António Vieira was among the famous personalities of Portugal during the 17th century, who excelled as a missionary and a Jesuit orator. António Vieira was also a diplomat, a prominent statesman and undoubtedly the greatest writer of Portuguese prose. As an administrator, he was very advanced and had democratic ideas. He wanted Portugal to emerge as a perfect epitome of Christianity and civilization.
The Life of António Vieira
The life of António Viera has been marked with several notable events. He was born on 6th February, 1608 in Lisbon. António was brought up in Bahia, Brazil and studied under the steps of the Jesuits. In 1623 he entered the Society of Jesus and took his first vows in the year, 1625. At the age of 18, António Viera taught rhetoric, and also wrote commentaries on the Senecan tragedies, 'Canticle of Canticles' and Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'. He was ordained as Jesuit priest in 1635 and surprised everyone with his eloquence. The Jesuits sent him to Portugal in order to salute John IV, the newly crowned king. Over there António Vieira became an ambassador and a court preacher. He then
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returned to Brazil as a missionary and fought for the cause of the exploited natives, before he was forced to leave the country by the colonists. He once again went to Portugal, where he encountered the various vicissitudes of his life and was imprisoned under the Inquisition. From 1669 to 1675, he lived as a papal preacher in Rome. He died on July 18, 1697 in Salvador, Brazil.
Achievements of António Vieira
Some of the famous works of António Vieira are 'Sermoes ', 'Historia do futuro', 'Ecco dos voces Saudosos' and 'Cartas'. The original copy of the work ' Quinto hnperio do Mundo,' is preserved in one of the manuscripts in the renowned National Library of Paris. Another popular work, attributed to the author in the 17th century is 'Arte de furtar'. Those who penned down the biographies of António Vieira were Antonio de Barros and Francisco de Fonseca.
António Vieira is one of the eminent people of Lisbon and was known for being a moving preacher and contributing to the field of Portuguese prose of the 17th century.
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