Stephen of Besançon, O.P., (ca. 1250,

Free Imperial City of Besançon The Free Imperial City of Besançon was a self-governing free imperial city that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Besançon. From 1184 until 1654 the city of Besançon was a free imperial city () as shown by the coat of arms unt ...

—22 November 1294, Republic of Lucca) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Dominican friar, who served briefly as the Master General of the Order. Stephen began his studies in 1273 and graduated as ''Baccalaureus biblicus'' ( Bachelor of Theology in

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

Studies) in 1286. Two years later he obtained his Master's degree (''Magister'') from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Paris. A popular collection of sermons entitled ''Alphabetum narrationem'' is possibly attributable to him.Dictionary of Spirituality "Dominican Spirituality"
/ref> First as

Prior Provincial Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of northern France (1291) and then as Master General of the Order of Preachers (in 1292) he tried to lead the Order back to the original severity of its ideal. He died in Lucca in Tuscany, while on the way back to Rome from a journey of

canonical visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

s of the

priories A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of monk ...

of the Order.

References

University of Paris alumni Year of birth uncertain 1250s births 1294 deaths 13th-century French Roman Catholic priests French Dominicans Roman Catholic biblical scholars Masters of the Order of Preachers Clergy from Besançon {{France-reli-bio-stub