Meng Gao Vino is a person
John Montgovino was the first Catholic bishop to come to China and initiated the missionary cause of the Catholic Church in the Chinese nation. He has been preaching in China for more than 30 years and has baptized more than 30,000 people. According to him, he translated the Bible into Chinese, and in his letter to the Pope he wrote, "I have translated the entire New Testament and the Psalms into Chinese and asked someone to copy them in the most beautiful calligraphy." Unfortunately, however, his translation has not been circulated or discovered by archaeological excavations.
Born in Salerno, Italy, in 1247, he was born into a noble family and received a good education from an early age. At the age of about 19, he vowed to follow his vocation and soon became a Franciscan monk. Because of his talent and studiousness, he mastered the essential truths in a short time and was promoted to priesthood.
Around 1280, the Church sent Montovino as a missionary to the Middle East, and he immediately gladly went there. He has been a missionary in Armenia and Persia for nearly 10 years, and has made remarkable achievements, leading many people to the name of the Lord. In 1289, King Haydn II of Armenia appointed Mengauvino as a representative to Pope Nicholas IV.
Nicholas IV (1227-1292), the 191st pope of the papal lineage (r. 1288-1292), was born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. In his early years, he was a Franciscan friar, the first pope to be born a Franciscan friar. He relied on the Italian family of Colonna to increase the number of cardinals from the family. Like his predecessors, Nicholas III, Martin IV, and Honorius IV, he sought to maintain a balance of power between King Rudolf I of Germany in the House of Habsburg and King Charles I of Sicily in the House of Anjou.
Nicholas himself, the supreme authority of the feudal powers in Sicily, unsuccessfully demanded that the royal family of Aragon return Sicily to the House of Anjou; In 1291, through his mediation, the conflict between France and the Kingdom of Arragon ended. He tried to restore the crusaders, fantasizing about the reappearance of the miracle of the East. In 1291, the Palestinian territory of Akerburg was destroyed by the Egyptian Sultan Mamluk, and the Christian regime in the region has been extinct ever since. In order to unite the Mongols against the Arab Muslims, he sent Mendegovino as an envoy to the Ilkhanate and traveled to Khan Bali to meet Emperor Kublai Khan.
At that time, due to the westward expedition of the Mongol iron cavalry, the connection between the east and the west, which had been relatively isolated, became increasingly close. There were frequent exchanges of emissaries between the Holy See and the Mongol royal court. Nicholas IV saw that there were many people in distant China who had never heard the gospel, so he attached great importance to the missionary cause in China, and often looked for priests to preach the gospel in China. With his talent and many years of missionary experience in the East, he was the best candidate for missionary work in China. Nicholas IV sent a letter to the monarchs of the Christian countries along the route to treat Montovino and allow him to arrive in China.
In 1289, Montovino was sent to the East as a papal envoy to carry out missionary work. His approximate route was to travel overland through Eastern Europe, West Asia, Persia and other places to India, where he sailed to China. After a long journey of more than four years, he went ashore in Quanzhou in 1293 and traveled another 2,000 kilometers north to arrive in the capital of Yuan the following year.
In the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, he was received by Yuan Chengzong Timur, who inherited the religious liberalism of his grandfather Kublai Khan and gave him preferential treatment to the missionary who had traveled from afar, and soon thereafter, granted him permission to preach in China and provided him with the necessary material support. Montovino thus became the first Catholic priest to come to China as a missionary.
According to the special political, social, and cultural environment of China at that time, the early missionaries paid attention to the route of elite evangelization, believing that as long as the Chinese emperors, aristocrats, bureaucrats, and intellectuals believed in the Lord, they could lead the whole people to convert to the Lord. At the beginning of his mission, Montovino preached the gospel among the Mongol aristocracy. In less than a year, the king of the Wanggu tribe, Kolijis, and his subordinate tribes were baptized under the persuasion of Mengovino and accepted the salvation of Christ.
Kerrigis (?) -1298), a native of the Wangu tribe of Mongolia, the son of the King of the Gao Tang Dynasty, and a concubine of the Yuan Dynasty. is a legendary figure. He has a resolute personality and is both civil and military. "Sexual courage and perseverance, martial arts, especially Confucianism, build ten thousand volumes in private, discuss the scriptures and history, sexual reason, yin and yang techniques with Confucianism, and tirelessly all day long", and "in the north for the temple to worship Confucius, to celebrate the Holy Festival, and to use Chinese alone". The literary talents and martial arts are outstanding, which is worlds different from the children of the ordinary Mongolian nobles, and is unique among the nobles of the Yuan Dynasty.
