The Memoirs of Blessed Ramon Llull: The First Missionary Martyr to the Muslims

“Death has no terrors for a sincere servant of Christ who is laboring to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth.”

—Bl. Ramon Llull (c.1232–1315)

Blessed Ramon Llull’s ultimate act of final perseverance was not one single decision made by grace, but the culmination of a life spent adhering to the will of God. The Memoirs of Blessed Ramon Llull is a thrilling narrative, reading almost like an action novel. In this autobiographical work, he humbly details his triumphs as well as his own weaknesses and disappointments. Due to rivalries between Catholic leaders, Bl. Ramon’s missionary zeal faced indifference from within the Church as well as resistance from without.

This Franciscan tertiary is known as the Doctor Illuminatus because he wrote over 300 works that span dozens of disciplines, not least of which is his Greater Art (Arts Major). TAN’s edition of Llull’s autobiography also includes substantial extracts from his Booklet about the End. Translated in English for the first time, by Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB, this work gives a detailed outline of his request made to Pope Clement V and the College of Cardinals for the establishment of monastic academies to train future missionaries in foreign languages. Unfortunately, his request was denied. A visionary among his fellow clergymen, Bl. Ramon was alone in recognizing the importance of learning the vernacular of the unconverted nations. Despite this and various additional disappointments he experienced, Bl. Ramon never swayed from the work Christ called him to.