PIROMALLI, Paolo. — Dominican theologian and missionary, b. at Siderno (Reggio Calabria) in 1591, d. at Bisignano (Calabria) in 1667. He entered the religious life at S. Giorgio Morgeto and studied at Soriano Calabro. He founded a Dominican convent at Siderno (1628) and served as master of novices in Rome (S. Maria sopra Minerva).
In 1631 he was sent by the Congregation of Propaganda Fide as a missionary to Greater Armenia; he converted a great number of schismatics and Eutychians, including Patriarch Ciriaco Vartabiet and Moise III. On two occasions, by order of Urban VIII, he traveled to Poland to calm the disturbances caused by disputes with the Armenians. In 1642 he went to Persia, then to India (1652) and Africa (1654), where he fell into the hands of Algerian corsairs, who did not release him until after fourteen months and upon payment of a ransom. He was created Archbishop of Naaschivan (1656) and returned to Armenia; after eight years he was transferred to the diocese of Bisignano in Calabria (15 Dec. 1664).
He spared no effort to promote the conversion of schismatics. For this purpose he composed an Armenian grammar, an Armenian-Latin dictionary, a Persian dictionary, and various theological treatises, including *De oecologia Salvatoris nostri* and *Apologia de duplici natura Christi, ex s. Cirillo Alexandrino*, published together (Vienna 1656).