Maria S. Kruglova

Matteo Ripa (1682–1746) was an Italian missionary priest whose stay in China allowed him to witness the death of Emperor Kangxi and the Chinese rites controversy, a conflict within the Catholic Church over the meaning of traditional Chinese rituals. The conflict had severe consequences for its participants, including the Jesuit order. On returning to Italy, Ripa founded a college in Naples, the first European institution to study and teach subjects concerning the East at an academic level; it later became the Oriental University. He also wrote the memoir “Giornale”. A century after his death, Jesuit editors substantially revised the text, distorting the author’s meaning. Their widely distributed version created a lasting misconception about Ripa’s life and character. Publication of the original text now makes it possible to recover his story.