Andrea Franchi (1335 - 26 May 1401) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

member of the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

who served as the Bishop of Pistoia before his resignation due to ill health. Franchi became a noted preacher and evangelist who was also known for his holiness and his deep commitment to the poor of his diocese. The confirmation of the late bishop's 'cultus' (or popular devotion) allowed for

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

to confirm Franchi's beatification on 21 November 1921.

Life

Andrea Franchi was born in

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

in 1335 as the third of four children that included Francesco di Franco di Simone Franchi as well as Bartolomeo - an advisor of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

and

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX ( la, Bonifatius IX; it, Bonifacio IX; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope of the Western Schism.Richa ...

- and the Luca (who joined Franchi in the order). Franchi studied at the Dominican

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

of Santa Maria Novella in Pistoia and joined the Dominicans at the age of fourteen in 1359. He was later

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 ...

to the priesthood and became a noted preacher and evangelist. He also served as a teacher in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

of both philosophical and theological studies. Franchi served from 1369 until 1381 as the prior of the Dominican houses in his home of Pistoia as well as

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

and

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

. Franchi became the Bishop of Pistoia in 1382 after Pope Urban VI appointed him to that position; the new bishop received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

sometime in 1382. He administered to the poor and to the ill and gained the moniker of the "Father of the Poor". But ill health forced him to - on 29 May 1400 - relinquish his episcopal see and he returned to his Pistoia convent where he remained for the final months of his life. Franchi died in 1401. He was interred in the church of San Domenico in Pistoia and his remains were deemed to be incorrupt after their exhumation in 1613 - a sweet odor was said to have emanated from his remains following the exhumation.

Beatification

Franchi received formal beatification from

on 21 November 1921 after the pontiff confirmed the late bishop's 'cultus' (or popular devotion and following).

References

External links

Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franchi, Andrea 1335 births 1401 deaths 14th-century venerated Christians 14th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Benedict XV Bishops in Tuscany Dominican bishops Dominican beatified people Italian beatified people Members of the Dominican Order People from Pistoia Venerated Dominicans Venerated Catholics