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Pietro Bernardino dei Fanciulli (Petrus Bernardinus) (ca. 1475–1502) was a follower of Savonarola.
Born at
Born at Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, his parents were common folk, and he himself lacked higher education. But he attached himself with fanatical zeal to Savonarola, and, by diligent attendance at his sermons and zealous study of his writings, acquired a wide but superficial theological knowledge.
Peter preached to the people in the public squares of Florence and, during the lifetime of Savonarola and after his death, propagated secretly some revolutionary doctrines. According to him, the Church must be renewed with the sword; until this was accomplished, there was no need to confess, since all priests, secular and regular, were unworthy.
According to the Florentine chronicler Bartolomeo Cerretani, about twenty adherents of Savonarola formed a secret society and elected Peter pope. The latter, who was then twenty-five years old, assumed special ecclesiastical functions and anointed his followers with oil. The members attended no Divine Service, but during their meetings prayed in spirit under the leadership of Peter, whom they regarded as a prophet.
The association was discovered by the archbishop and at his request, the Council of Florence proscribed its meetings. In 1502 the members left the town secretly and proceeded to Mirandola
Mirandola ( Mirandolese: ) is a city and ''comune'' of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, northeast of the provincial capital by railway.
History
Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress. For four centuries it was ...
where Count Gian Francesco, a zealous supporter of Savonarola, gave them a friendly reception. When, a little later, the count was besieged by two of his brothers, who claimed Mirandola, Peter declared it God's will that Gian Francesco should overcome his enemies. However, Mirandola was taken and the count lost his territory in August 1502. The sectaries fell into the hands of the victors, Peter and some of his companions were burned as heretics
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 ...
; the remainder were expelled or dispatched to Florence.
Protestants have called Petro Bernardino a proto-Protestant
Proto-Protestantism, also called pre-Protestantism, refers to individuals and movements that propagated ideas similar to Protestantism before 1517, which historians usually regard as the starting year for the Reformation era. The relationship be ...
, however Catholic Encyclopedia disputes the claim.
References
*Pastor, History of the Popes, tr. Antrobus, V (St. Louis, 1902), 214–16. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardino, Pietro 1470s births 1502 deaths Italian Christian religious leaders Executed Italian people People executed for heresy 16th-century executions by Italian states People executed by the Papal States by burning Religious leaders from Florence 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence