Nicolás Factor (29 June 1520 – 23 December 1583) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

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 ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and a professed member from the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

as well as a painter of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

period. Factor served as an apt preacher across his region - despite wanting to be sent to the foreign missions - and was noted for his practices of self-mortification before he gave sermons.

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...

beatified Factor on 27 August 1786.

Life

Nicolás Factor was born in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on 29 June 1520 as one of five children to a poor tailor. In his childhood he fasted three times a week and donated all of his untouched food to the poor and also tended to the ill - he visited a leper hospital as well. His Moorish maid was so affected with this that she learnt about the faith and converted to Roman Catholicism. His father wanted him to follow his path but Factor wanted to follow his own and so decided to become a

and a religious. He entered the

on 30 November 1537 and was sometime 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 ...

as a priest. He painted a range of devotional images. Factor became a sought after itinerant preacher (his request to go to the foreign missions was denied) across his region and was known for undergoing rather severe self-mortifications before he gave each sermon. He also served as the

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...

of the Santa Clara

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 ...

since 1571 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

at the request of Joan of Habsburg. In April 1582 he relocated to the Santa Caterina convent in Onda and that November moved to another convent in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. Factor died after a period of illness on 23 December 1583 after having just returned to Valencia. In 1586 his remains were exhumed for King Philip II - who wished to view them - and his remains were found to be incorrupt. La primera biografia de Nicolás Factor, ''Libro de la vida y obras maravillosas del Padre Fray Pedro Nicolás Factor'' d
Cristóbal Moreno del Camino
fue publicada en el año 1586.

Beatification

beatified the late Franciscan on 27 August 1786. The beatification process saw three friends of Factor summoned to provide witness testimonies and the tribunal called upon

Paschal Baylón Paschal Baylón (16 May 1540 – 17 May 1592) was a Spanish Roman Catholic lay professed religious of the Order of Friars Minor. He served as a shepherd alongside his father in his childhood and adolescence, but desired to enter the relig ...

and Louis Betrand as well as

Juan de Ribera Juan de Ribera (Seville, Spain, 20 March 1532 – Valencia, 6 January 1611) was an influential figure in 16th and 17th century Spain. Ribera held appointments as Archbishop and Viceroy of Valencia, Latin Patriarchate of Antioch, Commander in ...

(whom Factor served).

References

External links

Saint Nicholas FactorSaints SQPN
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Factor, Nicolás 1520 births 1583 deaths 16th-century venerated Christians 16th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters 16th-century Spanish Roman Catholic priests People from Valencia Spanish Renaissance painters Spanish beatified people Venerated Catholics Catholic painters Beatifications by Pope Pius VI