AYUTTHAYA HISTORICAL RESEARCH



THE FRANCISCAN CHURCH MADRE DE DEUS





The Franciscan Church (1) was situated outside the city island of Ayutthaya in the southern area, in the Samphao Lom Sub-district. The Church of the Franciscan sect was one of the three Roman Catholic churches in the Portuguese settlement the other two were the Church of San Petro for the Dominican sect and the Church of San Paolo for the Jesuit sect. The Franciscan Church was the most northern of the Portuguese settlement, which stood opposite the Japanese village, overlooking the Chao Phraya River (old Lopburi River).

Little is known about the Franciscan missionary work in Siam at that time. The Franciscans opened a mission in Ayutthaya in 1582 CE (during the reign of King Maha Thammaratcha, 1569-1590 CE) on the decision of their headquarters in Malacca. Father Jeronimo de Aguilar was appointed vicar general of the mission and sent to Siam.

Shortly after, a group of Franciscan friars on the way from Macao to Europe via Malacca called by and joined the mission in Ayutthaya. The group consisted of the Father Superior Augustin de Tordesillas, Martin Ignacio de Loyola, Juan Bautista Lucarelli and Juan Probe. The group, though, decided to return to Macao on account of the father superior's grave infirmity and planned to organise a more efficient missionary expedition to Siam at a later stage.




(The logo of the Franciscan Order - retrieved from franciscanseculars.com)



The missionary expedition started eight months later with the same group. It was expanded by Jeronimo de Aguilar, Francisco de Montilla and Diego Jimenez, intending to provide spiritual care for the Portuguese and other Christians of different origins.


The Siamese King, observing the arrival of the large group of priests, ordered a proper monastery of stone and lime build. In 1585 CE, the monastery, called 'Madre de Deus' (Mother of God), was inaugurated. The friary had a cloister and many dormitories (obviously intending to train local clergy), workshops and a church. [1]


The same year, Father Antonio da Madalena was sent to Siam. He stayed till 1588 CE.


After 1588 CE, there was apparently a period in which no Franciscan friars were present in Ayutthaya. Because the Dominican mission was abandoned for unknown reasons, the Franciscans decided to re-open their mission and sent Father Gregorio Ruiz in 1593 CE. [2]





(Groundplan of the Portuguese settlement by Pratipat Poompongpaet)



After King Naresuan (reign 1590-1605 CE) took Lovek (Cambodia) in 1594 CE, he returned with many captives of all feathers. Three Franciscan friars, Gregério da Cruz, Anténio da Madalena and Damiao da Torre, were kept captive in Siam. When later released, only Friar Silvestre de Azeveclo returned to Cambodia.“


There were captive Portuguese who were troublesome to such a point that the King forbade the Portuguese and the religious to leave Ayutthaya. The missionary activity had ups and downs as the Portuguese quarrels with the Siamese influenced it.


Before the turn of the century, the king dispatched a Portuguese Merchant, Diego Veloso (Belloso), as an ambassador to Manila to seek Spanish support for his army and strengthen his international alliances. However, Veloso betrayed the king by conspiring with the ruler of Cambodia against Siam. This act of treachery brought trouble for all missionaries, who were blamed for Veloso's high treason. Consequently, the missionaries were prohibited from preaching the gospel and placed under strict police supervision.


The mission was also marred by bloodshed. On 21 March 1600 CE, a newly baptised wife of a Japanese businessman was stabbed to death in the Franciscan church in full view of the congregation by her husband when learning of his wife’s conversion after returning from a trip. [3]


Friar Ruiz left for Spain in 1603 CE. Other Franciscans who continued the mission were Friar André do Espírito Santo (1606-1611 CE), Friar André de Santa Maria (1610-1616 CE) and Friar André Pereira. [4]





(The Franciscan Church on a 1993 CE Fine Arts Department Map)



After the Don Fernando De Silva incident of 1624 CE - in which the Portuguese captured a Dutch yacht in Siamese waters - all the Portuguese in Siam fell out of favour. In 1628 CE, a Siamese junk was sunk by the Portuguese and at the end of that year, a state of war existed between Siam and Portugal. All this was, of course, not very favourable for the Franciscan mission, and I presume it was left abandoned in that period. (2)


On 9 April 1639 CE, a Portuguese Embassy from Macao arrived in Bangkok headed by Ambassador Captain Francisco d'Aguiar Evangelho, intending to restore diplomatic and trade relations. The Franciscan friar, António de S. Domingos, accompanied him. The Ambassador requested the Siamese King that the priest be allowed to remain on his account and be given the right to practice religious belief in freedom and have access to the court. He was also asked to provide a stipend of 4 Taels. King Prasat Thong apparently agreed with the request. [5]


When the French missionaries arrived at Ayutthaya in 1662 CE, two Franciscan priests were active, next to four Jesuits, two Dominicans, and three secular priests.


