Henrique Henriques | |
|---|---|
| Church | Catholic Church (Franciscan [till 1545] Society of Jesus [1545-1600]) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anrique Anriquez 1520 |
| Died | 6 February 1600 (aged 79–80) Punicale, Portuguese India (now Punnaikayal, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Buried | Our Lady of Snows Basilica, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Jesuit priest, missionary, theological author, translator |
| Education | Canon Law |
| Alma mater | University of Coimbra, Portugal |
Henrique Henriques (also known as Anrique Anriquez)[1] (1520–1600) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who spent most of his life in missionary activities in South India. After his initial years in Goa he moved to Tamil Nadu where he mastered Tamil and wrote several books including a dictionary. He is considered to be the first European Tamil scholar.
He strongly believed that books of religious doctrines should be in local languages and to this end he wrote books in Tamil. His efforts made Tamil the first non-European language to be printed in moveable type. Hence he is sometimes called The Father of the Tamil Press. After his death his mortal remains were buried in Our Lady of Snows Basilica in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.