Claude de Visdelou

Claude de Visdelou
Claude de Visdelou
    Claude de Visdelou
     Catholic_Encyclopedia Claude de Visdelou
    Born at the Château de Bienassis, Pléneuf, Brittany, 122 Aug., 1656; died at Pondicherry, 11 Nov., 1737. He entered the Society of Jesus, 5 Sept., 1673, and was one of the missionaries sent to China by Louis XIV in 1687 (see VERBIEST, FERDINAND). He acquired a wide knowledge of the Chinese language and literature. Other learned Jesuits considered that he gave too much credit to modern Chinese commentators, who being atheists and materialists read their own ideas into the ancient Chinese sages. When the papal legate Mgr. de Tournon came to China in 1705, chiefly to regulate the question of the Chinese Rites, Visdelou was the only Jesuit favourable to their prohibition. Tournon appointed him Vicar Apostolic of Kwei-chou with the title of Bishop of Claudiopolis, but his superiors opposed the nomination, since Visdelou had not received papal dispensation from his vow not to accept ecclesiastical dignity. With the missionaries who had submitted to the decree against the rites, Visdelou followed the legate to Macao, where he was secretly consecrated bishop, 2 Feb., 1709. He then set out for Pondicherry where he arrived, 25 June, 1709; he remained there in great retirement in the house of the French Capuchins until his death. Visdelou took with him over 500 volumes in Chinese and almost his sole occupation consisted in working on these. He sent to Rome several writings on the questions of the rites. The Sinologist, James Legge, says he "was in the habit of writing extravagantly about the Chinese and caricaturing their sentiments" ("Notions of the Chinese concerning God and the spirit", Hong Kong, 1852, 10). His most trustworthy works deal with the history of the Tartars. He collected from Chinese historians unique documents on the peoples of Central and Eastern Asia, Huns, Tatars, Mongols, and Turks. His researches on this subject were first published as supplement to Herbelot's "Bibliotheque orientale" (1779). However, they must have assisted Deguignes in his history of the Huns, for the geographer Anville who had handled all Visdelou's valuable MSS. on the Tatars tells us that the author had sent them to the Academician Malet, who died in 1736 ("Memoire de M. d'Anville sur la Chine", 1776, 33).
    NORBERT, Oraison funebre de N. de Visdelou, Jesuite, ereque de Claudiopolis, Vicaire Apostolique en Chine et aux Indes, etc. in Memoires historiques...sur les missiones orientales, III (Lucca, 1745), 343-460; De BACKER-SOMMERVOGEL, Bibliotheque, VIII, 838-43.
    JOSEPH BRUCKER
    Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett Dedicated to the Catholics of China

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIII. — New York: Robert Appleton Company. . 1910.


Catholic encyclopedia.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Claude de Visdelou — Christianity in China portal Claude de Visdelou (12 August 1656 – 11 November 1737) was a French Jesuit missionary. Contents 1 Life …   Wikipedia

  • Claude de Visdelou — Le père Claude de Visdelou (1656 1737) fut un jésuite français. Né au château de Bienassis en Bretagne, il alla comme missionnaire en Chine (1706) alors qu il avait à peine ses 18 ans. Très brillant comme les trois autres jésuites envoyés par… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Claude Visdelou — Claude de Visdelou Le Père Claude de Visdelou (1656 1737) fut un jésuite français. Né au château de Bienassis en Bretagne, il alla comme missionnaire en Chine (1706). En 1708, il fut nommé vicaire apostolique dans cette contrée et évêque de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Visdelou, Claude de — • One of the missionaries sent to China by Louis XIV in 1687 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Visdelou — (spr. Wisdlu), Claude, geb. 1656 in der Bretagne, wurde Jesuit, ging 1685 als Missionär nach China u. wurde 1709 apostolischer Vicar der Provinz Kuei Tscheu. Da er in den Streitigkeiten über die Accommodation des Christenthums an die chinesischen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • The Church in China —     The Church in China     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Church in China     Ancient Christians     The introduction of Christianity into China has been ascribed not only to the Apostle of India, St. Thomas, but also to St. Bartholomew. In the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Guy Tachard — Infobox ReligiousBio background = #FFA500 name = Father Guy Tachard Smithies, p.82] religion = Roman Catholic alias = Père Tachard location = Kingdom of Siam Title = Jesuit missionary Period = Predecessor = Successor = ordination = post =… …   Wikipedia

  • Franco-Thai relations — France Thailand relations cover a period from the 17th century until modern times. Relations started in earnest during the reign of Louis XIV with numerous reciprocal embassies, and a major attempt by France to Christianize Siam (modern Thailand) …   Wikipedia

  • Jesuit China missions — The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China in the early modern era stands as one of the notable events in the early history of relations between China and the Western world, as well as a prominent example of relations between two… …   Wikipedia

  • Jean-François Gerbillon — (4 June 1654, Verdun – 27 March 1707, Peking, China) was a French missionary, who worked in China.He entered the Society of Jesus, 5 Oct, 1670, and after completing the usual course of study taught grammar and humanities for seven years. His long …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”