Bianco di Santi alias Bianco da Siena or Bianco da Lanciolina (Anciolina, 1350 circa -

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, 1399) was an Italian mystic poet and an imitator of

Jacopone da Todi Jacopone da Todi, O.F.M. (ca. 1230 – 25 December 1306) was an Italian Franciscan friar from Umbria. He wrote several ''laude'' (songs in praise of the Lord) in the local vernacular. He was an early pioneer in Italian theatre, being one of ...

. He wrote several religiously-inspired poems ( lauda) that were popular in the Middle Ages. First a wool carder, he eventually became a member of the poor

Jesuates The Jesuati (Jesuates) were a religious order founded by Giovanni Colombini of Siena in 1360. The order was initially called (from Latin: Apostolic Clerics of Saint Jerome) because of a special veneration for St. Jerome and the apostolic lif ...

, founded by Giovanni Colombini.

Biography

According to Feo Belcari, Bianco da Siena was native of Lanciolina di Valdarno (at present Anciolina, in the province of

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...

), but he worked as a wool carder at Siena. His date of birth is uncertain, but probably took place around 1350, since Belcari defines him as very young in 1367, when he entered the Jesuates. This company was founded towards 1360 by Colombini and his friend Francesco Vincenti: they proposed a life of poverty and penitence. In May 1367, Bianco da Siena entered the company and left Siena with them to ask the approval of

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Urban V Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the on ...

. The Jesuates were received with benevolence at Viterbo, where the pontiff stayed with the project to bring the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

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 ...

. In the meantime, they were suspected of

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

: Colombini assuaged these suspicions, however, several members left the company. During the return to Siena, Colombini fell ill and died at Acquapendente 31 July 1367. Because of the intervention of the Roman Curia, the Jesuates became a religious order: the members had to give up their roaming life and settled in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

and in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

. Bianco da Siena stayed some time in Siena, then went to Città di Castello, which he left before 1383. Afterwards, he travelled with a colleague in Umbria and in Tuscany and he stopped 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 ...

. He settled in

, where he died in 1399.The dating of Bianco da Siena's death was established thanks to Tommaso Caffarini's witnessing: Fernanda Sorelli, " Per la biografia del Bianco da Siena, gesuato: una testimonianza di Tommaso Caffarini (1403) ", Atti dell'Istituto veneto di scienze, lettere ed arti, 126 ( 1977-1978 ), p. 529-536.Enciclopedia Treccani
.

Poetry

Bianco da Siena wrote several religiously-inspired poems. These were widely read in the Middle Ages and they are in many manuscripts. One hundred and twenty-two poems were published, spanning more than twenty thousand lines of verse. Margaretta Salinger ''A New Panel in Giovanni di Paolo's Saint Catherine Series'', New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer, 1942), p. 22. In the 20th century, an English translation of his poem "Discendi amor santo" by

Richard Frederick Littledale Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890) was an Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer. Life The fourth son of John Littledale, an auctioneer, he was born in Dublin on 14 September 1833. On 15 October 1850 he entered Trinity College Dublin, was elec ...

became a popular Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

, "

Come Down, O Love Divine "Come Down, O Love Divine" is a Christian hymn usually sung for the festival of Pentecost. It makes reference to the descent of the Holy Spirit as an invocation to God to come to into the soul of the believer. It is a popular piece of Anglica ...

", after it was set to music by the British composer

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

in 1906.

Posterity

translated multiple poems into English that have come into common use in the Church. * ''Discendi amor santo'' - ''Come down, O Love Divine'' * ''Gesù Christo amoroso'' - ''O Jesus Christ, the loving'' * ''Vergine Santa, Sposa dell'Agnello'' - '' O Virgin spouse of Christ, the Lamb'' * ''Ama Jesu, el tuo sposo diletto'' - ''Love Jesu, who hath sought thee so'':John Julian, ''A dictionary of Hymnology'', New York, Dover Publication, 1957.
John Julian, ''A dictionary of Hymnology'', New York, Dover Publication, 1957, p. 141; LindaJo H. McKim, ''The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion'', Louisville (Kentucky), Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 223.Hymnary.org - Bianco da Siena
/ref>

