Carta que el pe. Mestre francisco escrevio de Maluco para los de la companhia a x de mayo de 1546.
This abstract describes a historically significant ecclesiastical letter, dated 10 May 1546 and signed ‘Franciscus’, composed in Évora and addressed to fellow members of the Society of Jesus. The document is a first-person missionary account detailing plans and activities in Portuguese Asia between...
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| Format: | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Published: |
1546-05-10
|
| Subjects: |
Cape Comorin
;
Ceylon
;
Divine Providence
;
Francis Xavier, Saint
;
Macau
;
Malacca
;
Maluco
;
Martyrdom
;
Moluccas
;
Portuguese Asia
;
Society of Jesus
;
Solor
;
St. Francis Xavier
;
Ternate
;
Tidore
;
evangelization
;
native Christians
;
Manuscripts
|
| Online Access: | https://macau-legacy.usj.edu.mo/docs/GS8KJLBY/viewer_GS8KJLBY.html |
| Summary: | This abstract describes a historically significant ecclesiastical letter, dated 10 May 1546 and signed ‘Franciscus’, composed in Évora and addressed to fellow members of the Society of Jesus. The document is a first-person missionary account detailing plans and activities in Portuguese Asia between 1545 and 1546, with particular focus on Cape Comorin, Ceylon, Malacca, the Moluccas, and an ambiguously identified eastern fortress—possibly Ternate, Tidore, or Solor—and referencing the Macacar Islands (interpreted here as Macau archipelago or adjacent coastal settlements under nascent Portuguese ecclesiastical oversight). Key figures include N. Diego (recipient), M. Fr. Eforenio de Matuo (co-signatory), Friar de Mansilhas, and an unnamed Spanish priest; contextual evidence strongly suggests the author is St Francis Xavier, though he remains unnamed in the text. The letter outlines pastoral arrangements—including the deployment of priests and Franciscans among native Christians (*xpanos*)—describes evangelisation efforts, theological reflections on martyrdom and divine providence, logistical challenges of maritime travel, and urgent appeals for additional missionaries to counter Islamic influence in the Moluccas. It contains period-specific terminology, colonial administrative references, and Lusophone linguistic forms (*xpanos*, *sesmaria*, *cauces*, *catinos*), all preserved as integral to the historical record for scholarly analysis. Entry number 13 in catalogue "Jesuítas na Ásia" |
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