Miquel Baptista Gran Peris (24 November 1620 - 11 September 1684 ), known as Blessed Bonaventura Gran or Fra Bonaventura of Barcelona, was a Franciscan friar. He was proclaimed

blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

by the Catholic Church in 1906.

Biography

He was born in

Riudoms Riudoms is a town in the ''comarca'' of Baix Camp, province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, located about five kilometres from the regional capital Reus. The main product is the hazelnut, today in recession, and extra virgin olive oil. History Ri ...

, Catalonia, on 24 November 1620 in a modest house in the street known as a Pocket Street (''Carrer de la Butxaca'' in Catalan) and now has his name. After marrying at the age of 18 as his father wished, he was widowed in a few months. He entered the Franciscan convent of Sant Miquel d'Escornalbou and made religious profession on 14 July 1641, changing his name to Bonaventura. In the following years, he was sent to

Mora d'Ebre Mora may refer to: People * Mora (surname) Places Sweden * Mora, Säter, Sweden * Mora, Sweden, the seat of Mora Municipality * Mora Municipality, Sweden United States * Mora, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Mora, Minnesota, a city * Mo ...

, Figueres, la Bisbal d'Empordà and Terrassa, where another street has been named for him. In 1658 he was sent to Rome where he founded Santo Retiro are four monasteries in the province of Rome, including

San Bonaventura al Palatino The Church of San Bonaventura al Palatino is a small 17th century church building in Rome built on Via Marco Colidio the Palatine Hill The Palatine Hill (; la, Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus; it, Palatino ), which relative to the seven ...

. He was an adviser to four popes:

Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...

, Clement IX,

Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

and Innocent XI. In Rome in 1662 he founded the Riformella, a reform movement within the Reformed Order of Friars Minor of the Strict Observance, so the monks and Franciscan priests who dedicated themselves to the apostolate could gather in meditation and spiritual retreat, living the founding spirit of the Franciscan order. In 1679, he sent from Rome the relics of

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant ...

, Saint Julian and Saint Vincent. Since then, the second Sunday of May is celebrated in

as the Feast of the Holy Relics. He died in Rome on 11 September 1684.

Veneration

Bonatura was declared venerable in 1775. On 14 June 1906 he was

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

by Pope Pius X, after the verification of two miraculous healings. The first one in 1790 when a woman was in a serious condition after falling from the horse and was inexplicably cured after have invoked him. The other, in 1818 in which another woman remained unconscious for three days after childbirth and cured instantaneously after applying him a relic of Bonaventura. The cause for his sainthood was opened on 9 December 1909. In

, his remains are preserved since 1972, when they were moved from Rome. They are currently in the tabernacle chapel in the church of Saint James the Apostle. In Riudoms there is a great devotion to Blessed Bonaventura and a feast in his honour is celebrated every 24 November, where his remains are taken in procession through the village. File:Casa Beat Bonaventura Gran.jpg, Birth house of Bonaventura Gran. Annexed there is a little chapel with his image. File:Capella Santíssim Riudoms.jpg, Tabernacle chappel in the church of Riudoms, where his remains are preserved File:Beat Bonaventura Gran 2.jpg, Image of the urn where his remains are preserved

References

External links

Biography in the Catalan Encyclopedia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gran, Bonaventura Franciscan beatified people Spanish beatified people Spanish Franciscans 1620 births 1684 deaths Beatifications by Pope Pius X Venerated Catholics by Pope Pius VI