Francesco della Penna
Encyclopedia
Francesco Orazio Olivieri della Penna (1680 – July 20, 1745) was a Capuchin missionary
to Tibet
who became prefect
of the Tibetan Mission
.
Born in Pennabilli
, Della Penna entered the Capuchin monastery of Pietrarubbia
. While he was there, a decree by the Sacra Congregazione di Propaganda Fide declared the establishment of a Catholic mission “"in the direction of the source of the Ganges River
, towards the kingdom of Tibet.” Della Penna was amongst those selected, and he arrived in Lhasa
on June 12, 1707. He returned to Rome
after the penniless and starving missionaries decided to reorganize their efforts; he returned to Lhasa in 1716. Della Penna studied the Tibetan language
and culture
at the monastery of Sera
under a Lama
. During his stay, Della Penna began composing a Tibetan-Italian dictionary. By 1732, the dictionary composed about 33,000 words. He also translated some important Tibetan works. He translated into Tibetan Bellarmine's
Christian Doctrine and Thurlot's Treasure of Christian Doctrine. From Tibetan into Italian, he translated the History of the life and works of Shakiatuba, the restorer of Lamaism, Three roads leading to perfection, and On transmigration and prayer to God. A Tibetan printing works was eventually built during Della Penna's stay.
Della Penna returned to Rome in 1736 to seek help and support there. He received it from the Spanish
prelate Cardinal Belluga and Della Penna arrived in Lhasa on January 6, 1741.
Della Penna was well liked in Tibet; he was called the “white head Lama” and was respected for his learning and knowledge of Tibetan culture and language. However, he ran into problems he did not foresee when the seventh Dalai Lama
, Kelsang Gyatso
, granted him and his fellow missionaries freedom of worship and proselytism. After twenty Tibetan men and women were converted to Christianity
, they refused to accept the Dalai Lama's blessing and to take part in the obligatory lamaistic prayers. After a long trial on the 22d of May 1742, five Christian Tibetans were flogged. Della Penna was given an audience with the Dalai Lama but the mission’s fate was sealed. He set off for Nepal
in 1745, but died at Patan on July 20, 1745.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
who became prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Tibetan Mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
.
Born in Pennabilli
Pennabilli
Pennabilli is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 140 km southeast of Bologna and about 45 km south of Rimini.-History:...
, Della Penna entered the Capuchin monastery of Pietrarubbia
Pietrarubbia
Pietrarubbia is a comune in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about 90 km west of Ancona and about 45 km southwest of Pesaro....
. While he was there, a decree by the Sacra Congregazione di Propaganda Fide declared the establishment of a Catholic mission “"in the direction of the source of the Ganges River
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
, towards the kingdom of Tibet.” Della Penna was amongst those selected, and he arrived in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
on June 12, 1707. He returned to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
after the penniless and starving missionaries decided to reorganize their efforts; he returned to Lhasa in 1716. Della Penna studied the Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
and culture
Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...
at the monastery of Sera
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located north of Lhasa. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Drepung Monastery. The origin of the name 'Sera' is attributed to a fact that the site where the monastery was built was surrounded by wild roses in...
under a Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
. During his stay, Della Penna began composing a Tibetan-Italian dictionary. By 1732, the dictionary composed about 33,000 words. He also translated some important Tibetan works. He translated into Tibetan Bellarmine's
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
Christian Doctrine and Thurlot's Treasure of Christian Doctrine. From Tibetan into Italian, he translated the History of the life and works of Shakiatuba, the restorer of Lamaism, Three roads leading to perfection, and On transmigration and prayer to God. A Tibetan printing works was eventually built during Della Penna's stay.
Della Penna returned to Rome in 1736 to seek help and support there. He received it from the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
prelate Cardinal Belluga and Della Penna arrived in Lhasa on January 6, 1741.
Della Penna was well liked in Tibet; he was called the “white head Lama” and was respected for his learning and knowledge of Tibetan culture and language. However, he ran into problems he did not foresee when the seventh Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Kelsang Gyatso
Kelzang Gyatso, 7th Dalai Lama
Kelzang Gyatso , also spelled Kalzang Gyatso, Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso, was the 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet.-Early life:...
, granted him and his fellow missionaries freedom of worship and proselytism. After twenty Tibetan men and women were converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, they refused to accept the Dalai Lama's blessing and to take part in the obligatory lamaistic prayers. After a long trial on the 22d of May 1742, five Christian Tibetans were flogged. Della Penna was given an audience with the Dalai Lama but the mission’s fate was sealed. He set off for Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
in 1745, but died at Patan on July 20, 1745.