Amadeus of Portugal, O.F.M. (

Campo Maior, Portugal Campo Maior () is a municipality in the Portalegre District, Alentejo Region, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,456, in an area of . It is bordered by Spain on the North and East, by Elvas Municipality on the Southeast, and by Arronches Muni ...

ca. 1420 –

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sin ...

, 10 August 1482), born João de Menezes da Silva, was a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

who became first a

Hieronymite The Hieronymites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome ( la, Ordo Sancti Hieronymi; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks living according to the Rule o ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

, then left that life to become a

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

of the

Franciscan Order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

. Later he became a reformer of that

religious order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

, which led to his founding of a distinct branch of the Friars Minor that was named after him, but later suppressed by the Pope in order to unite them into one great family of Friars Minor Observants (1568). His ''Apocalypsis nova'', which contained prophecies of a pope, the "Angelic Pastor", who would work with an emperor to restore harmony in the church and the world, was influential well into the next century, in Rome and the monarchies of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Life and church

Vera Beati Amadei Effigies (Historiarum Seraphicae Religionis, 1586), cropped

He was born João de Menezes da Silva in 1420 in Campo Maior,

, the youngest of the eleven children of

Rui Gomes da Silva Rui or RUI may refer to: Names * Rui (surname) (芮), a Chinese surname * Rui (given name), a given name Places * Rui (state) (芮), a Chinese state during the Zhou Dynasty * Rui (village), a census town in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, ...

, the first

alcaide Alcaide is a Spanish name, meaning 'castle commander'. It is borrowed from the Arabic term , which literally means 'commander'. Etymology The Spanish form is alcayde whereas Portuguese form is alcaide. Notable people * Anselmo Pardo Alcaide ...

of Campo Maior, on the border of Castile and Portugal, and of Isabel de Menezes, an illegitimate daughter of

Dom Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an et ...

Pedro de Meneses, 1st Count of Vila Real and 2nd

Count of Viana do Alentejo {{about, , the Counts of Viana (modern), Count of Viana, the Counts of Viana (da Foz do Lima), Count of Viana (da Foz do Lima) Count of Viana (do Alentejo) was a Portuguese title of nobility granted to D. João Afonso Telo, 4th Count of Barce ...

, under whom Silva served in

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

. One of his sisters was

Beatrice of Silva Beatrice of Silva (Campo Maior, Portugal ca. 1424 – Toledo, Castile, 16 August 1492), born Beatriz de Menezes da Silva, was a Portuguese Nobility, noblewoman who became the foundress of the Christian_monasticism#Roman_Catholicism, monastic Con ...

, a noted

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places * Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queenslan ...

mystic and the foundress of the

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

Order of the Immaculate Conception , image = OrdoIC.jpg , size = 150px , abbreviation = OIC , nickname = Conceptionists , motto = , formation = , founder = Saint Beatrice of Silva) , founding_location ...

. Silva married at eighteen, but left his bride the instant he was married, and went into Spain, where he fought against the Moors under John II. He then decided to become a monk, beginning his religious life in the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Santa María de Guadalupe The Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe ( es, Real Monasterio de Santa María de Guadalupe) is a Roman Catholic monastic establishment built during the 14th century located in Guadalupe, in Extremadura, Spain. It is located at the foot of ...

, where he spent about ten years. Desirous of joining the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

, he abandoned that life and went to

Úbeda Úbeda (; from Iberian ''Ibiut'') is a town in the province of Jaén in Spain's autonomous community of Andalusia, with 34,733 (data 2017) inhabitants. Both this city and the neighbouring city of Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the ...

, Castile, where he was received into the Order in 1452, entering as a

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

. He chose to seek Holy Orders after a few years, and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1459. After that, while living in various friaries, chiefly in

, he attracted attention by his virtue and purported miracles. Under the protection of the

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has l ...

, he established the friary of Our Lady of Peace (1469) which became the center of a Franciscan reform. The

Minister General Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...

of the Order,

Francesco della Rovere Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

, extended his protection to him. When later the Minister General became

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

he called Amadeus to Rome to be his

confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.

Legacy

Supernatural favors obtained through his intercession aided in the spread of his ''cultus'', and the

Bollandists The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century h ...

testify to the authenticity of the title "Blessed" bestowed on him. The friaries he founded continued, after his death, to form a distinct branch of the Minorites. These friars were called the Amadeans or Amadists, and they had twenty-eight houses in Italy, the chief one being Saint Peter de Montorio in Rome.

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...

gave them the friary of Saint Genesto near Cartagena, in Castile (1493). The successors of Amadeus: Georges de Val-Camonique, Gilles de Montferrat, Jean Allemand and Bonaventura de Cremona, preserved his foundation in its original spirit until

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

suppressed it, along with similar branches of the Franciscan Order, uniting them into one great family of Friars Minor Observants (1568).

Works

He composed a treatise entitled ''De revelationibus et prophetiis'', two copies of which are mentioned by Nicholas Antonio. The work of another Amadeus, ''Homilies on the Blessed Virgin'', has been erroneously attributed to him. His ''Apocalypsis nova'' is a dialogue with the

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

about Christian doctrines, which, in some parts, is a commentary on the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

Pedro Fernández - Vision of the Blessed Amedeo Menez de Sylva - WGA07809

In ecstasy with the Archangel Gabriel, Amadeus revealed and prayed the

Seven Archangels The concept of Seven Archangels is found in some works of early Jewish literature and in Christianity. In those texts, they are referenced as the angels who serve God directly. Bible The term ''archangel'' itself is not found in the Hebrew Bibl ...

with the names that are not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church (

Jegudiel Saint Iehudiel ( he, יַחְדִּיאֵל ''Yaḥdīʾēl,'' "God is One") is one of the seven Archangels in Eastern Orthodox tradition and in the eastern rites of the Catholic Church. Iconography He is often depicted in iconography holding a ...

Selaphiel Saint Selaphiel the Archangel or Saint Sealtiel, Selatiel, or Selathiel ( Hebrew: שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל ''Šəʾaltīʾēl,'' Tiberian: ''Šăʾaltīʾēl'', ''"''I have asked God") is one of the archangels in Byzantine Catholic and Easte ...

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

Uriel Uriel or Auriel ( he, אוּרִיאֵל ''ʾŪrīʾēl'', " El/God is my flame"; el, Οὐριήλ ''Oúriēl''; cop, ⲟⲩⲣⲓⲏⲗ ''Ouriēl''; it, Uriele; Geʽez and Amharic: or ) is the name of one of the archangels who is mentio ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

, and

Barachiel Barachiel ( Hebrew: בַּרַכְאֵל ''Baraḵʾēl'', "God has blessed") is one of the Archangels in Judaism, as well as Byzantine Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition. He is the Archangel of Blessings. In the Third Book of Enoch, he i ...

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amadeus of Portugal 1420 births 1482 deaths Augustinian monks Hieronymites Portuguese Friars Minor People from Portalegre District 15th-century Portuguese Roman Catholic priests 15th-century venerated Christians Miracle workers