Fray Thomas de San Martín (March 7, 1482 – August 31, 1555) was the founder of the

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public university, public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established (Privilege (legal ethics), privilege by Charles V, ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, a notable

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

scholar, and was appointed the first Bishop of La Plata o Charcas (1552–1559). ''(in Latin)''"Bishop Tomás de San Martín, O.P."
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016

Biography

Early life

San Martín was born in

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

(in modern-day Castile-Leon). In his youth, he was inspired by the ideals of medieval

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric language, is an informal and varying code of conduct that developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It is associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood, with knights being members of ...

. Later he entered in the convent of San Pablo de Córdoba and became professor of

arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

where he gained the reputation as a prolific scholar. He was sent to

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

to attend the Saint Thomas College.

Achievements in the New World

His work in Peru began as a priest and physician during the

Spanish conquest of the Americas The Spanish colonization of the Americas began in 1493 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) after the initial 1492 voyage of Genoa, Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus under license from Queen Isabella ...

in the 1530s. Together with Pizarro and the other

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s he brought

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

to the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

Cristóbal Vaca de Castro Cristóbal Vaca de Castro (c. 1492, Izagre, León (province), León, Spain – 1566, Valladolid, Spain) was a Spanish people, Spanish colonial administrator in Peru. Background Vaca de Castro's parents were Garci Diez de Castro and Guiomar Cabez ...

, who was sent by the Spanish crown to impose order on the newly conquered territories, asked Fray Tomás to establish a provisional government in Peru. It is said that he was selected by Vaca de Castro for the task because of his

moral authority Moral authority is authority premised on principles, or fundamental truths, which are independent of written, or positive laws. As such, moral authority necessitates the existence of and adherence to truth. Because truth does not change the princip ...

and the prestige he enjoyed. On June 27, 1552, he was appointed by

Pope Julius III Pope Julius III (; ; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1550 to his death, in March 1555. After a career as a disting ...

as Bishop of La Plata o Charcas. He served as Bishop La Plata o Charcas until his death in 1559. During this period, he was highly critical of the brutality of the conquistadors towards the

indigenous peoples of the Americas In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

. While Bishop, he was the principal co-consecrator of

Bernardino de Carmona Bernardino de Carmona was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Bishop of ''Soltania'' (1551–1553) and Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago de Compostela (1551–1553). ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 10 July 1551, Bernard ...

, Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago de Compostela. After his work as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

over 25 years, he was appointed the first

rector magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world, the rector is often the most senior official in a u ...

of National University of San Marcos.

Final days

He died at his home in the Convent of Rosario in Lima on August 31, 1555 at the age of 72.

References

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:San Martin, Thomas De 1482 births 1555 deaths People from Palencia 16th-century Peruvian Roman Catholic priests Spanish Dominicans Bolivian Roman Catholic priests National University of San Marcos Bishops appointed by Pope Julius III Roman Catholic bishops of Sucre