Casa Asia

Antoni de Montserrat programme 2011

Casa Asia calls for applications for the 2010 grants of the Antoni de Montserrat Programme, wich main objectives include promoting activities and projects that contribute to a better understanding (political, economic, cultural, institutional, commercial, academic and social) between the societies of Asia, The Pacific and Spain. In keeping with this objective, Casa Asia would like to bring back to the present a pioneer in Europe's discovery of Asia: Antoni de Montserrat.

Though not widely known in Spain, Antoni de Montserrat was an ambassador in the court of the Great Mogol in the 16th century. He participated in religious debates organized by Emperor Akbar and had the rare distinction of being the first cartographer of the Himalayas.

To enhance the spirit of dialogue symbolized by his legacy, Casa Asia calls for applications for the 2010 grants of the Antoni de Montserrat Programme in accordance to promote sponsors visits of specialists from Asia and The Pacific to participate in lectures, courses, seminars, fairs and cultural festivals organized by public and private institutions in Spain.

Applications are now available for 3 grants of 4,000 euros each, to cover expenses which must be duly justified as travel and/or accommodation in Spain.

Casa Asia calls for applications for the 2010 grants of the Applications must be sent between July 1st and November 30th, 2010 to:
Casa Asia
Educational Programmes Department
Av. Diagonal, 373
Barcelona
Spain

Programme in catalan and spanish
Programme in spanish and english
Requirements in spanish
Requirements in catalan
Requirements in english

Antoni de Montserrat
Antoni de Montserrat (Vic, 1536 - Salsete, India, 1600) was a Catalan Jesuit, who spent the initial years of his priesthood in Portugal. In 1574 he was assigned to the mission in the Portuguese colony of Goa, and five years later was entrusted with a delicate task: an embassy before the court of the Great Mogol Akbar. At the Emperor's court, he participated in religious debates between Hindus, Muslems, Jains and Christians. He also accompanied Emperor Akbar in the Mogol campaign against Kabul. On a trip to Ethiopia, he was cap-tured by pirates and sentenced to the galleys, but was later freed and finally died in India in 1600.

Antoni de Montserrrat is considered to be one of the great European travellers of his time. He drafted the first map of the Himalayas, specifically of Tibetan region, which was unknown until then. He wrote about Tibet in one of the first Western descriptions of the Roof of the World which inspired the first European expedition to Tibet, twenty-four years after his death.

[Print] [Go back]