Monte Corvino, John De

Monte Corvino, John De (chiefly known on account of his wonderful missionary labors in the East), a native of France, was born in 1247. By papal authority Monte Corvino visited India in 1291, and thence proceeded to China, where he was kindly received by the emperor Kublai Khan, who permitted him to build a church at Peking, then called Cambalu. In spite of the opposition he met, not only from Pagans, but also from Nestorians, he seems to have been so successful that as a result of eleven years' labor he baptized nearly 6000 persons and gathered 150 children, whom he taught Greek and Latin, and for whom he composed sundry devotional works. He also translated into the Tartar language all of the N.T. and Psalms. The success which attended his labors caused Clement V to constitute him archbishop of Peking in 1307, and seven bishops were sent to him as suffragans. His death occurred in 1330, and scarcely forty years passed before the results of his life-work were almost annihilated by the Ming dynasty, which expelled his successors. See Williams, Middle Kingdom (see Index in volume 2); Newcomb, Cyclop. of Missions. (H.W.T.)