PAOLINO di SAN BARTOLOMEO. – In the world Filippo Weszdin, a discalced Carmelite, missionary, and Orientalist, born on 25 April 1748 in Hof an der Leitha (Lower Austria), died in Rome on 7 February 1806. From 1776 to 1780 he worked in the Malabar mission as a missionary, then as rector of the seminary for the indigenous clergy, and subsequently as vicar general of the bishop and apostolic visitor. He acquired such extensive knowledge of the languages, customs, and religious beliefs of those peoples that, through his works on these subjects—especially his grammar of the Sanskrit language (the first published by a European)—he came to be regarded as a true pioneer in making India known to Europe. Recalled to Rome (1790) to supervise the printing of Malabar books, he was professor of Oriental languages at the Seminary of the Missions (1790), prefect of the Urban College of Propaganda Fide, and then rector of the aforementioned Seminary (1803).
His principal works are: Systema Brahmanicum liturgicum mythologicum civile (there 1791); Alphabeta Indica (there 1791); Centum adagia Malabarica cum textu originali et versione latina (there 1791); Examen historico-criticum codicum Indiorum Bibliothecae S. Congr. de Prop. Fide (there 1792); Musei Borgiani Velitris codicei manuscripti Avenes, Peguani, Siamici, Malabarici... (there 1793); Mumiographia Musei Obizioni (there 1799); Monumenti indici del Museo Naniano illustrati (there 1799); Vydcarana, seu locupletissima Samscridamicae linguae institutio (there 1804); Vitae synopsis Stephani Borgiae, S. R. E. cardinalis... (there 1805).
Ambrogio di Santa Teresa