Kuo Lijisi was deeply favored by the emperor, and when he was a teenager, he held important positions such as Pingzhang in Gansu and Pingzhang in the eastern province. He married two princesses in a row, which was unique at that time: first married the daughter of the prince of Kublai Khan, the daughter of the prince Zhenjin of the Yuan dynasty, the lost princess of Kublai Khan, and the step-room was the daughter of Kublai Khan's second grandson Yuan Chengzong Timur, Princess Aiya, and the female bones excavated in the left and right rooms of the main tomb in the dressing room should be these two princesses.
In the History of the Mongol Empire by the French Rainer Grousset, he said: "In the autumn of the second year of the Great Virtue (1298), the generals of the empire mistakenly dismissed part of the army because they thought that Haidu, the vassals, and the Chagatai were no longer stupid. The emperor's son-in-law, Prince Quercis, better known as Prince George, was a Turkic who had converted to Catholicism because of the Nestorian religion, and he was alone in his position, and was attacked by the armies of Haidu and Duwa in the middle of winter. He repelled the enemy three times, but was captured in the third engagement. Because he refused to surrender to Haidu, Duwa ordered him to be killed (1298). ”
In 1297, Korrigis only led more than 1,000 elite horsemen to fight with the rebel king and tens of thousands of troops. 'Rode his horse into battle, and slew them all, and did not flee on horseback. Korrigis was hit by three arrows in his body and his hair was broken. Kai returned, the edict gave three catties of gold, 1,500 catties of platinum", and since then it has been a shock to the government and the opposition.
After Emperor Chengzong ascended the throne, Ko Li Jisi took the title of King of Gaotang from his father. The rebel king Chagatai's descendant Duwa invaded the northwest, and Korrigis repeatedly asked for orders to go to quell the rebellion, and defeated the rebels again in the land of Boyasi, capturing hundreds of enemy generals. In the autumn of the following year, all the generals agreed that it was impossible for the enemy to attack in winter, but he was the only one who waited for the battle, and sure enough, the enemy attacked in a big way, and Korigis won three battles and three victories. As a result, Korigis "took advantage of the victory to chase the north, went deep into the dangerous terrain, and then could not continue to ride, and the horse fell into the enemy, so he was obsessed." After being captured, the rebel king Duwa "loves his talent and wants to surrender", wants to marry his daughter to Kuo Lijis, and let Kuo Li Jisi "take charge of the military power, thinking that it is the front", Kou Li Jisi resolutely refused: "My emperor's son-in-law is not the emperor's order, and it is okay to marry again!" Impassioned, "the enemy did not dare to force", and was finally killed.
In 1299, Mongovino built the first Catholic church in Dadu, and in 1005, a church with a capacity of 200 people was built near the palace. He adopted more than 40 orphans and taught them Latin, music, and church liturgy. Thanks to his hard work, by 1305, 6,000 had been baptized. However, his ministry was met with the jealousy of the Nestorian cultists, who framed him before the emperor for being not an envoy of the Holy See, but a spy, and he was imprisoned. But in the end, with God's help, his grievances were revealed, and the evangelization work continued.
In 1305 and 1306, Montovino sent two letters to Pope Griment V to report on the missionary situation in China, and repeatedly asked that some missionaries with "noble virtues and proficient in doctrine" be sent to China to expand their missionary affairs. Upon receipt of the letter, the Pope was so pleased with the work of Montovino that in 1307 he established the Archdiocese of Khan Bali (i.e., Beijing) and appointed him the first archbishop in charge of the Far East. He was granted the power to confer bishops, divide dioceses, and administer priesthood.
On July 22 of the same year, the Pope ordained seven bishops from the Franciscan Church to China to assist Montgovino. Of the seven, except for one who was unable to travel east due to illness and three died in India, only three Gerald, Philegren and Andrei arrived in China in 1313. Under Mongovino's leadership, the Gospel spread rapidly in China, and the Church soon established a diocese and a church in Quanzhou, the beginning of the Maritime Silk Road. Gerald then founded the first monastery in Quanzhou, with 22 monks.
