Andrea Franchi, OP (1335 - 26 May 1401) was an

Italian Catholic The Italian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Italy, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the Conference of Italian Bishops. The pope serves also as Primate of Italy and Bishop of Rome. In add ...

member of the

Order of Preachers The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...

who served as

Bishop of Pistoia The Diocese of Pistoia () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in the Province of Florence. It has existed since the third century. From 1653 to 1954, the historic diocese was the diocese of Pistoia and Prato. The Diocese of Prato ha ...

from 1382 to 1400. He was a noted preacher and evangelist with a deep commitment to the poor of his diocese. The confirmation of his ''cultus'' (or popular devotion) allowed

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

to confirm Franchi's

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

in 1921.

Life

Andrea Franchi was born in

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

in 1335 as the third of four children that included Francesco di Franco di Simone Franchi as well as Bartolomeo - an advisor of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

and

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of t ...

- and the Luca (who joined Franchi in the order). Franchi studied at the Dominican

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

of Santa Maria Novella in Pistoia and joined the Dominicans at the age of fourteen in 1359. He 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 and became a noted preacher and evangelist. He also served as a teacher in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

of both philosophical and theological studies. Franchi served from 1369 until 1381 as the prior of the Dominican houses in his home of Pistoia as well as

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

and

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

. Franchi became the

in 1382 after Pope Urban VI appointed him to that position; the new bishop received his

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

sometime in 1382. He administered to the poor and to the ill and gained the moniker of the "Father of the Poor". But ill health forced him to - on 29 May 1400 - relinquish his episcopal see and he returned to his Pistoia convent where he remained for the final months of his life. Franchi died in 1401. He was interred in the church of San Domenico in Pistoia and his remains were deemed to be incorrupt after their exhumation in 1613 - a sweet odor was said to have emanated from his remains following the exhumation.

Beatification

Franchi received formal beatification from

on 21 November 1921 after the pontiff confirmed the late bishop's 'cultus' (or popular devotion and following).

References

External links

Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franchi, Andrea 1335 births 1401 deaths 14th-century venerated Christians 14th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Benedict XV Bishops in Tuscany Dominican bishops Dominican beatified people Italian beatified people Members of the Dominican Order People from Pistoia Venerated Dominicans