Martin Schmid, also known as ''Esmid'' (September 26, 1694 – March 10, 1772), was a Swiss
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
,
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
,
musician
A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...
and
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, who worked mainly in the
Chiquitos Province
Chiquitos Province is one of the fifteen provinces of the Bolivian Santa Cruz Department, situated in the center of the department. Its capital is San José de Chiquitos.
The province was created on January 23, 1826, during the presidency of m ...
of what is now
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
.
Life
Martin Schmid was born in
Baar, Switzerland
Baar () is a municipality in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.
History
Baar is first mentioned in 1045 as ''Barra''.
Geography
Baar has an area, , of . Of this area, 51% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25% is forested. Of the rest o ...
. He was educated at the Jesuit College in Lucerne from 1710 to 1716. In 1717 he entered the
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
. His
novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
Hall in Tirol
Hall in Tirol is a town in the Innsbruck-Land district of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria. Located at an altitude of 574 m, about 5 km (3 mi) east of the state's capital Innsbruck in the Inn (river), Inn valley, it has a population of 14,77 ...
and in
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...
in 1722. After he was ordained in 1726
Eichstätt
Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Dioce ...
to the priesthood, he obtained permission to travel as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
to
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. The trip was delayed by the Anglo-Spanish War forcing him to remain in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
. While he was there, he improved his Spanish. At the same time, he helped to translate the history of the tribe of the Chiquitos of Juan Patricio Fernández into the German language - ''Erbauliche und angenehme Geschichte der Chiquitos, und andrer... neu-bekehrten Völcker'', Vienna 1729, which translates as ''An Edifying and Enjoyable History of the Chiquitos, and of Other...Newly-converted People.''
At the end of 1728 his journey to South America commenced. The crossing from
Tenerife
Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
to
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
took more than three months. The missionaries needed eight more months to go inland and reach
Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Potosí Department, Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the list of highest cities in the world, highest cities in the wo ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. Here Schmid was selected, along with three other Jesuits, to evangelize the Chiquitos. In August 1730, he finally reached the mission area of the Chiquitos.
At the Chiquitos
Schmid spent his first ten years between 1730 and 1740 in San Javier, Bolivia, part of the
Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos
The Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos are located in the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz Departments of Bolivia, department in eastern Bolivia. Six of these former missions (all now secular municipalities) collectively were designated as a ...
. These missions featured houses for the natives spaced along three sides of a rectangle; the fourth side contained the church, workshops and schools. The churches were based upon European architecture adapted to local conditions. Besides his work as a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
, he began to build a music school. He taught the
indigenous people
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
to recreate European musical instruments. He also helped to establish a variety of workshops, and introduced several crafts which laid the foundations of later construction activities. In 1744, he sent his first letter home from the Jesuit Reductions settlement of
San Rafael de Velasco
San Rafael de Velasco or San Rafael is the seat of the San Rafael Municipality in the José Miguel de Velasco Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is part of the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos. In 1990 it was declared a World Heritage Sit ...
. Here Schmid established the first of his jungle churches. In 1749 he returned to San Javier, to try to establish a similar church. In 1752 he undertook the construction of the church in Concepción, Bolivia. In other mission villages in the Chiquitanía region additional structures were built under his leadership. Wood-carved baroque altars were created in San Miguel de Velasco and
San Ignacio de Velasco
San Ignacio de Velasco, is the capital of the José Miguel de Velasco Province and the San Ignacio de Velasco Municipality in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia.
History
The Jesuit mission of San Ignacio de Velasco was founded in 1748 by th ...
When Martin Schmid set out to the mission fields, his primary intention was to evangelize the indigenous peoples. However his
congregation
Congregation may refer to:
Religion
*Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church
*Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
had other tasks for him. His main job was to strengthen the faith of the already Christianized, indigenous individuals and to make their settlements sustainable. The roots of Christian belief were deepened by means of religious education and church celebrations. The
Jesuit missionaries
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
felt that this connection succeeded better if more emphasis was placed on the enhancement of liturgical celebrations, as a means of inspiration. For this reason, the music that was loved by the Indians was promoted, and the decoration of the church premises was done in an imposing manner.During the early years building churches and giving music lessons were Schmid's main fields of activity. Within his field of engagement he was also responsible for spreading the making of handicrafts. For the church construction he trained indigenous artisans. As part of his music lessons he taught the indigenous locals to construct European musical instruments.
Later, Schmid moved to San Juan Bautista (Santa Cruz) and had the opportunity to engage in direct
proselytizing
Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization.
Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...
. In a letter to his brother, he described how this was practiced. In the village of San Juan there were already about three hundred
Christianized
Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...
, Indios. They were sent into the jungle to seek nomadic Indians and to persuade them to come to the Jesuit mission. Schmid writes that the villagers who were sent out actually returned after two months with more than a hundred "unbaptized souls." These were then accompanied to the church with music and singing. Schmid first provided them all with simple clothing to hide their nakedness. After that, they were offered food and supplied with small gifts such as: glass beads, rosaries, knives, scissors, etc. The next day the children were baptized. The priests waited to baptise the adults as they first needed to be taught the Christian doctrine.
