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Events on Wednesday 3 December 1552 1
1506 – 1552Francis Xavier (1506-1552)Died 3 December 1552, aged 46The Navarrese Jesuit missionary died of fever on Shangchuan Island off the coast of China while awaiting passage to the mainland. A co-founder of the Society of Jesus, he had spent over a decade evangelizing in India, Southeast Asia, and Japan. He was later canonized and is venerated as a patron saint of missionaries.