GOUVEA, ALEXANDER de. — Of the Third Regular Order of St. Francis, bishop of Peking, b. 2 Aug. 1751 at Evora (Portugal), d. 6 July 1808. He took religious vows in 1773 and studied at the University of Coimbra, where he earned a degree in mathematical sciences. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. Elected bishop of Peking in 1782, he received consecration at Goa on 2 Feb. 1783.
His wide learning earned him the position of president of the Tribunal of Mathematical Sciences in Peking. Despite living under a regime of persecution, he enjoyed great esteem at court and thereby obtained the consecration of several vicars apostolic. A most zealous pastor, he succeeded in calming troubled spirits and healing divisions among the missionaries. His manuscripts in Chinese, Latin, and Portuguese are preserved in the Library of the Convent of Our Lady of Jesus in Lisbon.