A PASSAGE THROUGH INDIA : JESUIT MISSIONARIES EN ROUTE TO EAST ASIA, 1570-1700
This article examines the experiences of Jesuit missionaries traveling from Europe to East Asia between 1570 and 1700, focusing on their mandatory and often protracted transit through Goa. While the capital of the *Estado da Índia* and its Colégio de São Paulo served as the spiritual and administrat...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
July 2002
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40003/2680 |
| Summary: | This article examines the experiences of Jesuit missionaries traveling from Europe to East Asia between 1570 and 1700, focusing on their mandatory and often protracted transit through Goa. While the capital of the *Estado da Índia* and its Colégio de São Paulo served as the spiritual and administrative epicenter for the Society of Jesus in Asia, they also represented a significant logistical bottleneck for those destined for the China and Japan missions. Drawing on contemporary missionary correspondence and administrative records, Liam M. Brockey analyzes the reasons for the prolonged layovers missionaries endured on the banks of the Mandovi River. He argues that these delays were driven by a combination of environmental factors—such as monsoon cycles and maritime schedules—and the deliberate interventions of local Jesuit superiors who frequently diverted personnel to address the immediate needs of the Indian missions. The study explores the resulting tensions between the missionaries' apostolic zeal for the East Asian frontier and the bureaucratic constraints of the Jesuit hierarchy in Goa. By highlighting these internal frictions and the strategic function of the Colégio de São Paulo as a training and marshalling post, the article provides a nuanced perspective on the complex human and logistical factors that shaped the Catholic expansion in early modern Asia. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |