José Torrubia
Encyclopedia
José Torrubia was a Spanish Catholic missionary, scientist and author.
, Spain; died in 1768 in the monastery of Aracoeli. He entered the order of St. Peter of Alcántara at Granada.
In the Philippine Islands, whither he had gone as missionary and as secretary to Foguéras, the Spanish colonial commissioner-general of Mexico
, he was imprisoned for four months, as a result of opposition on the part of the religious orders to reforms attempted by the commissioner. He returned to Cadiz
and thence went to Rome
, where he withdrew from the order of St. Peter and became a Franciscan
. In 1732 he was again in the Philippine Islands as superior of a convent. He travelled in America and Asia, remaining for a time at Canton, China. In 1750 he returned to Spain, whence he made three trips to Rome.
As linguist, scientist, collector of fossils and of books, writer on historical, political and religious subjects, Torrubia was held in high esteem in Spain and at Rome, and by none more so that by Pope Benedict XIV.
Among his many works are :
Biography and works
He was born towards the end of the seventeenth century at GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Spain; died in 1768 in the monastery of Aracoeli. He entered the order of St. Peter of Alcántara at Granada.
In the Philippine Islands, whither he had gone as missionary and as secretary to Foguéras, the Spanish colonial commissioner-general of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, he was imprisoned for four months, as a result of opposition on the part of the religious orders to reforms attempted by the commissioner. He returned to Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and thence went to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he withdrew from the order of St. Peter and became a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
. In 1732 he was again in the Philippine Islands as superior of a convent. He travelled in America and Asia, remaining for a time at Canton, China. In 1750 he returned to Spain, whence he made three trips to Rome.
As linguist, scientist, collector of fossils and of books, writer on historical, political and religious subjects, Torrubia was held in high esteem in Spain and at Rome, and by none more so that by Pope Benedict XIV.
Among his many works are :
- "Roman Ceremonial of the Discalced Religious of St. Francis in the Province of St. Gregory in the Philippines" (Manila, 1728)
- "Disertacion histórico-politico-geográfica de las islas Filipinas" (Madrid, 1736, 1753)
- a poem against Free-masonry (Madrid, 1752)
- "Introdución a la historia natural de España" (Madrid, 1754; German tr., Halle, 1773; Italian translation. of a part printed under his direction at Rome with the title "La gigantologia española"; second volume, on insects, never printed)
- "History of the Seraphic order" (Rome, 1756).