Dominique Lefèbvre
Encyclopedia
Dominique Lefèbvre was a French missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society
, Bishop
of Isauropolis in partibus infidelium, and Vicar Apostolic in Vietnam
during the 19th century. His imprisonment in Vietnam was a pretext for the first French naval interventions in the country.
Dominique Lefèbvre arrived in Vietnam in 1835. At the time, it was illegal for missionaries to enter the country to proselytise. In 1845 Lefèbvre was condemned to death. The US Captain John Percival
of the USS Constitution
failed in his attempts to have him released, but managed to inform Admiral Jean-Baptiste Cécille
who obtained his release.
Later Dominique Lefèbvre again re-entered Vietnam, and was again imprisoned. In 1847, Cécille sent two warships (Gloire and Victorieuse) under Captains Lapierre and Rigault de Genouilly to Danang (Tourane) in Vietnam to obtain the liberation of two imprisoned French missionaries, Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre (imprisoned for a second time as he had re-entered Vietnam secretly) and Duclos, and freedom of worship for Catholics in Vietnam. As negotiations drew on without results, on April 15, 1847 a fight named the Bombardment of Đà Nẵng erupted between the French fleet and Vietnamese ships, three of them being sunk as a result. The French fleet then sailed away.
Dominique Lefèbvre died in Vietnam in 1865.
Paris Foreign Missions Society
The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious order, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons dedicated to missionary work in foreign lands....
, Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Isauropolis in partibus infidelium, and Vicar Apostolic in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
during the 19th century. His imprisonment in Vietnam was a pretext for the first French naval interventions in the country.
Dominique Lefèbvre arrived in Vietnam in 1835. At the time, it was illegal for missionaries to enter the country to proselytise. In 1845 Lefèbvre was condemned to death. The US Captain John Percival
John Percival
John Percival known as Mad Jack Percival was a legendary officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:Born in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, Percival left home at thirteen to...
of the USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
failed in his attempts to have him released, but managed to inform Admiral Jean-Baptiste Cécille
Jean-Baptiste Cécille
Jean-Baptiste Thomas Médée Cécille was a French Admiral and politician who played an important role in Asia.-Military career:...
who obtained his release.
Later Dominique Lefèbvre again re-entered Vietnam, and was again imprisoned. In 1847, Cécille sent two warships (Gloire and Victorieuse) under Captains Lapierre and Rigault de Genouilly to Danang (Tourane) in Vietnam to obtain the liberation of two imprisoned French missionaries, Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre (imprisoned for a second time as he had re-entered Vietnam secretly) and Duclos, and freedom of worship for Catholics in Vietnam. As negotiations drew on without results, on April 15, 1847 a fight named the Bombardment of Đà Nẵng erupted between the French fleet and Vietnamese ships, three of them being sunk as a result. The French fleet then sailed away.
Dominique Lefèbvre died in Vietnam in 1865.