Giovanni Cavazzi da Montecuccolo
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Antonio Cavazzi da Montecuccolo (1621–1678) was an Italian
Capuchin
missionary
noted for his travels in 17th century Angola
(then a Portuguese
colony
) and his lengthy account of local history and culture as well as a history of the Capuchin mission there.
Cavazzi was an indifferent student and was almost denied a position in the central Africa
n mission, but eventually prevailed thanks to his piety. He arrived in Luanda
in 1654 and was dispatched to the Portuguese possessions
in the eastern end of the colony. He traveled widely as a chaplain
with the Portuguese Army
including a stay at the court of the king of Pungo Andongo
, a trip with them, in 1659 into the central highlands region, a visit in 1660 to the court of Queen Nzinga (or Njinga) in Matamba and the Kingdom of Kongo
. He returned to Njinga's court in 1662 and remained there after the queen's death in 1663. He presided at her funeral and left Matamba in 1665, returning to Italy in 1667.
He was assigned the task of writing a history of the Capuchin mission
, perhaps because since 1662 or so he had been writing his own history. He worked in the archives in Italy to round out his history, but The Holy Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
, which had commissioned the work was reluctant to publish it, and in fact it was not published until 1687, after Cavazzi's death. In 1673 he returned to Angola as prefect
of the Capuchin mission. He returned to Italy in 1677 where he wrote a second biographical account of the Capuchin mission, which was not published until the twentieth century.
He died on July 18, 1678.
. There were many translations, a German
one in 1694 and a French
one in 1732. The modern critical edition and Portuguese
translation of the book, edited by Graziano Saccardo was published in 2 volumes in Lisbon
(1965).
In 1969, Giuseppe Pistoni discovered the original manuscripts of Cavazzi's work, written in Africa in 1668 among the papers of the Araldi Family of Modena
. This collection, three bulky manuscripts was also illustrated with vivid watercolor illustrations of life in Central Africa
and particularly at the court of Queen Njinga. The illustrations were subsequently published by Ezio Bassani. John K. Thornton has edited and translated the first volume (A).
In addition to his extensive history, Cavazzi reedited some of his missionary biographies, found in both the Araldi MSS and in Istorica Descrizione into a new text, "Vite dei Frati Minori Cappuccini del Ordine del Serafica Padre San Francisco, morti nelle Missioni d'Etiopia dall'anno 1645 sino all'anno 1677."
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
missionary
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...
noted for his travels in 17th century Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
(then a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
) and his lengthy account of local history and culture as well as a history of the Capuchin mission there.
Cavazzi was an indifferent student and was almost denied a position in the central Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n mission, but eventually prevailed thanks to his piety. He arrived in Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
in 1654 and was dispatched to the Portuguese possessions
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
in the eastern end of the colony. He traveled widely as a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
with the Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
including a stay at the court of the king of Pungo Andongo
Pungo Andongo
The Black Rocks at Pungo Andongo are found some 116 km from the provincial capital of Malanje in Angola. They are a series of mysterious rock formations, many incredibly and spectacular shaped in the form of animals, standing high above the flat African Savanna.There is a fort erected by the...
, a trip with them, in 1659 into the central highlands region, a visit in 1660 to the court of Queen Nzinga (or Njinga) in Matamba and the Kingdom of Kongo
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. He returned to Njinga's court in 1662 and remained there after the queen's death in 1663. He presided at her funeral and left Matamba in 1665, returning to Italy in 1667.
He was assigned the task of writing a history of the Capuchin mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
, perhaps because since 1662 or so he had been writing his own history. He worked in the archives in Italy to round out his history, but The Holy Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
, which had commissioned the work was reluctant to publish it, and in fact it was not published until 1687, after Cavazzi's death. In 1673 he returned to Angola as prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Capuchin mission. He returned to Italy in 1677 where he wrote a second biographical account of the Capuchin mission, which was not published until the twentieth century.
He died on July 18, 1678.
Works
Cavazzi is famous for his descriptive history, Istorica Descrizione de' tre regni Congo, Matamba ed AngolaIstorica Descrizione de' tre regni Congo, Matamba ed Angola
An Historical Description of Three Kingdoms: Congo, Matamba, and Angola is an extensive work written by Giovanni Antonio Cavazzi da Montecuccolo, an Italian Capuchin missionary, over a long period while working as a missionary in Angola, between 1654 and 1677.The work was commissioned by the Holy...
. There were many translations, a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
one in 1694 and a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
one in 1732. The modern critical edition and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
translation of the book, edited by Graziano Saccardo was published in 2 volumes in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
(1965).
In 1969, Giuseppe Pistoni discovered the original manuscripts of Cavazzi's work, written in Africa in 1668 among the papers of the Araldi Family of Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
. This collection, three bulky manuscripts was also illustrated with vivid watercolor illustrations of life in Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
and particularly at the court of Queen Njinga. The illustrations were subsequently published by Ezio Bassani. John K. Thornton has edited and translated the first volume (A).
In addition to his extensive history, Cavazzi reedited some of his missionary biographies, found in both the Araldi MSS and in Istorica Descrizione into a new text, "Vite dei Frati Minori Cappuccini del Ordine del Serafica Padre San Francisco, morti nelle Missioni d'Etiopia dall'anno 1645 sino all'anno 1677."