Andrea dei Conti (1240 – 1 February 1302) 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 ...

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

who was born as a member of the noble house of

Conti di Segni The counts of Segni (, , also known as ''Conti'' or ''De Comitibus'' for short) were an important noble family of medieval and early modern Italy originating in Segni, Lazio. Many members of the family acted as military commanders or ecclesiastica ...

. The priest was best known for his humble life of solitude in which he was subjected to demonic visions and attacks though his faith in

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 ...

saw him emerge time and time again as the victor. He lived his life in a small grotto in the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

. Conti was the paternal nephew of

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne, Italy, Jenne (now in the Province of Rome ...

and is reported to be the maternal uncle or cousin - though related in some form - of

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...

in addition to being both the ancestor of

Pope Innocent XIII Pope Innocent XIII (; ; 13 May 1655 – 7 March 1724), born as Michelangelo dei Conti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 May 1721 to his death in March 1724. He remains the most recent pope to take the ...

and medieval pontiffs

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

and

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

; he was also related to a total of five Italian cardinals from his noble stock. His descendant Innocent XIII approved the Franciscan's beatification on 11 December 1724.

Life

Andrea dei Conti was born into the noble house of

in 1240 in

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic centre of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the appearance of a s ...

to Stefano - the brother of

. His sister was the mother of

or he and his sister were the future pontiff's cousins. In his adolescence he saw around him the world and its vainness and decided to live a life opposite to it in order to pursue the religious life. He renounced his wealth and left his father's castle where he sought refuge at the San Lorenzo convent in the mountains in the

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

region. Conti became a hermit living in the

and had routine visits and attacks from demons in a series of visions in which his ardent faith in

saw him emerge as the victor time and time again. It was in the mountains that he found a grotto and with the permission of his superiors made his abode there; the cavern he lived in was so narrow and low that he had to kneel or bend over when inside due to his tall height. Pope Boniface VIII wanted to elevate his relation to the rank of cardinal in one of the two consistories of 1295 but he declined the offer in order to cite being inadequate for the position and citing his love for solitude and the contemplative life. This meekness left such a profound impact on the pope who expressed his desire to outlive the Franciscan so that he could canonize him as a saint. It also seemed that his example of refusal was one of the reasons that Boniface VIII decided to convoke the 1300 Jubilee Year. Conti was diligent in his contemplation of spiritual matters and dedicated himself to self-education of the sacred sciences while also being the author of a treatise on the veneration of the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

that his contemporaries treasured - the text no longer exist. On one occasion he was far too ill to eat and so a friend bought him a plate of roasted birds to assuage his illness; Conti was too distressed to see the slain birds that he made 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 them and - it has been said - bought them back to life. He died in 1302 in the Mount Scalambra hermitage he dwelled in near

Piglio Piglio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about east of Rome and about northwest of Frosinone, offering a panoramic view on the valleys of the Sacco and Aniene rivers. History It ...

and his remains were interred in the church of San Lorenzo at the Mount Scalambra convent. His tomb was damaged in

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 ...

bombings on 12 May 1944 and his remains were later reinterred in that same church on 8 February 1945 after repairs were made.

Beatification

Conti was beatified on 11 December 1723 by

, and a cause for his sainthood was opened on 12 January 1728.

References

External links

Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Andrea dei 1240 births 1302 deaths 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 13th-century Christian mystics 14th-century Christian mystics Beatifications by Pope Innocent XIII Franciscan beatified people Franciscan hermits Franciscan mystics Franciscan writers Italian beatified people Italian Franciscans People from Anagni People from the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital