Le séjour d’Alexandre de Rhodes à Ispahan (1654-1660) : Regard d’un jésuite sur la société asiatique et persane
Résumé
This article highlights the observations on Persian society transcribed by Alexandre de Rhodes (1593‒1660). A Jesuit Priest from Avignon, France, he is one of the most remarkable missionary figures of his time. Although he devoted most of his mission to the evangelization of Asia, especially in Vietnam and Macao, he happened to spend the last years of his life in Isfahan, Persia. This article seeks to compare his approach to different cultures, the means and methods of evangelization that he deploys in Vietnam and Persia, exploring whether he simply reproduces in Persia what was done in Asia, or if he adapts according to the contexts and the reactions of the local populations. We will evaluate the results of the mission in terms of conversions, baptisms, and encounter with the local people. This article is based on the study of the travelogues of Alexandre de Rhodes and his fellow Jesuits and on 67 unpublished handwritten letters kept in the Jesuit archives in Rome (copies found in the Jesuit archives in Vanves, France).