DE NOBILI SCHOOL is named after a Jesuit Priest who made history with his new approach to India. Born into a noble Italian Family, Roberto De Nobili entered the Society of Jesus and came to live in Madurai in India in 1606. Here he became the first European to learn Sanskrit and to study the Vedas and the Vedanta.

By a combination of great scholarship, love and good manners he gradually overcame the distrust of the Brahmins who suspected him of being a Turk in disguise. Father De Nobili was one of the first Europeans to recognize India’s rich heritage. It was his sincere effort to combine the best of two worlds that makes him a natural patron for our school.