Batista (Friar Gregório)

A native of Funchal, he is conjectured to have been born in the last quarter of the 16th century. He was a member of the Seraphic Order (the Franciscans) and belonged to the province of Catalonia. Some years later he entered the Benedictine order, in a convent in the city of Bahia, later returning to the Order of St Francis, which he had originally embraced. In the latter he held important offices, among them professor of Scripture and examiner of the military orders, as well as others. He published several sermons, which were translated into Spanish and Italian, which proves their worth. Some are listed in the Diccionario Bibliographico of Inocêncio Francisco da Silva. That work also mentions this author’s book Completas da Vida de Cristo. . ., published in 1623. The Bibliotheca Lusitana (‘Portuguese library’) cites two works of his written in Latin, published in 1621 and 1638. He died after the year 1640. We know nothing more about this Madeiran, who seems to have been a man of undeniable merit.