Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was a Spanish missionary and one of forerunners that preached Roman Catholicism in China.

In 1525, he got to know the founder of the Society of Jesus in Paris and became a member of the society. Later, he was sent to India to do missionary work in 1541. Afterwards, he went to Japan and his missionary work was very successful.

In 1552, he arrived at a small island near Guangzhou and planned to enter the mainland from there. But as the then Ming Dynasty government rejected Roman Catholicism, he failed to enter the mainland. In December that year, he contracted malaria and died soon.