Relazione del martirio de' Padri F. Pietro Martire Sans... F. Francesco Serrano ... F. Giovanni Alcober, F. Giovacchino Royo, e F. Francesco Diaz dell' Ord de' Pred, accaduto nella Provincia di Fokien nell Impero della Cina negli anni 1747 e 1748

Rome: Girolamo Mainardi, 1752. FIRST EDITION. Hardcover. Fine. Bound in 19th c. quarter leather and marbled boards (worn at extremities, corners slightly damaged). Front paste-down with early Jesuit library label; title-page with woodcut vignette; early repair to the bottom margin of the title, scattered light spotting, a very good copy. FIRST EDITION of this collection of texts relating to the five Spanish Dominican missionaries martyred in China 1747 and 1748. Each had spent years ministering to Chinese Christians in secret, disguising themselves as peasants. Ultimately captured, they were beaten and tortured, and ultimately executed.

The (truncated) author, Padre Giampietro di Mantova (1706-1756), also gives an account of his voyage from Venice to Macao in 1745 and includes a history of the Dominican missions there. The work is based on a 44-page pamphlet in Spanish originally published in Manila in 1746.

The Five Martyrs:

"After the publication of a libel against the Christians of Fu-ngan (Fú'ān), in Fu-kien (Fújiàn), the viceroy of the province gave orders to inquire into the state of the Catholic religion, the result of which was that a dreadful prosecution broke out in 1746, during the reign of Emperor K'ien lung (the Qianlong Emperor).

“The victims of this persecution were all Spanish Dominicans; the following were arrested: Juan Alcober (b. at Girone in 1649); Francisco Serrano Frías, Bishop of Tipasa, and coadjutor the vicar Apostolic; and Francisco Diaz (b. in 1712, at Ecija); finally the vicar Apostolic; Pedro Martyr Sanz (b. in 1680, at Asco, Tortosa), Bishop of Mauricastra, and Joachim Royo (b. at Tervel in 1690) surrendered.

“The priests’ captors branded the characters "囚犯" ("criminal") onto their faces. After they had been cruelly tortured, the viceroy sentenced them to death on 1 November, 1746; Sanz was martyred on 26 May, 1747; his companions shared his fate; the five Dominican martyrs were beatified by Leo XIII, on 14 May, 1893." (New Catholic Encyclopedia).

Appended to the present work are letters, in Latin with parallel Italian translations, written by the Master of the Dominican order, Antonin Brémond (master from 1748-1755); and two formal statements by Pope Benedict XIV delivered in consistory, all concerning these martyrs. (Inventory #: 5113)