Anselm Eckart (4 August 1721 – 29 June 1809) was a German Jesuit missionary. Eckart was born in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

, in what is now

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Entering the Society of Jesus at nineteen, he was sent as a missionary to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Two years after his arrival in that country, he and his Jesuit brethren were arrested in the aftermath of the

Távora affair The Távoras affair was a political scandal of the 18th century Portuguese court. The events triggered by the attempted assassination of King Joseph I of Portugal in 1758 ended with the public execution of the entire Távora family and their cl ...

and carried to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

. There they were kept in prison.Ronnie Po-Chia Hsia,
Das Schicksal der Jesuiten aus der Oberdeutschen und den beiden Rheinischen Ordensprovinzen nach ihrer Vertreibung aus den Missionsgebieten des portugiesischen und spanischen Patronats (1755–1809)
' The Catholic Historical Review 96.1 (2010): 148-149. Project MUSE. Web. 25 January 2013 Eckart was confined for eighteen years in the underground dungeons of Almeida and St. Julian. He wrote the story of his own sufferings and those of his companions in prison. Upon the death of

Joseph I of Portugal Dom Joseph I ( pt, José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho, ; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other act ...

in 1777, the Jesuits' opponent

Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal Sebastião is Portuguese for ''Sebastian''. This name may refer to: People * Sebastião (given name) Places * Sebastião Barros, a town in the state of Piauí, Brazil * Sebastião Laranjeiras, a city in the state of Bahia, Brazil * Sebastião ...

fell into disgrace, and those of his victims who survived were released.Nelson Papavero, Antonio Porro (Hrs.): ''Anselm Eckart SJ e o Estado do Grao-Pará e Maranhao Setecentista (1785)'' (= Anselm Eckart SJ und die Staatsprovinz von Groß-Para und Maranhao im 18. Jahrhundert), Museo Goeldi in collaboration with Institut für Mainzer Kirchengeschichte, Belém, 2013, 406 pages, The Society of Jesus, which had been suppressed four years earlier by the Brief of

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...

, had continued to exist in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. Father Eckart applied for readmission, and spent another 32 years in this way in the order. After filling the office of Master of Novices at

Dünaburg Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...

, he was sent to the College of

Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...

, Polish Russia, where he died aged 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckart, Anselm 1721 births 1809 deaths 18th-century German Jesuits German Roman Catholic missionaries Clergy from Mainz Jesuit missionaries in Brazil German people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of Portugal German expatriates in Brazil German expatriates in Portugal German expatriates in the Russian Empire