Adam Beckers (1744-1806), (ex-) Jesuit in Amsterdam, and the Restoration of the Society of Jesus

At the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773 the Jesuits in the Dutch Republic were not bothered by its government. Thus many of them could remain in their stations, keep their properties and continue to function as priests, in contrast to their confreres elsewhere. Fr Adam Beckers of the station De Krijtberg in Amsterdam, founded in 1654, became the driving force among several attempts of the Society’s restoration. Thanks to a large collection of letters he exchanged with (ex-)　Jesuits and others in Russia, Belgium, England and the United States it is possible to get a detailed account of the period between suppression and restoration. Beckers also was the man who sent young Jan-Philip Roothaan (1785-1853) to Russia, who would become General of the Society of Jesus in 1829.

Beyond Suppression and Restoration: the Jesuits in China, an Essay at Some Reading of History

Among the various causes that may have led to the worldwide suppression in 1773 of the Society of Jesus, the Chinese Rites theological controversy in Europe (Paris and Rome in particular) has been mentioned more often than not. This essay at some reading of the events will focus on how the suppression of the Jesuit order has been lived by some of them and mainly in Beijing where the Controversy flared up in a flurry of ecclesiastical decrees while the life of Christian communities in the provinces of China continued to grow. Attention will be paid as far as possible to the historical context as much as it can explain the worldwide restoration in 1814 of the Jesuits. Yet the decision by Pope Pius VII did not take effect in China before 1840, that is at a time when the country was entering the painful period of humiliations by Western powers. How Jesuits of the restored Society of Jesus were sent to the field in such a context should merit more attention.　Would the seeds of friendship beyond controversies sown by Matteo Ricci and his brothers three centuries ago perish in the turmoil? Such a question remains valid as it is still based on hope.

Suppression and Restoration of the Society of Jesus in China

Fr. Mateos' thirty-eight pages well-documented paper is based on Jesuit correspondence and original documents and depicts three main climax periods of the Jesuit exile in China; suppression of the Society, tribulation of its former members and then their final incorporation into the New Society. The paper gives overview of the Jesuits' geographical dispersion and activities in various locations in China; it also stresses the crucial role of superiors and their decisions, their sorrows and afflictions especially manifested by Fathers; François Bourgeois, Superior of the French Jesuits and by Jean Amiot, an astronomer and writer. In 1778, Fr. Louis de Poirot, one from five ex-Jesuits who survived in Peking wrote several letters to the Congregation of Propaganda, requesting the re-establishment of the Society of Jesus in China. In the end, the 78-year-old de Poirot remained in Peking alone, and peacefully passed away on December 13, 1813, eight months before the solemn publication of Pius VII’s Bull, “Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum”, restoring the Society of Jesus in the whole world. Here comes account of the revival of the Jesuit presence in China, its circumstances, challenges and opportunities opened to the Chinese mission in the New Society. Fernando Mateos, SJ, 沈起元 is long date historian of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus. He is also a member of the Taipei Ricci Institute. He authored several books: China: mission de dolor, Siglo de las Missiones, Bilbao, 1961; China, Operación Fuga, Mensajero, Bilbao, 1967; China Jesuits in East-Asia: Starting from zero, 1949-1957, TEC, Taibei, 1995; and co-authored Diccionario Español de la Lengua China, Espasa-Calpe, Madrid, 1977.

The Last Remaining Jesuits in China after Suppression

This paper will attempt to show the situation of the Jesuits in China and Russia through Fr. Louis de Poirot (1735–1813 賀清泰)’s life. He was the last remaining Jesuit in China and was in contact with the Jesuits from the Old Society. He was also the last of the Western painters who worked for Emperor Qianlong along with Fr. Giuseppe Panzi. The two painters replaced the more famous Fathers Giuseppe Castiglione and Jean-Denis Attiret. He was also in charge of the translation of Latin and Manchu for the diplomatic correspondence between Peking and Saint Petersburg and was the first to translate most of the Bible into Chinese and Manchu. The paper will show the attitude of Chinese Emperor and other officials towards the suppression; did they even care about the suppression of the Jesuits? What’s of any concern to them? At the end I will present a precious letter written by Fr. General Brzozowski on Sept. 25, 1806 and sent with the help of the Russian ecclesiastical mission to Fr. Louis de Poirot asking him whether he had received Fr. Gruber’s permission to rejoin the Society. He also enquired him about the situation of the other Fathers living in China and serving the Chinese Church, as well as about attempts done by Jesuits to enter China.

The Gothic Revival and the Architecture of the “New” Society of Jesus in Macao and China

The Society of Jesus rose phoenix-like in the Middle Kingdom after the return of the Jesuits to their China mission in 1841. After a historical overview of the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal and Spain, this presentation considers a number of significant art-historical developments connected with the restoration of the Society in China. A first section discusses the vicissitudes that awaited the Jesuits after their return to Macao in 1862 and studies the fate of two of their most famous foundations in the Far East, the Church of St. Paul’s and the Church of St. Joseph. The following section examines two selected buildings, namely, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Beijing, and the Cathedral of Saint Ignatius, Xujiahui, Shanghai and how the European Gothic-revival influenced their plans and styles.