Bibliography

* Il Bianco da Siena, ''Laudi'', critical edition by Silvia Serventi. Rome, Antonianum, 2013. * Telesforo Bini, ''Laudi spirituali del Bianco da Siena, povero gesuato del secolo XIV'', Lucca, G. Giusti, 1851 (Edition of poems I-XCII). * Franca Ageno, ''Il Bianco da Siena. Notizie e testi inediti'', Genova-Roma-Napoli, Società Anonima Editrice Dante Alighieri, 1939 (Edition of poems XCIII-CXI). * Bianco da Siena, ''Serventesi inediti'', edited by Emanuele Arioli, Pisa, ETS, 2012 (Edition of poems CXII-CXXII). * Giorgio Petrocchi, ''La letteratura religiosa'', in ''Storia della letteratura italiana'', dir. Emilio Cecchi,

Natalino Sapegno Natalino Sapégno (10 November 1901 - 11 April 1990) was a literary critic and Italian academician. He came to prominence as a leading scholar of fourteenth century Italian literature. Biography Provenance and early years Natalino Sapég ...

, II, ''Il Trecento'', Milano, Garzanti, 1965, p. 511-545. * Guido Baldassarri, ''Letteratura devota, edificante e morale'', in ''Storia della letteratura italiana'', diretta da Enrico Malato, II, ''Il Trecento'', Roma, Salerno, 1995, p. 211-326. * Christopher Kleinhenz, ''Medieval Italy: an encyclopedia'', London, Routledge, 2004, t. I, p. 119-120. * Costanzo Cargnoni, Antonio Gentili, Mauro Regazzoni, Pietro Zovatto, ''Storia della spiritualità italiana'', Roma, Città Nuova Editrice, 2002. * Ottavio Gigli, ''Prose di Feo Belcari edite ed inedite'', Roma, Salviucci, 1843, I, p. 105-107, II, p. 23-32. * Feo Belcari, ''Vita del beato Giovanni Colombini da Siena, fondatore de' poveri Gesuati con parte della vita d'alcuni primi suoi compagni'', edited by Antonio Cesari, Verona, Tipografia erede Merlo, 1817. * Vittoria Deudi, ''I Gesuati e il loro poeta Bianco da Siena'', in ''Bullettino senese di storia patria, 1911'', XVIII, p. 396-412. * Francesco Zambrini, ''Le opere volgari a stampa dei secoli XIII e XIV ed altre a' medesimi riferibili o falsamente assegnate'', Bologna, G. Romagnoli, 1861, p. 31 * Isabella Gagliardi, ''Li trofei della croce: l'esperienza gesuata e la società lucchese tra Medioevo ed età moderna'', Roma, Ed. di Storia e Letteratura, 2005. * Pietro Zovatto, '' Storia della spiritualità italiana'', Roma, Città Nuova, 2002. * Georg Dufner, ''Geschichte der Jesuaten'', Roma, Ed. di storia e letteratura, 1975. * Josiah Miller, ''Singers and songs of the Church, sketches of the hymn-writers'', London, Longmans, Green, and Co, 1869, p. 37 * John Julian, ''A dictionary of Hymnology'', New York, Dover Publication, 1957, p. 141. * Erik Routley, ''An English Speaking Hymnal Guide'', Chicago, GIA Publications, 2005, p. 37. * Martin Manser, ''The Wordsworth Book of Hymns'', Hertfordshire, Wordsworth Editions, 2006, p. 95-96 * LindaJo H. McKim, ''The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion'', Louisville (Kentucky), Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 223. * Gordon Kerry, ''New Classical Music: Composing Australia'', Sydney, University of New South Wales, 2009, p. 110. * Jeffery B. Loomis, ''Dayspring in darkness: sacrament in Hopkins'', Crambury, London, Mississauga, Associated University Presses, 1988, p. 206.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siena, Bianco da Year of birth uncertain 1399 deaths 14th-century Italian poets Italian male poets People from Arezzo