Ippolito Desideri
Ippolito Desideri (born December 21, 1684 in Pistoia , Tuscany , † April 14, 1733 in Rome ) was an Italian Jesuit who served as a missionary in Tibet in the 18th century .
Life
At the age of less than sixteen, Desideri joined the Jesuit order in Rome. There he attended the Jesuit school "Collegio Romano". Because of his great enthusiasm and the desire to bring salvation closer to others, he was chosen by Colonel General Michelangelo Tamburini for an expedition to the then almost unknown and mysterious Tibet.
Before he had completed his studies, he left Rome on September 9, 1712. A year later, he reached Goa in India by Portuguese ship and later traveled to Agra , the seat of the Jesuit mission in northern India, which he reached in September 1714. After another trip, he reached the Tibetan city of Lhasa on March 18, 1716 . The Mongol ruler in Lhasa gave him permission to rent a house and teach Christianity. Desideri learned Tibetan , took a liking to Buddhism, studied its principles and discussed them extensively with the local teachers. Desideri wrote five books in Tibetan during his missionary work. Its work was abruptly interrupted in 1721 when the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples had now entrusted the Capuchins with the Tibetan mission. He left Lhasa on April 28, 1721 and Tibet itself on December 14 of the same year. Desideri stayed in India for several years and set off for Italy in January 1727. After staying in England and France, he reached Rome in January 1728.
A modern English edition of his travelogue appeared in The Broadway Travelers collection .
Works
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To Account of Tibet. The Travels of Ippolito Desideri of Pistoia, SJ, 1712-1727. Edited by Filippo de Filippi . Routledge, London 1932 (The Broadway Travelers).
- Reprint: Routledge Shorton, 2005. ISBN 978-0-415-34678-8
- eBook: Taylor & Francis, 2014. ISBN 978-0-203-30739-7
Web links
- Desideri in Tibet by John Brzostoski (Eng.)
- Ippolito Desideri: Pioneer in the Tibetan Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
- Brief biography
- Article about Desideri and David Hume
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Desideri, Ippolito |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian Jesuit |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1684 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pistoia , Tuscany |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 14, 1733 |
| Place of death | Rome |