Page 38 - รวมเล่มศาสนาในประเทศไทย ภาคภาษาอังกฤษ

Relations between the Royal Court of Ayutthaya and the
Vatican began in 1669 when Pope Clement IX sent a message to King Narai
via Msgr. Francois Pallu, the French Bishop who was sent to disseminate the
religion. The presentation of the message took place on October 18, 1670.
Later in 1679, Pop Innocent XI, sent another message to the King again via
the same Bishop Pallu. However, it was not presented until 1682. In 1688,
the Siamese emissary, led by Bishop Guy de Tarchard, the special ambassador
of King Narai, was granted an audience with Pope Innocent XI to present the
message from the King along with tribute. Since then, the Roman Catholic
denomination of Christianity was official and flourished in Ayutthaya until
the collapse of the kingdom.

In the Rattanakosin period, during the reign of King Rama I, the
estimate was that 3,000 Christians were in Bangkok. However, in the
reign of King Rama III, many Christian Vietnamese people were taken to
Bangkok as prisoners of war between Siam and Vietnam. They were located
in the area of ‘Samsen’ Road in Bangkok, which was later called ‘Ban Yuan.’
They constructed Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in 1852. Later on, during
the reign of King Rama IV, the Supreme Patriarch Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix
was appointed to bring an official diplomatic letter to Pope Pius IX, of
whom replied. In 1881, during the reign of King Rama V, Mgr. Jean Louis
Vey appointed P. Prodhomme and P. Xavier Guego from Missions Etrangeres
de Paris (M.E.P.). to embark a mission to the northeastern region to establish
Christianity in Ubon Ratchathani, thereby, marking the first establishment of
the Roman Catholic denomination in Isan.

The Nativity of Our Lady
Cathedral, Samut
Songkhram.
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