Nicolás Mascardi (; Rome, 1625 – †

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

, 1673) was a

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in South America in the 17th century. He arrived to Chile in 1651. While active in Araucanía he gained notoriety for the

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...

s he practised among the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

s. In 1662 Mascardi went on an expedition south of

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago ( es, Archipiélago de Chiloé, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and t ...

, where Jesuits had been established for about fifty years, arriving to

Guaitecas Archipelago Guaitecas Archipelago is a sparsely populated archipelago in the Aisén region of Chile. The archipelago is made up of eight main islands and numerous smaller ones. The eight largest islands are from northwest to southeast: Gran Guaiteca, Ascenci ...

where he built a church. In 1669 he crossed the Andes from Chiloé Archipelago and established a mission on the shores of

Nahuel Huapi Lake Nahuel Huapi Lake ( es, Lago Nahuel Huapí) is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro Province, Río Negro and Neuquén Province, Neuquén, in Argentina. The tourist center of Bariloche is on the so ...

which lasted until his death. From the mission he and his fellow Jesuits engaged in missionary activity among the Poyas,

Pehuenche Pehuenche (or ''Pewenche'', people of the "pehuen" or "pewen" in Mapudungun) are an indigenous people of South America. They live in the Andes, primarily in present-day south central Chile and adjacent Argentina. Their name derives from their de ...

s and Puelches. He died in 1673 after being attacked by native Poyas during one of his exploration trips in the southern Andes. Villa Mascardi and

Mascardi Lake Mascardi Lake ( es, Lago Mascardi, ) is in the lake region of northern Patagonia in Río Negro Province of Argentina. The lake is near the resort city of Bariloche and is within the Nahuel Huapi National Park. The lake, of glacial origin, is named ...

in present-day

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

are named after him.

References

Bibliography

* Biedma, Juan Martín, ''Crónica histórica del Lago Nahuel Huapi'', Ed. Del Nuevo Extremo – Caleuche, Bariloche, 2003. * Furlong, Guillermo, ''Entre los tehuelches de la Patagonia'', Ed. San Pablo, Bs. As., 1943. 1625 births 1673 deaths 17th-century Italian Jesuits Jesuit martyrs 17th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Clergy from Rome Italian Roman Catholic missionaries Catholic exorcists Italian expatriates in Chile Italian expatriates in Argentina Jesuit missionaries in Argentina Jesuit missionaries in Chile Italian explorers of South America Italian exorcists {{RC-clergy-stub