In 1328, at the age of 81, Montovino fulfilled his God-given mission in the world and rested in the arms of the Lord. According to historical sources, after the death of Mongovino, many residents of the city mourned with one voice, and on the day of the funeral, Christians and non-believers sent him to the cemetery to express their deep mourning. His burial place has since become a place of worship for the people. "The archbishop has persuaded many people to become Catholics. He was an upright and zealous man, and was deeply loved by religious and non-religious people, and the emperor himself held him in great respect. ”
In addition, it may be corroborated by the fact that in 1946, a Latin tablet was unearthed near the Tonghuai Gate in Quanzhou, which was identified by scholars as Andrei's tombstone, and the inscription said "Andrea Perugia, a Franciscan priest is buried here...... the apostles of Jesus Christ" (Xu Xiaowang, Fujian General History, Song and Yuan Volumes, People's Publishing House, 2009).
Most of Fr. Montgovino's sources of information about his founding and development in China are derived from two letters he wrote to the Holy See while he was in Beijing. These two letters are quite important documents in the history of missionary work in mainland China. The letter reads as follows:
The first letter from the Pope's Special Envoy to Khitan (China), Archbishop Mongovino, dated January 8, 1305
I, Brother John Montovino of the Lesser Brotherhood, left the Persian city of Theulis in 1291 A.H. for India, where I stayed in the church of St. Thomas the Apostle in India for 13 months. There I baptized about 100 people from all over the world (the right way for Jesus to join the church). My companion on my trip was Nicolau of Pistoia, a Dominican. Unfortunately, he died in India and was buried in the hall of St. Thomas the Apostle (one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus).
I set out from India and continued on to Khitan. This was the kingdom of the Tatar emperor, who was known as the Great Khan. I pay tribute to the Great Khan (Kublai Khan) who died on February 18, 1294, shortly before Montovino arrived in Peking. Therefore, the emperor whom Mongovino met was supposed to be Yuan Chengzong, who reigned 1295-1307) presented a letter from His Majesty the Pope and advised the Catholic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a pity that he has become too superstitious about the worship of the idols of evil gods. Although he was not a religious member, he was very generous to the faithful. I've been with him for 12 years.
But those Nestorians (i.e., the Nestorian Christianity that came to China during the Tang Dynasty, that is, the Assyrian Church of the East. Originating in present-day Syria, it is a Christian denomination that split from the Greek Orthodox Orthodox Church, founded by the Syrian priest Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople in 428-431 to establish a church in Persia. Regarded as the first Christian sect to enter China, they are an active field of sinological studies) people, although they claim to be Christians, they do not behave like Christians at all; Their influence in these areas is very strong, so they do not allow Christians of any other religious rites to exist, let alone any place of religious worship, not even a small church, and certainly not to preach any doctrine different from theirs.
Since no apostle or disciple of the apostles had ever been to this place, the above-mentioned Nestorians directly or indirectly instructed us to carry out a cruel persecution by means of bribery, and proclaimed that I had not been sent by His Majesty the Pope, but that I was a spy, a great liar who had harmed the people.
Soon after, they brought in false witnesses, who falsely claimed that the Pope's emissary was someone else, who had brought the emperor a great deal of treasure, and that I had killed him in India and stolen the gifts he was carrying. The conspiracy lasted for five years, so I was often interrogated and was in constant danger of being sentenced to death and dying a shameful death. But, at last, under God's arrangement, some of them confessed to being a conspiracy, so that the Emperor knew that I was innocent and that my accusers were falsely accused, so he exiled them into exile along with their wives and children.
I have been alone on this journey for 11 years without a confession (the Sacrament of Catholicism, also known as the Sacrament of Confession or the Sacrament of Confession, is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, emphasizing the elements of change and confession). It wasn't until a year ago that a German brother, Arnold, came to us. I have built a temple in Khan Bali, which was completed six years ago. Khan Bali was the main place of residence of the emperor. I also built a bell tower and installed three bells. Here I estimate that 6,000 people have been baptized. If it weren't for the above slander, I would have baptized 30,000 people, because I am baptizing continuously.
At the same time, I bought 40 boys, who were the sons of foreign teachers, aged 7-11. At the time of purchase, they did not know any religion. We baptized them and taught them Latin and our religious rites. I wrote a hymn book and 30 hymns for them, as well as two copies of the Daily Prayer. Eleven of them have learned our manners. It's like in the Synagogue.
