Aimé Villion

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Fr.

Aimé Villon

MEP
ChurchCatholic Church
Personal details
Born(1843-09-02)September 2, 1843
Rhône, France
DiedApril 1, 1932(1932-04-01) (aged 88)
Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
NationalityFrench

Aimé Villion (also known in Japanese as アマトス・ビリオン from Latin Amatus Villion), (September 2, 1843 – April 1, 1932)[1] was a French missionary affiliated with the Paris Foreign Missions Society. He came to Japan in October 1868 (the first year of the Meiji era), and while conducting missionary activities in Kobe, Kyoto, Yamaguchi, Hagi, Nara, etc., he devoted himself to researching Christian historical sites and building monuments to commemorate martyrs.

Career

Aimé Villion was born September 2, 1843, in

Napoleon Bonaparte. His father served as a judge, and he had one older sister. His mother died when he was four years old and his family moved to Lyon
.

After graduating from St. John Elementary School in Lyon, he studied at the seminary of

Tsuwano
.

On November 24, 1871, at the age of 34, he entered

Kansai region, and children were abandoned one after another due to extreme poverty. Rumors spread that a Christian priest would take care of abandoned children, and children were abandoned in front of the church almost every day. Unable to deal with the large number of abandoned children, Villion entrusted them care of the Dames of Saint Maur (now the Sisters of the Infant Jesus) in Yokohama, and in about 10 months, 65 children died.[2] In addition, he requested Bernard Petitjean to send nuns to Kobe, and on July 9, 1877, four sisters of the Congrégation des Soeurs de l'Enfant-Jésus de Chauffailles came to Japan.[3]

After spending seven years in Kobe, in 1879 he was succeeded by Father August Chatron and entered

Takashi Hara. Villion made efforts to build a church in Kyoto, and on May 1, 1890, with the aid of Jeanne Bigard, founder of the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Saint Francis Xavier church (now Kawaramachi Church) was completed.[4]

In February 1889, just before he purchased the construction site for the construction of the St. Francis Xavier church, and just before the construction of the church finally started, he was suddenly ordered to transfer to

Chuya Nakahara
's adoptive grandfather was a believer, so he also interacted with the Nakahara family. While conducting missionary work in Hagi, he researched and researched historical sites of Christianity, and in August 1891, built a stone monument to a martyr's tomb known "Shifuku no Monument" in Tsuwano. He also discovered the ruins of Daidoji, where Francis Xavier is said to have lived.

In 1924, the Hagi Church was transferred from the Paris Foreign Missions Society to the Society of Jesus, so Villion withdrew to Kobe. In the following year, he assumed the post of pastor of the Nara Church. On October 16, 1926, a monument was erected on the site of Daido-ji Temple and an unveiling ceremony was held.

In 1932, he fell ill, hoping that he would die on the

tatami mats of Kawaguchi Church[5] He was transferred to the cathedral and died on April 1 of the same year in Osaka[6]
without ever returning to his hometown.

See also

  • The 26 Martyrs of Japan (1931 film)
    - Based on "Nihon seijin senketsu isho"

References

  1. ^ a b c "Aimé Villion", Institut de recherche France-Asie
  2. ^ Living in Unconditional Love: A Sister's Challenge 130 Years Ago p.61
  3. ^ Sirois, Georgette. "Reine Antier (1801-1883) – Femme de foi et d'audace", Femmes et Ministères (March 25, 2010), (in French)
  4. ^ "Jeanne Bigard", Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle
  5. ^ History of the Catholic Church in Japan - Clergy and Lay - 75 Meiden p.135
  6. ^ Repertoire Des Membres De La Societe Des Missions Etrangeres 1659-2004

Bibliography

  • 『偉大なるヴィリヨン神父―ヴィリヨン神父にまねびて』 山崎忠雄 著（1965年）
  • 『ビリオン神父―現代日本カトリックの柱石 慶応・明治・大正・昭和史を背景に』 中央出版社 池田敏雄 著 （1965年）
  • 『今、ビリオン神父を追う―幕末から昭和まで (Siesta Books)』 アガリ総合研究所 ホセ・パラシオス 著（2003年）ISBN 978-4901151108
  • 『人物による日本カトリック教会史-聖職者および信徒-75名伝』中央出版社 池田敏雄 著（1968年）
  • 『来日西洋人事典〔増補改訂普及版〕』日外アソシエーツ 武内 博 著（1995年）
  • 『無償の愛に生きて―130年前のシスターの挑戦』 講談社 村田初子 著（2010年）
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