Albert Berdini of Sarteano (1385 – 15 August 1450) was a

Franciscan , 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 = , ...

friar and preacher. He was an associate of

Bernardino of Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " bon ...

, and a diplomatic envoy of

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

to the Coptic and

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

churches.

Life

Born in

Sarteano Sarteano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena. Sarteano is particularly important from the historical point of view. Located betwe ...

in 1385, Albert entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals in 1405, and took up studies as a novice in Florence. In 1422, he went to Verona to continue his studies in the classics. In July 1423, he met

Bernardine of Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " bon ...

, who was preaching in Treviso. Berdini became desirous of following a stricter interpretation of the Rule of St. Francis which Bernardine was promoting and he transferred over to the Observant

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 ...

, becoming one of the companions of the Apostle of the

Holy Name of Jesus In Catholicism, the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus (also ''Most Holy Name of Jesus'', it, Santissimo Nome di Gesù) developed as a separate type of devotion in the early modern period, in parallel to that of the '' Sacred Heart''. The ...

.Donovan, Stephen. "Bl. Albert Berdini of Sarteano." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 4 January 2020 A humanist, Albert was a speaker of learned eloquence, and under the guidance of Bernardine, Berdini's fame as an orator became so renowned that he was commonly known as the "King of Preachers" (''Rex Praedicatorum''). Upon hearing him preach, Caterina Moriggi was moved to take up the ascetic life. One of Berdini's main themes was peace, and he would become personally involved in peace-making in Modena, Perugia, Arezzo, Brescia, and Ferrara.

commissioned him as Apostolic Delegate for the East (Ethiopia, India, Egypt and Jerusalem). Berdini was accompanied on his missions by

Tommaso Bellacci Tommaso Bellacci (1370 - 31 October 1447) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed member of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Bellacci was a butcher and became a religious after turning his life around from one of sin to one of penance and servitu ...

. In 1439 Berdini was sent by the Pope to deliver a letter to the

Coptic Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

in Egypt, an invitation to participate in the Council of Florence and thus take part in the ongoing efforts to unite all Christian churches. He returned to Italy on 26 August 1441 with four Coptic

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s, although eventually the efforts at reunion proved fruitless. The panel of the bronze door of St. Peter's Basilica, in Rome, in which

Filarete Antonio di Pietro Aver(u)lino (; – ), known as Filarete (; from grc, φιλάρετος, meaning "lover of excellence"), was a Florentine Renaissance architect, sculptor, medallist, and architectural theorist. He is perhaps best remembered for ...

sculpted the scene of the presentation of the Copts and Ethiopians, also handed down the image of Berdini alongside the papal throne. The entire door was then inserted in the new Vatican basilica, during the pontificate of Paul V. He was elected as

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the Order of Friars Minor, in which post he served 1442-1443 as the acting minister general due to the death of the Minister General, until the election of a new Minister General the following year. Albert died in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy, on 15 August 1450.

Veneration

Though the title of

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

has always been accorded to Albert of Sarteano by the Franciscans, his '' cultus'' has never been explicitly approved by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Albert, along with his teacher, Bernardine, is considered among the four great pillars of the Observant reform within the Order of Friars Minor.American Catholic.org "St. James of the Marche"
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Notes

References

* David B. Quinn, Cecil H. Clough, Paul Edward Hedley Hair ''The European Outthrust and Encounter: The First Phase C.1400-c.1700'' Liverpool University Press, 1994 * Richard C. Trexler ''The journey of the Magi: meanings in history of a Christian story'' Princeton University Press, 1997

Sources

* Michael Robson, O.F.M. Conv. ''The Franciscans in the Middle Ages'' The Boydell Press, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Berdini, Albert Of Sarteano 1385 births 1450 deaths Italian beatified people Italian Friars Minor Franciscan beatified people 15th-century venerated Christians People from the Province of Siena Miracle workers Conventual Friars Minor