They automatically took turns conducting the chanting every week, and they did it whether I was present or not. Several of them were able to copy the psalms and other suitable documents. His Majesty the Emperor was very pleased to hear them sing. During the regular prayers, I rang the three bells and sang the day with the choir of the bare-knuckles. We sang from memory because we didn't have a day lesson with musical notation.
About the Good King George
In that region there was a king named Khorigith, who was a Christian of Nestorianism, a descendant of the great king John of India, who was called the Elder. He was close to me in my first year here and returned to the truth of the Catholic faith. He also received the sketch by me and was a deacon at my Mass in sacrificial garments. As a result, the other Nestorians accused him of being a traitor. He himself converted most of his people to the true Catholic faith. In addition, for the glory of God and the Holy Trinity, he donated a magnificent church, which he called "the Church of Rome" without honoring the Holy Father and the Holy Trinity.
It is a pity that the king died six years ago as a true parishioner, leaving behind a son who was still in his infancy, who was already nine years old. After the death of King Khorigith, his brothers insisted on the mistakes of the Nestorian followers, and the people who had been naturalized by the former kings were reverted to the Nestorian faith.
Since I was alone, and I could not leave the Great Khan, I could not go there to inspect the temple, for it was twenty days away. Nevertheless, if a few of my assistants and colleagues had come here, I am sure that with God's help, things would have been restored to the status quo ante, for I still have the special grace bestowed upon me by King Krikis during his lifetime.
I repeat: if it weren't for the above rumors, I would have done great things. Besides, even if I had only two or three companions and assistants, perhaps the Great Khan of the Emperor would have been baptized. I ask that if anyone wants to come, it should be someone who is eager to dedicate himself to the mission and set a good example, not someone who boasts of being "long in a tassel" (only pretending).
As for the way to come, I inform you that it is preferable to take the land route, which is shorter and safer than it passes through the territory of the Northern Tatar emperor Cothay. If you travel with a messenger, you can arrive in about five to six months. But if you take another route, the sea route, it is the farthest and most dangerous, because you have to sail two sea routes.
The first section is about the distance from Accho (a seaport city on the west coast of the Holy Land, an important stronghold of the Christian kingdom during the Crusades, and the port where the last port to return to the West) to the province of Provence (Provence, located in southeastern France, a Côte d'Azur bordering the Mediterranean, home to lavender); The distance of the second leg is equivalent to the distance from Akkor to the United Kingdom.
However, because of the war, the land route has long been unsafe and unreliable, and for this reason I have not heard from the Holy See, our Little Brotherhood, or the West for 12 years.
Two years ago, a surgeon came from Lombardy, a region of northern Italy bordering Switzerland to the north, and he spread a lot of incredibly blasphemous rumors about the Holy See, the Little Brotherhood, and the West. This makes me very sad, so I am willing to know the truth.
I implore the brethren who have received this letter to do their utmost to submit the contents of this letter to His Majesty the Pope, to the cardinals and to our brothers in general in the Holy See. Our people ask our congregation and the general president to send me one volume each of the Verses, the Biographies of the Saints, the Ascended Chants, and the Psalms, for I have nothing but a small daily chant and a short recitation. But if I have a sample, I can have the children copy it.
I am building a church so that the children can be placed in two separate places. I was old and weak, and my hair was gray, but it was because of toil and anxiety, not because of old age, because I was only 58 years old. I have learned and become fluent in the Tatar language, which is the common language of the Tatar people. I also translated the New Testament and the Psalms into that language and taught them to be written in beautiful script. I obey it publicly, read it aloud in public, and preach it to prove that Christ's laws are infallible.
During the lifetime of King Krikis, I planned with him to translate the entire Latin Daily Chanting so that it could be sung widely in the territory under his jurisdiction. During his lifetime, in his church, he often celebrated Mass in their own language according to the Latin liturgy, that is, the recitation of the Thanksgiving Sutra and the Eulogy.
The son of King Krageth took my name, and called John. In God, he wants to follow his father's watch. From what I have seen and heard, I believe that there is no king or monarch in the world who can compare with His Majesty the Great Khan in the vastness of the land, the great population, and the immense wealth.
Finish.
The eighth day of the first month of the year of Jesus (A.D.) 1305
Written in the Khitan Kingdom Khan Bari (Beijing) City
The second letter from the Pope's special envoy to Khitan (China), Archbishop Meng Gaovino, dated 13 February 1306
The useless servants of Christ, the preachers of the Christian faith, the legates of the Holy See in Rome, the Fellow of my Little Brotherhood, Brother Montovino, the Brotherhood of the Little Brotherhood (Franciscans) in Christ, the Brotherhood Presidents of the Missionary Order (Dominicans), and all the other brothers of the two orders working in Persia, greet you with respect and love in God, who is true love and salvation for all.