The superiors have ordered me to introduce the music in these missions. All villages now have their organ, many violins and double bass made of cedar, clavicordio, spinets, harps, trumpets, shawm. These Indian boys are foregone musicians; with their singing and playing in the Holy Mass they pay every day the own Thanks and Praise to the Lord. I must say that they could appear with their music in every town and church to your great surprise. (From a letter by Martin Schmid in 1744.)Die Jesuiten-Reduktionen – Ein unvergessenes Missionswerk (The Jesuit missions – an unforgotten missionary work)
Return
Schmid spent his last years in San Miguel de Velasco and in
San Ignacio de Velasco
San Ignacio de Velasco, is the capital of the José Miguel de Velasco Province and the San Ignacio de Velasco Municipality in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia.
History
The Jesuit mission of San Ignacio de Velasco was founded in 1748 by th ...
, where he was, along with his fellow brother Johann Mesner (1703–68), entrusted with manufacturing and gilding the altars. In 1767, the Jesuits of San Ignacio received an order of expulsion by King
Charles III of Spain
Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...
. The 73-year-old Schmid was hoping he would not be affected by the eviction because of his age. Nonetheless, in 1768 he had to start the arduous journey home. With other deportees he crossed the
Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
up to
Arica
Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...
, Chile by mule. From there he traveled by boat, via
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, to
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cadiz, Spain in 1769. After a 15-month detention in El Puerto de Santa Maria he was allowed to leave Spain. In mid-November 1770 he arrived in
Augsburg
Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
. In the spring of 1771, Schmid returned to his home in Switzerland. He spent more than one year at the Jesuit College of
Lucerne
Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
. He died there aged 77, and was buried at the Jesuit Church of Lucerne.
Effect
Besides his work as a missionary, Martin Schmid made a significant contribution to the
enculturation
Enculturation is the process by which people learn the dynamics of their surrounding culture and acquire values and norms appropriate or necessary to that culture and its worldviews.
Definition and history of research
The term enculturation ...
of the Chiquitos Indians. With the introduction of European music, and the manufacturing of musical instruments, he has a significant, long-term influence on their musical culture. He may have helped significantly to impart knowledge of craftsmanship and agriculture. With the creation of a
dictionary
A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged Alphabetical order, alphabetically (or by Semitic root, consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical-and-stroke sorting, radical an ...
, he contributed to the writing system and the conservation of the Chiquitano language. However, his most enduring achievements were his churches and their interior decoration.
These churches, and the churches of his students, in: San Javier, Concepción,
Santa Ana de Velasco
Santa Ana de Velasco (or simply Santa Ana) is a small town in the Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia.
History
The mission of Santa Ana was founded in 1755 by Julian Knogler.
Location
Santa Ana is the central town of ''Cantón Santa Ana'' and i ...
San Rafael de Velasco
San Rafael de Velasco or San Rafael is the seat of the San Rafael Municipality in the José Miguel de Velasco Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is part of the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos. In 1990 it was declared a World Heritage Sit ...
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s in 1990.
With his letters Schmid left us a valuable
cultural history
Cultural history records and interprets past events involving human beings through the social, cultural, and political milieu of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors. Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897) helped found cultural history ...
heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...
.
Further reading
Modern books
*
* Rainald Fischer: ''Father Martin Schmid SJ, 1694–1772. His letters and his work''. Zug 1988 (German).
* Eckard Kühne: ''The mission churches of Chiquitos province in the plain of Bolivia. Construction and restoration of churches by Martin Schmid (1694–1772)''. Zürich 2008.
*
* Eckart Kühne (Hg.): ''Martin Schmid 1694 bis 1772, Missionar – Musiker – Architekt, ein Jesuit aus der Schweiz bei den Chiquitano-Indianern in Bolivien''. Ausstellungskatalog Historisches Museum Luzern, Luzern 1994 (German). (Spanish: ''Las Misiones Jesuíticas de Bolivia. Martin Schmid 1694–1772. Misionero, Músico y Arquitecto entre los Chiquitanos''. Catálogo de la Exposición en Sta. Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia 1996).
* Werner Hoffmann: ''Vida y obra del P. Martin Schmid SJ., 1694–1722''. Buenos Aires 1981 (Spanish).
* Philip Caraman: ''Ein verlorenes Paradies. Der Jesuitenstaat in Paraguay''; München 1979. (German).
* Felix Alfred Plattner: ''Genie im Urwald. Das Werk des Auslandschweizers Martin Schmid aus Baar''; Zürich 1959 (German).
* Felix Alfred Plattner: ''Ein Reisläufer Gottes. Das abenteuerliche Leben des Schweizer Jesuiten P. Martin Schmid aus Baar''; Luzern 1944 (German).
* Alcides Parejas Moreno: ''El artífice''; Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 2014 (Bolivian).
Historic accounts
* ''Dictionary of the Chiquitano language'' (German); Library La Paz (Bolivia).
* Musical compositions in the music archive in Concepción (Bolivia).