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Martino Martini (in Chinese
Wei Kuang-guo, Jitai) (
20 September 1614, Trento, Italy -
6 June 1661, Hangzhou,
China) was an
Italy Jesuit missionary, cartographer and historian, mainly working on imperial China.
Early Years
After finishing High School studies in Trent in 1631, Martini entered the Austrian
religious province of the
Society of Jesus, from where he was sent to study classical letters and Philosophy at the Roman College, Rome (1634-37). However his interest was more in Astronomy and Mathematics which he studied under Athanasius Kircher. His request to be sent as missionary to China had alreary been granted by Mutius Vitelleschi, the then Superior General of the Jesuits. He did his theological studies in
Portugal (1637-39) - already on his way to China! - where he was ordained priest (1639, in Lisbon).
In the Chinese Empire
He set out for China in 1640, and arrived in
Macao in 1642 where he studied Chinese for some time. In 1643 he crossed the border and settled in Hangzhou from where he did much traveling in view of gathering scientific information, especially on the geography of the
Chinese empire: he visited several provinces, as well as
Peking and the Great Wall. He made great use of his talents as missionary, scholar, writer and
superior.
The Chinese Rites affair
In 1651 Martini left China for Rome as the Delegate of the Chinese Mission Superior. He took advantage of the long, adventurous voyage (going first to the Philippines, from thence on a Dutch privateer to Amsterdam which he reached on the 31 August 1653). Further, and still on his way to Rome, he met printers in Anvers,
Vienna and
Munich to submit to them historical and cartographical data he had prepared. The works were printed and made him famous. It is only in the spring of
1655 that he reached Rome...
There, in Rome, was the most difficult part of his journey. He had brought along (for the Holy Office of the
Catholic Church) a long and detailed communication from the Jesuit missionnaries in China, in defence of their Inculturation missionary and religious approach: the so-called
Chinese Rites (Veneration of ancestors, and other practices allowed to new Christians). Discussions and debates took place for 5 months, at the end of which the Propaganda Fide issued a decree in favour of the
Jesuits (23 March
1656). A battle was won, but the controversy did not abate.
Return to China
In 1658, after a most difficult journey, he was back in China with the favourable decree. He was again involved in pastoral and missionary activities in the Hangzhou area where he built a three naves church that is considered as one of the most beautiful of the country (1659-61). The church was hardly built that he died of
cholera (
1661).
Post-mortem phenomena
According to the attestation of Prosper Intorcetta (in
Litt. Annuae, 1861) his body was found undecayed twenty years after; it became a long-standing object of cult not only for Christians, until in 1877, suspecting
idolatry, the hierarchy had it buried again.
Contemporary appreciations
Today's scientists are more and more interested in the works of Martini; he is acclaimed as the father of Chinese geographical science. During an international convention organized in the city of
Trento (his birthplace) a member of the Chinese academy of Social Sciences, the Professor Ma Yong said :
Martini was the first to study the history and geography of China with rigorous scientific objectivity; the extend of his knowledge of the Chinese culture, the accuracy of his investigations, the depth of his understanding of things Chinese are examples for the modern sinologists. Ferdinand von Richthofen calls Martini
the leading geographer of the Chinese mission, one who was unexcelled and hardly equalled, during the XVIII century ... There was no other missionary, either before or after, who made such diligent use of his time in acquiring information about the country. (China, I, 674 sq.)
Works
- Martini's most important work is Novus Atlas Sinensis (Amsterdam 1655), with 17 maps and 171 pages of text, a work which is, according to Richthofen, the most complete geographical description of China that we possess, and through which Martini has become the father of geographical learning on China.
- Of the great chronological work which Martini had planned, and which was to comprise the whole Chinese history from the earliest age, only the first part appeared: Sinicæ Historiæ Decas Prima (Munich 1658), which reached until the birth of Jesus.
- His De Bello Tartarico Historia (Anvers 1654) is also important as Chinese history, for Martini himself had lived through the frightful occurrences which brought about the overthrow of the ancient Ming dynasty. The works have been repeatedly published and translated into different languages.
- Interesting as missionary history is his Brevis Relatio de Numero et Qualitate Christianorum apud Sinas, (Brussels, 1654).
- Besides these, Martini wrote a series of theological and apologetical works in Chinese, including a De Amicitia (Hangzhou, 1661) that could have been the first anthology of Western authors available in China (Martini's selection fished mainly into Ancient Rome and Greek language writings).
- Several works, among them a Chinese translation of the works of Francisco Suarez, still exist in his handwriting. Of these is notable his Grammatica Sinica, which he brought along and donated to Jacobus Golius, and that couldn't be printed because of the impossibility to reproduce Chinese characters. This very copy is still preserved in the Anvers Royal Library; over time many others were made.
Bibliography
- BOLOGNANI, B., L'Europa scopre il volto della Cina; Prima biografia di Padre Martino Martini, Trento, 1978.
- DEMARCHI, F. and SCARTEZZINI, R. (eds), M.Martini a Humanist and Scientist in XVIIth century China, Trento, 1996.
