BENAVIDES, MIGUEL de. – Dominican missionary and prelate, b. at Carrión de los Condes (province of Palencia) in 1552, d. at Manila on 26 June 1605 or 26 July 1607 in the reputation of sanctity. A friar from 1567, after studying under Bañez and then teaching at the college of S. Gregorio in Valladolid, he joined the ven. Giovanni Crisostomo, who was gathering missionaries for the Far East, becoming one of the founders of the province of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines.
In the years 1586–1587 he undertook the journey to Manila, where he was the first Spanish missionary to learn Chinese in order to catechize the many Chinese residing there, for whom he also erected the hospital of S. Gabriele. In 1589 he went to China, where he was imprisoned and expelled. Sent by his confrères and by the bishop Domenico Salazar of Manila, in 1590 he went to Madrid as procurator of the Philippine province and to conduct important affairs before the Real Consejo de las Indias. Appointed bishop of Nueva Segovia (Philippines) on 30 August 1595, B. was consecrated in 1597 in Mexico. He continued his zeal for souls, charity, and exemplary poverty as archbishop of Manila from 7 October 1602. He founded the distinguished college of S. Tommaso in Manila, which later became the celebrated university of the same name.
A Vocabolario chino muy facil is attributed to him (or to Giovanni Cobo); he wrote reports to the king and his Council, and to Clement VIII.