Notícias
The Apostle of Brazil: José de Anchieta
Published in
Apr 04, 2022 08:39 AM
Updated in
Apr 05, 2022 05:30 PM
Arrived in Brazil in 1553, the Jesuit José de Anchieta is considered one of the founders of the city of São Paulo, being also involved in the foundation of the city of Rio de Janeiro; these are now the 1st and the 3rd largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere.
In a day like today, in 2014, more than four centuries after his death, Anchieta was canonized by Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself. Saint José de Anchieta, known as "the Apostle of Brazil", thanks to his constant travels along the coast, encouraged the occupation of the interior.
Anchieta was a playwright, poet, historian, writing in Portuguese, Castilian, Latin and Tupi, which he learned from the natives. He became fluent in Tupi language and wrote the “Art of the Grammar of the Most Used Language on the Coast of Brazil”, published in Portugal, in 1595.
For political reasons, the Jesuits were expelled from the country in 1759. Now, the ruins of São Miguel das Missões, a Jesuit reduction in the South of Brazil, part of the Seven Peoples of Missions and UNESCO world heritage site, remain as monument to these men’s faith and will.