References
Martino Martini (in Chinese
Wei Kuang-guo, Jitai) (
20 September 1614,
Trento, Italy - 6 June
1661, Hangzhou, China) was an
Italy Jesuit missionary, cartographer and historian, mainly working on imperial China.
Early Years
After finishing High School studies in Trent in 1631, Martini entered the Austrian religious province of the
Society of Jesus, from where he was sent to study classical letters and Philosophy at the Roman College,
Rome (1634-37). However his interest was more in Astronomy and Mathematics which he studied under
Athanasius Kircher. His request to be sent as missionary to China had alreary been granted by
Mutius Vitelleschi, the then Superior General of the Jesuits. He did his theological studies in
Portugal (1637-39) - already on his way to China! - where he was ordained priest (1639, in Lisbon).
In the Chinese Empire
He set out for China in 1640, and arrived in Macao in 1642 where he studied Chinese for some time. In 1643 he crossed the border and settled in Hangzhou from where he did much traveling in view of gathering scientific information, especially on the
geography of the
Chinese empire: he visited several provinces, as well as Peking and the
Great Wall. He made great use of his talents as missionary, scholar, writer and
superior.
The Chinese Rites affair
In 1651 Martini left China for Rome as the Delegate of the Chinese Mission Superior. He took advantage of the long, adventurous voyage (going first to the
Philippines, from thence on a Dutch privateer to
Amsterdam which he reached on the 31 August 1653). Further, and still on his way to Rome, he met printers in Anvers,
Vienna and
Munich to submit to them historical and cartographical data he had prepared. The works were printed and made him famous. It is only in the spring of 1655 that he reached Rome...
There, in Rome, was the most difficult part of his journey. He had brought along (for the Holy Office of the Catholic Church) a long and detailed communication from the Jesuit missionnaries in China, in defence of their Inculturation missionary and religious approach: the so-called
Chinese Rites (Veneration of ancestors, and other practices allowed to new Christians). Discussions and debates took place for 5 months, at the end of which the
Propaganda Fide issued a decree in favour of the
Jesuits (23 March 1656). A battle was won, but the controversy did not abate.
Return to China
In 1658, after a most difficult journey, he was back in China with the favourable decree. He was again involved in pastoral and missionary activities in the Hangzhou area where he built a three naves church that is considered as one of the most beautiful of the country (1659-61). The church was hardly built that he died of cholera (1661).
Post-mortem phenomena
According to the attestation of Prosper Intorcetta (in
Litt. Annuae, 1861) his body was found undecayed twenty years after; it became a long-standing object of cult not only for Christians, until in 1877, suspecting idolatry, the hierarchy had it buried again.
Contemporary appreciations
Today's scientists are more and more interested in the works of Martini; he is acclaimed as the father of Chinese geographical science. During an international convention organized in the city of
Trento (his birthplace) a member of the Chinese academy of Social Sciences, the Professor Ma Yong said :
Martini was the first to study the history and geography of China with rigorous scientific objectivity; the extend of his knowledge of the Chinese culture, the accuracy of his investigations, the depth of his understanding of things Chinese are examples for the modern sinologists. Ferdinand von Richthofen calls Martini
the leading geographer of the Chinese mission, one who was unexcelled and hardly equalled, during the XVIII century ... There was no other missionary, either before or after, who made such diligent use of his time in acquiring information about the country. (China, I, 674 sq.)
Works
- Martini's most important work is Novus Atlas Sinensis (Amsterdam 1655), with 17 maps and 171 pages of text, a work which is, according to Richthofen, the most complete geographical description of China that we possess, and through which Martini has become the father of geographical learning on China.
- Of the great chronological work which Martini had planned, and which was to comprise the whole Chinese history from the earliest age, only the first part appeared: Sinicæ Historiæ Decas Prima (Munich 1658), which reached until the birth of Jesus.
- His De Bello Tartarico Historia (Anvers 1654) is also important as Chinese history, for Martini himself had lived through the frightful occurrences which brought about the overthrow of the ancient Ming dynasty. The works have been repeatedly published and translated into different languages.
- Interesting as missionary history is his Brevis Relatio de Numero et Qualitate Christianorum apud Sinas, (Brussels, 1654).
- Besides these, Martini wrote a series of theological and apologetical works in Chinese, including a De Amicitia (Hangzhou, 1661) that could have been the first anthology of Western authors available in China (Martini's selection fished mainly into Ancient Rome and Greek language writings).
- Several works, among them a Chinese translation of the works of Francisco Suarez, still exist in his handwriting. Of these is notable his Grammatica Sinica, which he brought along and donated to Jacobus Golius, and that couldn't be printed because of the impossibility to reproduce Chinese characters. This very copy is still preserved in the Anvers Royal Library; over time many others were made.
Bibliography
- BOLOGNANI, B., L'Europa scopre il volto della Cina; Prima biografia di Padre Martino Martini, Trento, 1978.
- DEMARCHI, F. and SCARTEZZINI, R. (eds), M.Martini a Humanist and Scientist in XVIIth century China, Trento, 1996.
References
