The Epitaph to Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) at the Beijing Zhalan Cemetery: The Epigraphic Monument and a Short Resume of the Missionary’s Life
The Article deals with the inscription on the funerary stele of the founder of the China Jesuit Mission Matteo Ricci, situated in the Zhalan cemetery Beijing. The publication looks at some circumstances, surrounding the death of the Mission’s leader, as well as at the history of Mission’s obtaining of the land lot, where the burials of Beijing missionaries were situated. The author considers the role of the founding fathers of the Jesuit China Mission - Adam Schall von Bell and Ferdinand Verbiest, who not only managed to obtain, but also to preserve the land property in Beijing to be given to the Christian cemetery. The article sheds light on the dramatic story of preservation of the said monuments in the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution and concludes, that the complex of the burial steles is a very important source, proving the value of Matteo Ricci’s heritage.