Other Franciscan missionaries were Friar Luis da Madre de Deos (1673-1689 CE), arriving in 1673 CE. The Friars Agostinho de S. Mónica and Francisco de S. Bonaventura arrived in 1755 CE. [6]


The settlement was destroyed during the Burmese attack on Ayutthaya in 1767 CE.



Gervaise did not report the Franciscan Church in his work "The Natural and Political History of the Kingdom of Siam". He mentions only two Catholic Portuguese churches being, the Church of Santo Domingo and the Church of Santo Paulo. [7]

Neither Simon de La Loubère in his "A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam" refers to the Franciscan Church. On his map, he also mentions only the Churches of the Portuguese Jacobins and Jesuits. [8]

Phraya Boran Ratchathanin's map, drafted in 1926 CE, indicates the ruins of the Jesuit and Jacobin churches (but in a wrong position), but not the ruins of the Franciscan Church.

The Franciscan Church is shown on the Fine Arts Department map of 1956 CE as the ‘Portuguese Church’ on the 1974 CE FAD map as ‘Wat Portugues’ and on the 1993 CE FAD map as ‘Wat Portugues Franciscan’. Even with the help of these three maps, the exact location is difficult to pinpoint.

The area of the Franciscan Church, to my knowledge, has not yet been excavated as the area is private land. The church's location is mentioned on a plan of the Portuguese settlement drafted somewhere in the eighties when the Dominican Church was excavated. The plan also indicates the location of the San Paulo Church, but after excavation of that specific area, the location proved incorrect. The question remains in how far the location of the Franciscan Church on this plan would be well correct.

Based on this plan, I tentatively indicated the presumed location of the Franciscan church in the aerial picture below (14° 20' 14.9" N, 100° 34' 28.7" E). I have been told that there are still foundations of the church covered under vegetation, based on a quick survey done at the time of the excavation of the Dominican Church.




Footnotes:

(1) The Franciscans, also known as the "Friars Minor" or the "Grey Friars", were founded by St. Francis of Assisi (Italy, 1182-1226 CE) and received oral papal approval by Innocent III in 1209 CE and formal papal confirmation by Honorius III in 1223 CE.
(2) In 1624 CE, Don Fernando de Silva, a Spanish captain, attacked the Dutch VOC yacht ‘Zeelandt’ in Siamese territorial waters at night. King Songtham ordered the attack of the Spaniards. A fierce battle ensued wherein 150 Spaniards were killed the remaining Spaniards were thrown in prison, and their two ships confiscated. [Ref: Villiers, John (1986) - François Caron and Joost Schouten - A True Description of the Mighty Kingdoms of Japan and Siam - a facsimile of the 1671 London edition - The Siam Society, Bangkok Van Vliet, Jeremias. The Short History of the Kings of Siam. Bangkok: The Siam Society, 1975 (Translated by David Wyatt)]

References:

[1] Iraola, Antton Egiguren (2007). True Confucians, bold Christians: Korean missionary experience, a model for the third millennium - Antton Egiguren Iraola. Brill Academic.
[2] Chumsriphan, Surachai (1990). The great role of Jean-Louis Vey, apostolic vicar of Siam (1875-1909), in the church history of Thailand during the reformation period of King Rama V, the great (1868-1910) - - Dissertatio ad Doctoratum in Facultate Historiae Ecclesiasticae Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae (Roma, 1990).
[3] Iraola, Antton Egiguren (2007). True Confucians, bold Christians: Korean missionary experience, a model for the third millennium - Antton Egiguren Iraola. Brill Academic.
[4] Chumsriphan, Surachai (1990). The great role of Jean-Louis Vey, apostolic vicar of Siam (1875-1909), in the church history of Thailand during the reformation period of King Rama V, the great (1868-1910) - Dissertatio ad Doctoratum in Facultate Historiae Ecclesiasticae Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae (Roma, 1990).
[5] Ruangsilp, Bhawan (2007). Dutch East India Company Merchants at the Court of Ayutthaya: Dutch Perceptions of the Thai Kingdom, Ca. 1604-1765. BRILL, Leiden-Boston.
[6] The great role of Jean-Louis Vey, apostolic vicar of Siam (1875-1909), in the church history of Thailand during the reformation period of King Rama V, the great (1868-1910) - Surachai Chumsriphan - Dissertatio ad Doctoratum in Facultate Historiae Ecclesiasticae Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae (Roma, 1990).
[7] Gervaise, Nicolas (Paris,1688). The Natural and Political History of the Kingdom of Siam. Translated and edited by John Villiers (1998). White Lotus Press, Bangkok. p. 152.
[8] Loubère, Simon (de la) (1693). A new Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam (2 Tomes). London. Edited by John Villiers. Bangkok: White Lotus, 1986.



When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
(Alexis de Tocqueville)





HISTORY OF AYUTTHAYA



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