A request made to Father Michelangelo Tamburini on 1 January 1705 initiated the missionary career of Niccolò Gianpriamo. Entering the Jesuit order in Naples in 1702, he focused his professional life on astronomy and mathematics. His eventual travel to the East Indies saw him serve as a mathematician at the imperial court in Beijing.
Journey to China
Gianpriamo embarked from Lisbon on 12 April 1714, bound for China. His transit included a stop in Goa, India, on 17 September 1714, before departing on 16 May 1715. He reached Macao on 16 August, followed by Canton on 22 October 1716. By 2 January 1717, he was based in Beijing. During his tenure in China, he functioned as an apostolic notary, responsible for the transcription of primary documents related to the Catholic mission.
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Following the unsuccessful legation of the Holy See led by Monsignor Carlo Ambrogio Mezzabarba, Gianpriamo departed Beijing on 13 March 1721. He carried a letter from the Kangxi Emperor addressed to the Pope. His transit home was unique, as he was the only missionary authorized by Tsar Peter the Great to cross the Russian territories. He arrived in Rome on 19 October 1722, where Pope Innocent XIII restricted his travel for a period.
Academic Career in Naples
After regaining mobility in September 1725, Gianpriamo eventually returned to his province, residing in Naples starting in 1738. He taught moral theology, literature, mathematics, and astronomy at the Collegio del Salvatore and, from 1740, the Seminary of the Nobles. In 1748, he published his astronomical treatise, Specula Parthenopaea uranophilis juventibus excitata, which contained observations from his travels and calculated ephemerides for the meridian of Naples.
Fast facts
- Born: 1686, Aversa
- Died: 14 April 1759, Naples
- Citizenship: Kingdom of Naples
- Religious Affiliation: Catholic Church
- Jesuit Order Entry: 1702, Naples
- Published Work: Specula Parthenopaea uranophilis juventibus excitata (1748)
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Niccolò Gianpriamo teach?
He instructed pupils in mathematics, astronomy, moral theology, and Italian literature.
