A young Chinese seminarian and Secular Franciscan martyred in Taiyuan in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion.

Saint Simon Chen Ximan was a seminarian of Northern Shanxi in China and a member of the Secular Franciscans, martyred at Taiyuan on July 9, 1900, at about forty-four years of age, during the violent anti-Christian uprising known as the Boxer Rebellion. He was beatified in 1946 and canonized in 2000 among the martyr saints of China.

Quick Facts

• Died: July 9, 1900, at Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, around age 44
• Beatified: 1946
• Canonized: 2000
• Venerated as: Seminarian and Secular Franciscan; martyr

Who Was Saint Simon Chen Ximan?

Simon Chen Ximan was a seminarian preparing for the priesthood in the vicariate of Northern Shanxi and a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. In the summer of 1900, amid the violent, xenophobic upheaval of the Boxer Rebellion, he was put to death at Taiyuan for his Catholic faith, at about forty-four years of age.

Historical Setting

The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 unleashed devastating violence against Chinese Christians and foreign missionaries alike, particularly severe in Shanxi province, where the provincial governor personally oversaw mass executions of Catholics, including clergy, seminarians, and lay believers, in what became one of the deadliest anti-Christian episodes in modern history.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Simon Chen Ximan

Simon is remembered as part of the large company of Chinese martyrs of 1900, whose deaths testified to the depth of Catholic faith taking root in China even under mortal threat. As a seminarian, his death also represented the loss of a future indigenous priesthood cut short by violence.

Canonization and Feast Day

Simon Chen Ximan was beatified in 1946 and canonized in 2000, when Pope John Paul II raised him and many companions to sainthood as martyrs of China, formally recognizing a devotion that had grown since their deaths in 1900.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Simon’s death as a young seminarian, his formation cut short by violence, is a sober reminder of the real risks faced by those preparing for ministry in hostile settings. His witness honors the courage of a still-young Chinese Catholic Church.

A Prayer to Saint Simon Chen Ximan

Saint Simon Chen Ximan, young seminarian who gave your life for Christ in China, intercede for those preparing for ministry today, especially where the faith is still young and tested. Amen.

Sources

• Vatican.va, canonization records of the Martyr Saints of China (2000)
• Roman Martyrology