The Death of Saint Francis Xavier

The subject of the holy martyrs became widespread during the Counterreformation due to its being used for the didactic purpose of familiarizing the faithful with the exemplary lives of these personages. Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), known as the Indorum ac Japonum Apostolus (Apostle of the Indies and Japan) was a Jesuit missionary who, together with Saint Ignatius Loyola, constituted one of the pillars of the Society of Jesus. His evangelistic commitments took him to India, Japan, the Philippines, the area presently known as Malaysia and Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) around 1540. On his way to Sancian (i.e. St. John’s Island), he contracted a virulent fever, from which he never recovered, on the banks of the Canton River in China. In the foreground we see the ecstasie figure of the Jesuit lying on a rock. He is wearing a black habit and, with both hands, is firmly gripping the crucifix given to him by Saint Ignatius Loyola. A shaft of heavenly light pierces the roof of the rustic hut, illuminating the missionary’s face. In the background we can see a landscape in shades of blue, along with a ship and some sort of indistinct construction which undoubtedly alludes to the Orient. The vessel is suggestive of the Portuguese merchant ship that left the saint on this island, where he died in 1552. This piece, originally from the collection of the old San Carlos Academy, was on loan to the Michoacán Museum in the city of Morelia, becoming part of the MUNAL collection in 1992.