Murder in the Refectory: The Death of António de Andrade, S.J.

The poisoning of António de Andrade—rector of New St. Paul’s College, deputy of the Goa Inquisition, former Provincial of Goa, and the founder of the Jesuit mission in Tibet—presents a possibly unique documented instance of a prominent Jesuit murdered by his own subordinates in the Society of Jesus. After the event, a narrative developed that portrayed Andrade as a martyr whose zealous work for the Inquisition resulted in his assassination by a New Christian. The transcript of the Goa Inquisition’s inquiry into this matter provides persuasive evidence that the motive for the murder was personal animosity and that the perpetrators were disgruntled priests and brothers at the college. The author examines the evidence of the inquiry and traces the development of the hagiographic narrative of his death.