Spanish School, 17th Century

Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552)  was a Christian missionary and one of the founders of the Jesuit order.  His travels took him to China, Japan, India and purportedly, the Phillipines.  The Roman Catholic Church, in fact, considers him to have converted the most people to Christianity since Saint Paul.

This painting illustrates the last moments of Francis Xavier's life.  On the Chinese island of Shangchuan, Francis Xavier took ill after saying Mass.  He is depicted here under a crudely built shelter grapsing his crucifix.  The ships visible in the distance were to take him back to mainland China.