Francisco Javier Alegre
| Francisco Xavier Alegre | |
|---|---|
Portrait (late 18th century).
|
|
| Born |
12 November 1729 Veracruz, Mexico |
| Died | 16 August 1788 (aged 58) near Bologna, Italy |
| Cause of death | Apoplexy |
| Residence | New Spain, Papal States |
| Other names | Francisco Javier Alegre (modern-day) |
| Alma mater | Royal College of San Ignacio (Puebla) |
| Occupation | Historian, translator and scholar |
Francisco Xavier Alegre (November 12, 1729 – August 16, 1788) was a Jesuit scholar, translator, and historian of New Spain.
Alegre was born in Veracruz, New Spain. He studied philosophy in the Royal College of San Ignacio in Puebla, then canon and civil law in Mexico City and theology in Angelópolis. On March 19, 1747 he entered the novitiate with the Company of Jesus (Jesuits) in Tepozotlán. According to his own account, he learned Italian, Greek, Hebrew and Náhuatl. He was able to preach in Náhuatl. He was a dedicated scholar of theology, history, mathematics, and especially classical literature.
He later taught grammar in Mexico City, and during those years he learned French. For reasons of health he returned to Veracruz, where he taught for two years. He then returned to Mexico City to take an examination in theology, and there he was ordained a priest.
His health was still poor. He was sent to Havana, where he taught rhetoric and philosophy for seven years.
On leaving Havana, he went to Mérida, to the Jesuit college there. He took over the work on the Historia de la provincia begun by Father Francisco de Florencia (1620–1695). He continued work on this history when he moved to the Royal College and Seminary of San Ildefonso in Mexico City. In less than three years, he finished the Historia de la Compañía de Jesús en Nueva España. This work was on the point of being published when the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish dominions, on July 25, 1767. When he left New Spain, the manuscript and his sources remained behind.
Alegre died of apoplexy near Bologna, Italy, in 1788. Some of his works remained unpublished at his death.
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