FOGOLLA, Francesco, Beato. - Bishop, missionary and martyr, b. at Montereggio in the Tuscan Garfagnana on 4 Oct. 1838, d. on 9 July 1900 in the Boxer persecution, at Tai-yuan-fu, Shansi (China). At the age of 17 he entered the Franciscan Order and at 24 he was a priest. In 1866 he set out as a missionary for China, assigned to Shansi. He learned the Chinese language with rare perfection.

An active and ardent character, he soon became the advocate of the Christians. In 1887, when the great international exhibition with a special missionary section was organized in Turin, he took part in it to represent the missions of Shansi, with much rare and curious material. He took the opportunity to make a propaganda tour in Europe on behalf of his mission, and while he was in Paris the appointment reached him as coadjutor bishop of Msgr. Grassi. In 1898 he returned to China, where his desire to die with weapons in hand was fulfilled in martyrdom. He was beatified by Pius XII on 24 Nov. 1946.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: G. Ricci, Barbarie e trionfi, 2nd ed., Florence 1900, pp. 264-424; id., Acta Martyrum Sinensium, Quarcchi 1911, passim (v. index); C. Silvestri, La testimonianza del sangue, Rome 1943, pp. 67-107 and 495-514.

Alberto Ghinato

@incollection{ec5_fogolla_francesco_besto, author = {Ghinato, Alberto}, title = {Fogolla, francesco, besto}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {1466}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/fogolla-francesco-besto} }

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Fogolla, Francesco, Beato

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