaume de Jerphanion
Summary
Guillaume de Jerphanion, born at Pontevès in 1877, died in Rome on 22 October 1948, was a French Jesuit, archaeologist and explorer of Cappadocia.
Guillaume de Jerphanion was born on 3 March 1877, the third in a family of eight children. He came from a family of old nobility originating from Haute-Loire in France.
Rather than a career as a naval officer, he chose to join the Jesuits when he was 16 years of age.
In 1903 Guillaume was sent to Tokat in Turkey to teach science to Armenian children in one of the numerous schools founded by the Jesuits in Anatolia.
He remained in Tokat until 1907. During his time in Tokat he learned Turkish, a language he came to master perfectly. Before returning to France to study theology and be ordained a priest, he traveled through Anatolia (Amasya - Ankara - Samsun - Sivas...) and discovered Cappadocia.
About the Jesuit schools of Anatolia
Between 1881 and 1924, the Jesuits opened 11 free and mixed schools as well as 6 free schools for girls and 12 other fee-paying schools for boys and girls all over Anatolia. There were 550 students in all in 1886, 5,521 in 1914. The number of Jesuits serving in those schools peaked at just under 60. The language of instruction was French. The schools welcomed mainly Christian children but also, for "evening classes," non-Christians, such as Jews and the children of Turkish notables attracted by the French language, the language of diplomacy and commerce of the time. In the girls' schools, the Jesuits were assisted by many nuns. To keep the young people busy outside of school hours, the Jesuits organized conferences and activities (brass bands, music lessons, theater lessons, etc.)
Returning to Turkey in 1911 Guillaume de Jerphanion was a member of the Jesuit community in Istanbul, and he organized his trips to Cappadocia from there.
World War I drove him away from Turkey. He served as an officer-interpreter with the French Légion d'Orient in Cyprus until 1918 then return to Turkey in 1921.
Official source
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