FDC -Commemorating Father Bettendorff

Description

From the Alzette to the Amazon

Jean-Philippe Bettendorff was born on 25 August 1625 in Lintgen (Luxembourg). After receiving a classical education in Luxembourg, Trier (Germany), Cuneo (Italy) and Douai (France), he joined the Jesuit Order and was assigned to a mission in Maranhão (Brazil) in 1659. Following his arrival in 1661, he founded the first permanent Jesuit mission on the Amazon, Aldeia dos Tapajós, which is now the major Brazilian city of Santarém. After that, he became embroiled in a conflict between the Jesuits and the colonists, who opposed measures designed to protect the indigenous population. From 1662 to 1693, he served almost continuously as rector of Jesuit colleges and as head of the mission in Maranhão.

1684 to 1688 saw Bettendorff working as a lawyer at the royal court in Lisbon, where he played an active role in defending the rights of indigenous peoples, which led to the passing of the Regimento das Missões (1686), a law that ensured the protection of indigenous peoples in Brazil until the 19th century.

In addition to his missionary work, Bettendorff was involved in promoting the economy (e.g. by introducing cocoa cultivation), as well as proliferating the Baroque style through his artistic endeavours. He was also active in the field of ethnography, and was the first European to discover the guaraná plant. He wrote a catechism for the indigenous people, founded brotherhoods and pilgrimages, and wrote an important chronicle about the mission. Bettendorff died on 5 August 1698 in Belém (Brazil).