Relations

Les Relations of Bishop Pierre Lambert de la Motte narrate his departure from France in 1660 up to the events leading up to the establishment of the Lovers of the Holy Cross sisters in Vietnam. The narratives document his perilous journey from Paris across the Middle East and Southeast Asia to Siam (present-day Thailand) and Tonkin. A significant portion of the texts focuses on the ecclesiastical conflicts between French missionaries and the Jesuits regarding jurisdictional authority and the Jesuits' involvement in trade. In Tonkin (present-day North Vietnam), the sources describe the persecution of Christians under royal edicts and the subsequent 1670 Synod of Pho-Hien, which established a native hierarchy in Vietnam. Furthermore, the documents outline the founding of the Lovers of the Cross sisters, the first female religious institute. Although these records serve as both a travel log and a foundational blueprint for the Paris Foreign Missions Society in Asia, they also include several reflections on the spiritual life of missionaries.