Jean de Montecorvino

Jean de Montecorvino (or of Montecorvin), born in 1246 in Montecorvino in the south of Italy and died in Beijing (Beijing) in 1328 is Franciscain founder of the catholic mission of China.

Christians in China before 1294

" Nestoriens " were disseminated in all the Asia and in particular in China, known under the name of Cathay. They were not inevitably disciples of Nestorius, but of the Christians decsndants of the Church of Persia and completely cut from Rome since centuries. One found more particularly of the nestoriens at the öngüt, a Turkish ethnos group represented well at the court of Kubilaï.

In XIIIeme century, papacy made several attempts to be established in the nations controlled by the Gold Horde, i.e. by the descendants of Genghis-Khan. Generally, this one represented a terrible threat for the occident, but of another dimensioned, its leaders, Khan, were rather well laid out with respect to the Christianisme. Several messages in this direction arrived at the pope Nicolas IV. On the one hand, the two Venetian merchants Nicolo and Matteo Sports shirt, at spring, in 1269, arrived at Saint-Jean-to Acre (Syria). They said that they came from Xanadou, the palate of summer of Kubilay Khan located in the steppes of Mongolia before returning to Rome charged with an embassy for the pope, and in addition, in 1286, the governor of Persia, Argun sent via the bishop nestorien Bar Sauma a similar request: large the khan Kubilaï was well laid out with regard to the Christians and wished that the pope sends missionaries to Khanbaliq, i.e. Beijing.

The mission of Jean de Montecorvino

The sending on mission (1289)

To answer at the requests of Kubilaï, the pope Nicolas IV sent on mission initially two Dominican which did not exceed Arménie, then Jean de Montecorvino who left Rome in 1289. He was accompanied by two companions, Dominican Nicolas de Pistoia and the merchant Pierre de Lucalongo. He sailed of the Persian Gulf as far as India where he unloaded in 1291, there preached for 13 month and baptized a hundred people there. He embarked for China with Meliapur, without Nicolas de Pistoia who had died. It is in 1294 qu ' it arrives to China, with the port of Zaïton (Tsiuan-Tchéou) in Fo-kien. From there, it gains Khanbaliq where it is said to him that Kubilaï has just died. Chengzong, his/her son, who succeeds to him, does not make any obstacle with the apostolate missionary.

The arrival of Jean de Montecorvino with Khanbaliq (1294)

Pierre de Lucalongo offers to the envoy of the pope a ground to build a new church. The relations with the nestoriens are not excellent, but the apostolate of Jean proves to be profitable: It confers six-mille baptisms, organizes a school in its presbytery and translated into Mongolian language some basic texts. It seems well that part of the converts are noble öngüt in rupture of nestorianism, but close to Kubilaï.

The pastoral action

In addition to the first church built in Beijing in 1299, Jean de Montecorvino in built a second in 1305, opposite the imperial palace. It also installs on this site of the workshops and the dwellings. It bought little by little with pagan parents approximately a hundred and fifty seven boys to eleven years. These children learned Latin and the Greek as well as canticles. It thus seems that the intention of Jean de Montecorvino was to found a seminar to form an indigenous clergy.

Of dimensioned sound, Jean de Montecorvino familiarized himself rather well with the Mongolian language to be able to preach and translate the new will and the psalms. It also seems that Jean was a certain success near a descendant of known Kubilaï under the name of the " King Georges". Perhaps this was a sovereign ongüt.

Relations with Rome

It is only in 1305, more than ten years after its departure which the pope, who is then Clément V, established in Avignon, receives his news. Clement V makes the decision to appoint it archbishop and to send 7 bishops to him who must place themselves at his disposal. 4 bishops only arrive in Khanbaliq, the others died in way. Jean keeps 2 bishops near and names him Gerard d' Albuino bishop of Zaïton, to facilitate the relations with Europe.

In 1311, Clément V crowns 3 more franciscains for Khanbaliq. Only one arrives, Pierre of Florence. In 1326, André from Perugia written in Rome that he is the only survivor of all the bishops sent to Jean de Montecorvino. This last dies in 1328. When one learns it in Avignon, in 1333, André of Perugia is also deceased. No news of Nicolas of Paris, sent in 1334 to succeed to him. The Christians of Khanbaliq send a delegation in occident, with a letter of the grans khan for the pope. Benoît XIII sends 4 legates to them who embark in 1338 with other monks. The principal Legate, Jean de Marignolli is received with many honors in 1341 in Khanbaliq. There remain 3 years on the spot, visit the catholics of which he estimates the number at 30000. It spends nine years to return through the Central Asia.

At the end of XIVeme century, the relationships to the Holy See were cut. Several reasons were called upon: Greater intolerance of the new Chinese dynasty, the Ming, Conversion with the Islam of the khanats of the Central Asia, too great centralization of the Catholic church to support such a great distance.

Sources

Rene Guennou, catholic missions in History of the Religions, Gallimard, 1972

Catholic encyclopedia of 1907

See too

Guillaume de Rubrouck Evangelization History of China

External bonds

The article John off Montecorvino of the catholic encyclopedia of 1907

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