Andrea Bertoni (1454 - 25 May 1483) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and a professed member of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

. Bertoni assumed the religious name of "Giacomo Filippo" upon being admitted to the Servites and he became the procurator of the convent he lived in from his appointment until his death. The approval of the late priest's "cultus" (or popular devotion) on 22 July 1761 acted as Pope Clement XIII's conferral of beatification upon the late priest while the town of

Faenza Faenza (, ; ; or ; ) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. Faenza is home to a historical manufacture of majolica-ware glazed earthenware pottery, known ...

- where Bertoni hailed from - appointed him as its patron in 1762.

Life

Andrea Bertoni was born in

to poor parents in 1454. He often frequented the churches in his area during his childhood and possessed an ardent devotion to the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

. He joined the

in 1453 at the tender age of nine and was later

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood following the successful completion of his theological and philosophical studies that were required for ordination. He was made the procurator of his convent in Faenza from the appointment until his death. Bertoni assumed the religious name of "Giacomo Filippo" upon making his profession. He dreaded offending

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

so underwent frequent confession. He also - on one occasion - healed an ill monk after making the

sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross (), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging ...

over the latter three times. His first biographer was Nicolò

Borghese The House of Borghese ( , ) is a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the '' commune''. During the 16th century, t ...

who Bertoni once cured; Borghese wrote a chronicle of the priest's life three months before the latter died. On 24 May 1483 he visited his fellow Servites and asked for their prayers due to his ill health. Bertoni died on 25 May 1483 as he recited the Divine Office and kissed a

Crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

that he was holding in his hands. His remains were re-interred in the Manfredi Chapel on 15 April 1594 while his remains were re-interred once more to the altar of Saint Charles Borromeo in the Faenza Cathedral after the church he was in before was damaged in November 1944 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Beatification

Bertoni was beatified - on 22 July 1761 - after

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; ; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. ...

approved of the late priest's "cultus" (or popular following and devotion) while Bertoni was selected as a patron of Faenza in a decree that the council of the town issued on 14 July 1762.

References

External links

Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertoni, Andrea 1454 births 1483 deaths 15th-century venerated Christians 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Italian beatified people People from Faenza Servites