Matteo Ricci and Foreign Missionaries' Cemetery

　　The original tomb of Matteo Ricci featured a rectangular burial chamber facing south. Behind the tomb stood a Western-style hexagonal arched pavilion housing a cross. In front of the tomb was a stone altar along with a stele inscribed by Wang Yinglin, the then Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture during the Ming Dynasty. The entire cemetery was enclosed by a brick wall, with a stone-paved pathway outside the southern gate and a memorial archway inscribed with the characters “Imperial Bestowment” (钦赐) erected in front of the tomb—leading to its later nickname, the Stone Gate Cemetery. Afterward, a number of foreign missionaries from the Ming and Qing periods were also buried here.

　　During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 (the 26th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty), the cemetery was damaged and some auxiliary structures were destroyed. Later, the Qing government renovated the site and built a new church, embedding 77 tombstones into the exterior walls of the church. During the Cultural Revolution (“0” period), the tomb of Matteo Ricci and those of nearby missionaries were leveled, the church was demolished, and the tombstones were buried underground.

　　In 1984, the cemetery was restored and divided into two adjacent burial courtyards facing south, surrounded by brick flower walls. The eastern courtyard is 25.7 meters long from north to south and 15.5 meters wide from east to west, serving as a stele forest for 60 missionaries from the Ming and Qing periods, including Lodovico Buglio. The western courtyard is set back 15 meters north compared to the eastern one and contains the tombs of three missionaries: Matteo Ricci, Johann Adam Schall von Bell, and Ferdinand Verbiest. Matteo Ricci’s tomb is centrally located, with those of Schall and Verbiest on the right and left respectively. All three tombs follow a design with the stele in front and the burial mound behind. The reconstructed tomb of Matteo Ricci faces south, stands 1.5 meters high, and measures 2.4 meters in length and 1.3 meters in width. In front of the tomb is a stele from the 38th year of the Wanli reign (1610) inscribed with “Tomb of Father Ricci of the Society of Jesus.” This stele features a dragon-headed square base: it is 2.7 meters tall, 0.94 meters wide, with a base 0.6 meters high and 1.2 meters wide. About 1 meter behind the stele lies the burial mound.

　　In May 2006, the Matteo Ricci and Foreign Missionaries' Cemetery was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites.

　　Matteo Ricci (1552~1610)　　Matteo Ricci (October 6, 1552 – May 11, 1610), also known by his courtesy names Xitai, Qingtai, and Xijiang, was an Italian Catholic Jesuit missionary and scholar. He came to China to preach during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. His original name, translated literally from Italian, was Matteo Ricci, which became his Chinese name. According to the "Epitaph for Father Ricci" written by Wang Yinglin: “In the Gengchen year of the Wanli reign, a Western scholar named Matteo Ricci, also called Xitai, arrived in China after sailing across ninety thousand li with several companions to see the land.” Matteo Ricci was one of the earliest pioneers of Catholic missionary work in China and the first Western scholar to study Chinese literature and classical texts. Through his “Western...” More+