The di Rondòs’ spiritual leader and Biagio and Cosimo’s tutor. He’s an old, sleepy, and vacant man; Baron Arminio chose him mostly because the Abbé is a Jansenist and not a Jesuit. The Abbé is a poor caregiver and under his watch, the boys get away with all sorts of mischief. Later, after Cosimo climbs into the trees, the Abbé’s world begins to open up. Cosimo is able to convince him to sometimes climb into the trees for lessons, and the Abbé becomes very interested in Enlightenment ideas. When he starts ordering books by Enlightenment philosophers, however, higher-ups in the church arrest him. Biagio explains that Abbé Fauchelafleur dies unsure of what exactly he believes in, but trying his hardest to believe in something, nonetheless.
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Abbé Fauchelafleur Character Timeline in The Baron in the Trees
The timeline below shows where the character Abbé Fauchelafleur appears in The Baron in the Trees. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...Rondò; his brother, the cavalier avvocato; his wife, the Generalessa; their daughter Battista; the tutor Abbé Fauchelafleur; along with eight-year-old Biagio and twelve-year-old Cosimo—gather in the villa’s dining room at midday,...
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...isn’t sure if he expects an invite to the court of Austria or France. The Abbé seems to not care about anything, while the cavalier avvocato steals entire turkey thighs during...
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...he continues to do so and destroys a statue of a great-great-grandfather—and knocks over the Abbé—in the process. Later, Cosimo tells Baron Arminio that he doesn’t care about the ancestors. Battista...
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Chapter 2
...that Cosimo is still angry at him. Cosimo looks to the road and when the Abbé passes, he tosses something small at him. The cavalier avvocato disappears, but Cosimo can’t figure...
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Chapter 3
...dried figs, though Cosimo still acts betrayed. Biagio explains that he had to escape the Abbé to meet Cosimo, and Cosimo announces that he never got down. This confuses Biagio, but...
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Chapter 5
...the di Rondò garden several times, which causes Baron Arminio to try to convince the Abbé Fauchelafleur that Cosimo is possessed and needs to be exorcised. The Generalessa peers through a...
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Chapter 7
...to get him after a quarrel over some land. This is why he chose the Abbé Fauchelafleur as the family’s spiritual leader—he’s a Jansenist. The only person Baron Arminio trusts is...
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Chapter 8
The next day, Baron Arminio sends the Abbé Fauchelafleur to find Cosimo and give him a Latin lesson. An hour later, Cosimo perches...
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Chapter 13
...Biagio often finds Cosimo with a book, taking notes. Cosimo begins to seek out the Abbé Fauchelafleur with questions and for lessons, but the Abbé often isn’t much use. Instead, Cosimo...
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The old Abbé vacillates between passive acceptance and a latent passion for spiritual rigor. He absorbs all of...
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The Abbé’s arrest doesn’t stop Cosimo’s education. He begins writing to the greatest scientists and philosophers of...
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