Luca Belludi (between 1200 and 1210 – 17 February 1286) was an Italian Franciscan friar from

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. Belludi is said to have been vested into the order by

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

himself at age 25. He attended

Padua University The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

and was ordained priest in 1227. He became a close friend of

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...

, taking an active part in his prayers and assisting him to draft his sermons. Through prayer and the intercession of St Anthony (to whom he prayed after Anthony's death) he took part in the liberation of Padua from the tyrant

Ezzelino III da Romano Ezzelino III da Romano (25 April 1194, Tombolo7 October 1259) was an Italian feudal lord, a member of the Ezzelino family, in the March of Treviso (in modern Veneto). He was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II ( r. 1220–1250), and ruled ...

in 1256. After Belludi's own death in Padua in 1286, his body was buried in the same urn as St Anthony – they remained there until 1971, when they were transported into a chapel now dedicated to him (also known as the chapel of Saints Philip and James the Less or the Conti Chapel), noted for its frescoes by

Giusto de' Menabuoi ''Cappella del beato Luca Belludi'' Sant'Antonio (Padua) Giusto de' Menabuoi (c. 1320–1391) was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance. He was born in Florence. Probably, but not confirmed as, a pupil of Giotto, de' Menabuoi was notable f ...

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

beatified him on 18 May 1927. The external cloister at

Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua ( it, Basilica Pontificia di Sant'Antonio di Padova) is a Catholic church and minor basilica in Padua, Veneto, Northern Italy, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Although the basilica is visi ...

is also now dedicated to Belludi.

References

Religious leaders from Padua 1200s births 1286 deaths Franciscan beatified people Italian beatified people {{Italy-reli-bio-stub