Jordan of Giano ( la, Iordanus de Iano; 1195 – after 1262) was an Italian

Minorite The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

from Giano in the Valley of Spoleto. Jordanus joined 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 = , ...

around 1220. A few years later he was sent to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with a group under Caesarius of Speyer, the first Franciscan provincial of Germany. Jordan was first in Salzburg; in June 1222, he was sent to work in the apostolate at Speyer, Worms, and Mainz.Goldenberg, Dan, "Jordan of Giano", ''Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle'', (Graeme Dunphy, Cristian Bratu, eds.) 2016
/ref> He was ordained in 1223, and became the guardian at

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

and the custos of the Franciscan houses in

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

in 1225. In 1230 and again in 1238, he was sent to

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on business relating to his order.Ott, Michael. "Jordanus of Giano." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 8 January 2020 He attended a chapter of German Franciscans held at

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

in 1262. There he dictated the early memoirs of the Franciscans in Germany (''De primitivorum Fratrum in Theutoniam missorum et conversatione et vita'') to a Brother Baldwin of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

. The memoirs begin in the year 1207 and are one of the chief sources for Franciscan history in Germany. The only extant manuscript breaks off abruptly at the year 1238.

References

* 1195 births 13th-century deaths Conventual Friars Minor 13th-century German historians 13th-century German Roman Catholic priests German Franciscans 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 13th-century Italian writers 13th-century Latin writers {{Italy-RC-clergy-stub