Andrea Gallerani († 19 March 1251) 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 ...

from

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

and the founder of the now-defunct Frati della Misericordia association. Gallerani was a distinguished soldier until he killed a man he considered a blasphemer in a fit of rage. As a result, he was exiled and decided to live a life of

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

for his sin.

Life

Andrea Gallerani was born in

to the nobleman Ghezzolino Gallerani and served as a distinguished soldier. He was exiled and discredited for killing, with his sword in a fit of rage, a man he considered was a blasphemer. In his exile he experienced a radical shift in tone that compelled him to lead a penitential life for others. Gallerani soon returned to Siena, after receiving permission to do so, and in 1240 founded both a hospital and the religious association "Frati della Misericordia" - this association later died out in 1308 and was thus suppressed. Gallerani died on 19 March 1251 in Siena and his remains were interred in the Basilica di San Domenico in Siena. The

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, Central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

approved his association three months after Gallerani's death on 23 June 1251. In 1274 the bishop granted indulgences to those that visited his tomb and

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V, OP (; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an ...

later reinforced this to a specific date in the week following

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. On 13 May 1798 after his exile from

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, ...

, and while stopping in Florence,

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

approved the beatification of Gallerani.

References

External links

Saints SQPN
Year of birth unknown 1251 deaths 13th-century venerated Christians 13th-century Italian writers Beatifications by Pope Pius VI Founders of Catholic religious communities Italian beatified people People from Siena {{Italy-reli-bio-stub