The Religious Order of Charity asks us to exchange letters and comfort each other when we are far away from each other, especially those who are traveling far away for the (missionary) command of Christ, since we cannot see each other. I think it may be strange to you that I have never received a letter or greeting from a brother or friend so far this year. So, it seemed to me as if no one remembered me. Especially since I've heard that rumors of my death have reached you.
Now I inform you that at the beginning of January last year, I entrusted a friend who accompanied Kotai Khan to the Khitan Khan. Through him, I sent a letter to the president, priest, and brothers in Khazaria. The letter gives you a brief description of my current situation. In that letter, I asked Father President to transcribe a copy of that letter to you. Now I have come to the Khitan Khan from a reliable man who accompanied the aforesaid envoy of the Great Khan of Kodai, through whom I have learned that my letter has been delivered to you. And the messenger with the letter went from Sarai to Thenulis. Therefore, I would like to briefly mention the following things and contents mentioned in that letter, and I will not repeat them in detail:
The first is about my persecution by the Nestorian Christians. The second is about the current state of the church and the premises that I have completed. I drew six images based on stories from the Old and New Testaments in order to teach the ignorant. Descriptions in Latin, Turkic, and Persian are available underneath the image, so that anyone who knows all three languages can understand them. Thirdly, some of the children I bought and baptized have died. Fourth, since I arrived in Tatar and Khitan, I have baptized thousands of people.
In this year, the year 1305 A.H., I have begun construction of a new church in front of the gate of the Great Khan. There is a throwing stone distance between it and the court. Peter was a devout Christian and a great businessman. He has been my traveling companion along the way since Theulis set out on his journey east. He bought that land and gave it to me out of love for God to build a church. For the construction of a Roman Catholic church, there could not have been a more suitable location throughout the Great Khan's Empire. At the beginning of August I took over the foundation, and with the help of my benefactors and donors, the construction was completed in St. Francis (October 4). The project consisted of walls, houses, simple offices, and a chapel that could accommodate 200 people. However, due to the winter season, the church was not fully completed. However, I have all the timber in the storage room. Thanks to God's mercy, I will build it next summer.
I tell you indeed, when they came from the city and elsewhere, when they saw the newly built houses and a red cross raised high on the roof, they thought it seemed like a miracle, because they had never heard of a new church before. In our little chapel, we solemnly sang the Daily Prayer in the customary way, although we did not yet have a dubbed copy of the Prayer Book. The Great Khan could hear us singing in his chambers. This was spread as a miracle among the peoples. And it is true that under God's merciful arrangement, this is a great deal.
It was about two and a half miles from my first church and dwelling to the second church we built later. Both churches are in the city, and the city is huge. I divided the children into two parts, one in the first church and the other in the second church. It is their responsibility to sing and pray. But since I am their presiding priest, I take turns to preside over in a church every other week, because children are not priests.
……
In this letter, Montovino also mentions "the Great Khan's preferential treatment of Catholics"-
With regard to the regions of the Easterners, and in particular the empire of the Great Khan, I can assert that there is no greater country in the world. I have a seat in the court of the Great Khan. And as an envoy of His Majesty the Pope, I have the right to enter the court and take a seat before the court. The Great Khan held me in greater esteem than any other bishop, regardless of title. Although the Great Khan had heard much about the Holy See and the Latin states, he was still eager to see the emissaries sent from those places.
Also in this letter, Montovino mentions India-
I've seen most of the places in India with my own eyes, and I've asked a lot about the others. If there are monks willing to preach there, there will be good results. But send only the most reliable and strong people there, and it is a beautiful place, rich in spices and precious stones. Our fruits, which are rare there. Because the temperature is very high and the climate is warm, the inhabitants are naked and unclothed, and only wrapped in a small loincloth. Therefore they do not need the skills and products of our tailors and shoemakers. It's always summer there.
From the content of Meng Gaovino's letter and travel experience, it is not difficult to see that due to the development of waterways on the Silk Road in the Yuan Dynasty, people were no longer willing to take the land route from India to China, nor were they willing to bear the bitter cold of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Pamir Plateau.