PIROMALLI, PAOLO. - Dominican theologian and missionary, born at Siderno (Reggio Calabria) in 1591, died at Bisignano (Calabria) in 1667. He entered religious life at S. Giorgio Morgeto and studied at Soriano Calabro. He founded a Dominican convent at Siderno (1628) and was 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 to the Catholic faith a great number of schismatics and Eutychians, among them Patriarch Ciriaco Vartabiet and Moise III. By order of Urbano VIII, he went twice 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 restore his freedom until 14 months later and upon payment of a ransom. Appointed archbishop of Naaschivan (1656), he returned to Armenia; after 8 years he was transferred to the diocese of Bisignano in Calabria (15 Dec. 1664).
He spared no effort in all that could promote the conversion of the schismatics. To this end he composed an Armenian grammar, an Armenian-Latin vocabulary, a Persian vocabulary, and various theological treatises, including De oeconomia Salvatoris nostri and Apologia de duplici natura Christi, ex s. Cirillo Alexandrino, published together (Vienna 1656).
Alfonso D'Amato