1914 - Théodore Monbeig & Bang Tunjrou

June 12, 1914

Litang, Sichuan

A piece of France on the Tibetan Plateau: The Catholic cathedral at Cizhong in northern Yunnan Province, which was defiantly constructed by Théodore Monbeig after the Tibetan lamas destroyed the previous church in 1905. [Julian Hawken]

On June 12, 1914, the Catholic missionaries at Litang received a telegram from the magistrate informing them that a European had just been killed on a mountain slope just seven miles (11 km) away. All of the Litang missionaries were accounted for, so they thought it must be an explorer or a Protestant missionary. A short time later a letter arrived which had been written by Théodore Monbeig on May 31st, informing his colleagues that he intended to leave Yanjing, Tibet, and come to Litang. The Catholics then realized the dead foreigner may be their missionary friend, a fact that was confirmed a short time later when they examined the corpse.

Born at Salies-de-Béarn, France, on October 22, 1875, Jean Théodore Monbeig became a priest in February 1899 and left for Tibet the following July 26th. For months he made his way across the interior of China, finally reaching Yanmen in northern Yunnan Province in January 1900. The 24-year-old joined the aged missionary Jules Dubernard, who had been in China almost 40 years. The elderly priest was overjoyed to have a young disciple he could mentor to take his place.

The mission where Monbeig worked was stationed was one of the most remote on earth. In the first summer after his arrival the Boxer Rebellion erupted across China and approximately 40,000 Christians were massacred, but Monbeig and Dubernard were in such an isolated place that not only did they avoid the trouble, they didn’t learn about it until months later. In 1905 several French priests, including Dubernard, were killed by irate Buddhist lamas who were jealous at the large number of Tibetans coming to faith in Christ. Monbeig at the time was visiting an outstation and avoided the carnage. He returned to Yanmen with a heavy heart, finding his beloved superior dead and the church destroyed. Monbeig was shaken, but not dismayed. He decided it was necessary to

“rebuild and increase. As he contemplated rebuilding the church, a bold plan emerged. He wanted to have a church like one that is found in France. It had to be made out of stone and contain a bell-tower with a beautiful bell. He knew the enemies of the Gospel would find demolishing a stone building more difficult than the flimsy ones they had previously constructed, and so Monbeig set about the extraordinary task of obtaining the necessary materials to realize his dream.”[1]

The Tibetan Christians welcomed the audacious plan when they heard about it, for the Buddhists had often mocked their poor churches compared to the centuries-old citadels of wealth and power that were the Buddhist temples and monasteries. After many years of labour, the new church was completed. The French-style cathedral still sits today at Cizhong, southeast of Deqin. It serves as a reminder of the decades of selfless service performed by the Catholic missionaries in this remote location.

On June 12, 1914, Tibetan bandits attacked Théodore Monbeig and his servant, Bang Tunjrou, while they rode towards the town of Litang. They were surprised by an ambush, and Monbeig “saw his horse fall from under him. His boy got in front of him as a shield but was shot to death. Father Monbeig was killed on the spot.”[2] When Monbeig’s body was brought to Litang for burial one of the missionaries examined it and “noted 13 wounds, almost all mortal: five blows from a rifle, six blows from a sabre, and two stone blows.”[3] The funeral service for Théodore Monbeig and Bang Tunjrou was held on July 8, 1914. All the foreigners living in Batang, including the entire Protestant missionary force, attended and offered their respect.

1. My translation of the Théodore Monbeig Obituary in the Archives des Missions Etrangères de Paris, China Biographies and Obituaries, 1900-1999.
2. Loup, Martyr in Tibet, 147.
3. Théodore Monbeig Obituary in the Archives des Missions Etrangères de Paris.