MAIGROT, CHARLES. - Born in Paris in 1652, died in Rome on 28 Feb. 1730. Ordained priest in 1676 and doctor at the Sorbonne in 1678, he entered the Seminary of the Foreign Missions of Paris in 1680 and on 19 Jan. 1681 set out for China, where he arrived in 1683 with Mons. Pallu, who on 23 July 1684 appointed him provicar for Fukien, Kiang-si, and Chekiang. Upon the death of Mons. Pallu on 29 Oct. 1684, he became administrator of the missions in China and on 5 Feb. 1687 was named apostolic vicar of Fukien.
On 26 March 1693 Maigrot condemned certain Chinese rites (v.) and, in response to opposition from some missionaries, sent a copy of the prohibitions to Rome. The Holy See pronounced on the matter ten years later, and in the meantime Maigrot received a brief (15 Jan. 1697) of congratulations for his zeal in preserving the purity of the faith. The previous year (20 Oct. 1696) he had been named titular bishop of Conon and again apostolic vicar of Fukien. He received episcopal consecration on 14 March 1700 in Kiang-si (Chekiang). On 20 Nov. 1704 a decree of the Holy Office approved the prohibitions established by Maigrot. This decree was communicated to the missionaries in China by de Tournon, who brought Maigrot a papal brief of commendation dated 20 June 1702. In 1706 Maigrot went to Peking at the invitation of Emperor K’ang-hsi, who ordered him to put in writing all that in the teachings of Confucius he judged contrary to the Christian religion. The Emperor responded by exiling him, and on 8 March 1707 Maigrot embarked for Europe. On 4 May 1708 he resigned his office as apostolic vicar of Fukien and in 1709 went to Rome at the invitation of Clement XI, where he died. He was buried in the church of the Trinità dei Monti.