Cornelius Wessels

Cornelius Nicolaas Petrus Wessels (September 8, 1880 in Helmond, Netherlands – February 2, 1964 in Maastricht, Netherlands) was a Dutch Jesuit, known for his historical works on the early Catholic Missions in Central Asia, specially Tibet, and in the East Indies.

This article is about the Dutch jesuit historian. For the South African politician and statesman, see Cornelius Hermanus Wessels.

His main work, Early Jesuit travellers in Central Asia, 1603-1721, first published in 1924, was notable for its thoroughness and the exhaustiveness of the documention referred to; and thus was seminal in the knowledge of the activities and travels of Bento de Góis, António de Andrade, Francisco de Azevedo, Estêvão Cacella, Johann Grueber, Albert d'Orville and Ippolito Desideri. The book includes a comprehensive map of such travels by the Dutch cartographer C. Craandijk.

Works

• Wessels, C. (1924). Early Jesuit travellers in Central Asia, 1603-1721. Asian Educational Services. pp. 1–42. ISBN 81-206-0741-4.
• De geschiedenis der R.K.Missie in Amboina,1546-1605. Nijmegen, 1926
• Catalogus Patrum et Fratrum e Societate Iesu qui in Missione Moluccana ab a. 1546 ad a. 1677 adlaboraverunt, in Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, Rome, Vol. I, 1932.

See also

• Christianity in Tibet
• Jesuit China missions
• History of European exploration in Tibet