Raymond Gaufredi (died 1310), sometimes anglicized as Raymond Godefroy, was Minister General of the

Franciscan Order The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

from 1289 to 1295.

Life

Raymond Gaufredi was born in Marseille. A sympathizer with the

Franciscan Spirituals The Fraticelli (Italian for "Little Brethren") or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Church as scandalous, and that of individual church ...

, he became

Minister General Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Sup ...

of the Order of Friars Minor in 1289. Despite

Pope Nicholas IV Pope Nicholas IV ( la, Nicolaus IV; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292), born Girolamo Masci, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be ele ...

having been the first Franciscan pope, it was not until his death in 1292 that Gaufredi felt able to relax the sanctions against the Spirituals, who had been persecuted for their strong condemnations of luxury in the church. Gaufredi was responsible in particular for the release from prison of

Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; la, Rogerus or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through emp ...

Angelo da Clareno Angelo da Clareno (1247/1248 – 15 June 1337), also known as Angelo Clareno, was the founder and leader of one of the groups of Fraticelli in the early 14th century. Life Originally known as Pietro da Fossombrone, he was born about 1248, and ...

and some of his followers—including

St Thomas of Tolentino Thomas of Tolentino ( it, Tommaso di or '; 8 April 1321) was a medieval Franciscan missionary who was martyred with his three companions in Thane, India, for " blaspheming" Muhammad. His relics were removed to Quanzhou, China, and Tolentino, ...

—were released from confinement and sent as missionaries to Armenia in order to avoid persecution from the friars in the March of Ancona. He nominated

Pierre Jean Olivi Peter John Olivi, also Pierre de Jean Olivi or Petrus Joannis Olivi (1248 – 14 March 1298), was a French Franciscan theologian and philosopher who, although he died professing the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, remained a controversial figure ...

for a teaching position at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

. Gaufredi was also a supporter of the Franciscan

tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

Ramón Llull, and in 1290 gave him a letter of recommendation permitting Llull to teach in Italian monasteries. He was deposed as Minister General by

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial ...

, in 1295.
"Raimondo even ventured to revise the general constitutions at the

General Chapter A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the re ...

of Paris in 1292, whereupon, having refused the Bishopric of Padua offered him by Boniface VIII, he was compelled by the pope to resign his office." Some

alchemical Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

writings have been attributed to him.

References

External links

1310 deaths People from Provence French Friars Minor Ministers General of the Order of Friars Minor Year of birth unknown {{France-reli-bio-stub