Antonio Ravalli is known primarily for his contributions to the architecture and art of Jesuit missions in the region.
16 Facts About Antonio Ravalli
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2.
Antonio Ravalli inoculated the tribes he served against smallpox, and his efforts shielded the Bitterroot Salish against epidemics that devastated other tribes.
3.
Anthony Antonio Ravalli was born 16 May 1812 to wealthy parents in Ferrara, Italy.
4.
When he was fifteen, Antonio Ravalli entered the Society of Jesus.
5.
Antonio Ravalli traveled with the priests Louis Vercruyesse, Michael Accolti, and John Nobili, Francis Huybrechts, and six sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame de Namur, arriving at Fort Vancouver, 5 August 1844, after a voyage of eight months.
6.
Antonio Ravalli brought medical supplies, carpentry tools, and two mill stones to stock the Jesuit missions.
7.
Antonio Ravalli spent a few months at the mission of St Paul on the Willamette River, where he studied English and ministered to the sick.
8.
In 1845, Antonio Ravalli was transferred to St Mary's Mission on the Bitterroot River in what is western Montana.
9.
Antonio Ravalli built a grist mill and sawmill at the mission.
10.
When Blackfeet raids forced St Mary's Mission to close in 1850, Antonio Ravalli continued his work at other missions.
11.
Antonio Ravalli designed and supervised the building of a church.
12.
Antonio Ravalli designed the interior of the chapel, which was dedicated 28 October 1866.
13.
Antonio Ravalli made whatever tools he needed with his own hands, including his paintbrushes, which he made with tail hair from his favorite cat.
14.
Antonio Ravalli made his house into a sort of pharmacy where he dispensed medicines, and his skill as a doctor made the mission a regional medical center for Indians and whites alike.
15.
Antonio Ravalli traveled a two-hundred-mile radius in all weather to minister to the sick.
16.
Antonio Ravalli died at St Mary's Mission on 2 October 1884 and is buried in the cemetery there.