Ignace Cotolendi (23 March 1630 – 16 August 1662) was a French bishop. He was a founding member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and became a missionary in Asia.
Life Born in Brignoles, Var, Cotolendi was recruited by Alexander de Rhodes, SJ, as a secular clergy volunteer to become a missionary in Asia, together with François Pallu and Pierre Lambert de la Motte. These were sent to the Far-East as Apostolic vicars.Viet Nam By Nhung Tuyet Tran, Anthony Reid p.222An Empire Divided by James Patrick Daughton, p.31Asia in the Making of Europe, p.229-230
In 1660 Ignace Cotolendi was nominated as titular Bishop of Metellopolis and Vicar Apostolic of Nanjing,Mantienne, p.27 with three regions of northeastern China, Tartary and Korea under his responsibility.Asia in the Making of Europe, p.231 On 6 November 1660, he was consecrated bishop in Paris by François de Harlay de Champvallon, Archbishop of Rouen with Toussaint de Forbin de Janson, Titular Bishop of Philadelphia in Arabia, and François Pallu, Titular Bishop of Heliopolis in Augustamnica, serving as co-consecrators. (for Chronology of Bishops) He was the first Bishop of what is now the Archdiocese of Nanjing.
The three bishops left France (1660–62) to go to their respective missions, and crossed Persia and India on foot, since Portugal would have refused to take non-Padroado missionaries by ship, and the Dutch and the English refused to take Catholic missionaries.Missions, p.4 Cotolendi left with three missionaries on 3 September 1661.Asia in the making of Europe p.232 After travelling overland to India, Ignace Cotolendi died near Masulipatam as he was waiting for his passage to Siam.Asia in the making of Europe p.232-233
See also France-Thailand relations
Notes
References Mantienne, Frédéric 1999 Monseigneur Pigneau de Béhaine Eglises d'Asie, Série Histoire, Missions étrangères de Paris. 350 ans au service du Christ 2008 Editeurs Malesherbes Publications, Paris
Further reading