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Saint Antoine Daveluy
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Saint Antoine Daveluy

French missionary bishop, scholar and successor of Berneux, beheaded on Good Friday 1866

Rank
Saint
Kind
Bishop, Martyr, Missionary
Life
1818 – 1866
Era
19th century
Feast
30 March
Countries
France, South Korea
FranceSouth Korea

Life story

Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy was born on 16 March 1818 in Amiens, France. He was ordained a priest on 18 December 1841, served as a curate at Roye for about a year and a half, entered the Paris Foreign Missions seminary on 4 October 1843, and left on 6 February 1844, at first destined for the Ryukyu Islands. In 1845 he sailed to Korea with Bishop Ferréol and landed on 12 October.

He began visiting Christian communities in January 1846 and two years later took charge of the seminary. He compiled a Chinese-Korean-French dictionary, translated Korean works on history and chronology, and sent the Paris seminary a historical study of the mission, on which Fr. Dallet drew heavily for his History of the Church of Korea. On 13 November 1855 he was named coadjutor to Bishop Berneux and was consecrated on 25 March 1857 in Seoul as titular bishop of Acônes.

In spring 1866 he was betrayed and arrested at Keu-to-ri with Fr. Huin; Fr. Aumaître went to join the captives, and the three were taken to Seoul. After Bishop Berneux was executed on 8 March 1866 he became vicar apostolic of Korea. On 30 March 1866, Good Friday, he was beheaded at Syou-yeng, the naval post at Galmaemot near Boryeong, south of Seoul, the first of that group to die. He was beatified on 6 October 1968 and canonized on 6 May 1984.

Works and witness

  • Joined the Paris Foreign Missions in 1843 and reached Korea in 1845
  • Directed the seminary from about 1848
  • Compiled a Chinese-Korean-French dictionary and a history of the mission
  • Consecrated coadjutor bishop on 25 March 1857
  • Beheaded on 30 March 1866, Good Friday

Saints from the same country

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Louis IX of France, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Francis de Sales

References

  • IRFA (Institut de recherche France-Asie), 'Antoine DAVELUY 1818-1866' (irfa.paris/?p=14893)
  • Wikipedia, 'Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy' (Galmaemot/Boryeong location: cross-check)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.