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Francis Xavier

Type Figure Region Spain Time 1506–1552 Also known as Saint Francis Xavier、Xavier

Spanish Jesuit and pioneering missionary to early modern East Asia. Co-founder of the Society of Jesus with Ignatius of Loyola, he was dispatched to …

Timeline

  1. 1506–1540Javier · NavarreBorn at the Castle of Xavier in Navarre, Spain, he met Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris, taking vows together with him in 1534, and became one of the first members after the Society of Jesus was formally established in 1540.
  2. 1542–1549Goa · GoaSent to Asia in 1541 by the King of Portugal, he based himself in Goa, evangelizing along the Indian coast, in Sri Lanka, and on the Malay Peninsula, learning local languages and establishing networks of churches and schools.
  3. 1549–1551Yamaguchi · Chūgoku regionArriving in Japan in 1549 via Malacca, he evangelized around Kagoshima, Yamaguchi, and Kyoto, coming into contact with daimyo and Buddhist clergy, and first introducing Christianity to Japan in a systematic way; he returned to India in 1551 to prepare for China.
  4. 1552Shangchuan Island · GuangdongIn 1552 he planned to enter mainland China to evangelize but, blocked by the maritime ban and visa restrictions, was stranded on Shangchuan Island, where he died of malaria on December 3 of that year; his remains were later shipped back to Goa for burial.

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