CARLO ORAZIO da CASTORANO. - Celebrated missionary and sinologist, b. at Castorano (Ascoli Piceno) on 20 May 1673, to Francesco di Orazio and Diamante Guglielmi, d. 1 Feb. 1755. He took the habit of the Observants in 1690. On 30 Apr. 1698 he departed for China, where he arrived in 1701. Mons. Chiesa (v.) retained him with himself in the apostolic vicariate of Shantung, and in 1707 appointed him his vicar general. He had much to suffer, especially after the death of his most beloved bishop (1721), at the hands of his rivals and because of the subsequent persecution against the Christians (1724). In order that the Holy See might be kept fully informed of everything, he resolved to depart for Rome (1734). Already advanced in years, he was persuaded by the Pope himself to remain in Italy with his relatives, and was assigned an adequate pension.
Numerous and interesting are the books he wrote, mostly unpublished, among which the foremost is the Dizionario latino-italiano-sinico, both of words and of Chinese characters.