Lawrence Justinian (, 1 July 1381 – 8 January 1456) was a Venetian Catholic priest and

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

who became the first

Patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice (; ) is the ordinary of the Patriarchate of Venice. The bishop is one of only four patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The other three are the Patriarch of Lisbon, the Patriarch of the East Indies an ...

. He is venerated as a saint by the

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Biography

Lawrence Justinian was a member of the well-known

Giustiniani The House of Giustinian or Giustiniani was a prominent Italian family which originally belonged to Venice, but also established itself in Genoa, and at various times had representatives in Naples, Canary Islands, Corsica and in the islands of the ...

family, which includes several saints. His brothers were Leonardo and

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. The piety of his mother seems to have served as an inspiration for his own spirituality, as he chose a life of prayer and service. In 1404, after he had been

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 ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, at the suggestion of an uncle who was a priest, he joined a community of

canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

following a monastic form of life on the island of

San Giorgio in Alga San Giorgio in Alga (English: "St. George in the seaweed") is an island of the Venetian lagoon, northern Italy, lying between the Giudecca and Fusina (a ''frazione'' of Venice on the coast, near Marghera). History After a Benedictine monastery ...

. He was admired by his fellows for his poverty, mortification, and fervency of prayer. Two years after his ordination to the

Catholic priesthood The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

in 1407, the community accepted the Rule of St. Augustine. He was chosen to be the first

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

of the community. Lawrence promoted the Constitutions which had been established for the

Canons Regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...

of St. George, which was embraced by other communities of Canons in the region and shortly thereafter he became the

Prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

General of a Congregation. He was so zealous in spreading it that he was looked upon as if he were the actual founder of the Order. In 1433,

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV (; ; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 March 1431 to his death, in February 1447. Condulmer was a Republic of Venice, Venetian, and a nephew ...

, one of the founders of the Monastery of San Giorgio, named Gustiniani as the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Castello. He found a diocese in shambles and his administration was marked by considerable growth and reform. In 1451,

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V (; ; 15 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene IV made him a Cardinal (Catholic Chu ...

united the Diocese of Castello with the Patriarchate of

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, and the seat of the patriarchate was moved to Venice, making Giustiniani the first Patriarch of Venice, a post that he held for over four years. It was during Lawrence's rule that

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fell to

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forces. Due to their centuries of close trading partnerships with

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, the people of Venice were in panic as to their future. He took a leading role in helping the Republic to deal with the crisis, working with the Senate to help chart its future, as well as with the clergy and people to calm them.

Veneration

Luca Giordano San Lorenzo Giustiniani.jpg, ''St. Lawrence Giustiniani adoring the Baby Jesus'', by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

, (17th century). Accademia - Lorenzo Giustiniani by Gentile bellini.jpg, Lorenzo Giustiniani. 1465. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, by

Gentile Bellini Gentile Bellini (c. 1429 – 23 February 1507) was an Italian painter of the Venetian painting, school of Venice. He came from Venice's leading family of painters, and, at least in the early part of his career, was more highly regarded than his y ...

Lorenzo - ita, Anno MCCCCLXXXXIIII … a XX de octobrio del anno supra notato - 1578805 I.jpg, ''De disciplina et perfectione monasticae conversationis'' Duomo (Padua) - cappella di San Lorenzo Giustiniani - Statua di Lorenzo Giustiniani.jpg, Statue of Saint Lawrence Justinian in the Cathedral of Padua He died on January 8, 1456, in Venezia Italy. He was proclaimed saint on October 16, 1690 by

Pope Alexander VIII Pope Alexander VIII (; 22 April 1610 – 1 February 1691), born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 1689 to his death in February 1691. He is the most recent pope to take the ...

, at the presence of Cardinal

Pietro Ottoboni Pope Alexander VIII (; 22 April 1610 – 1 February 1691), born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 1689 to his death in February 1691. He is the most recent pope to take the ...

as procurator, assisted by Cardinal

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, and of Abbot Pier Santi Fonti in quality of master of ceremonies. The Bull of Canonization was published on 4 June 1724 by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII (; ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco (or Pierfrancesco) Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in ...

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...

(1691–1700) inserted his

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

in the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...

for celebration on 5 September, the anniversary of his elevation to the episcopate. Because of the saint's limited importance worldwide, his liturgical celebration is no longer included in the General Roman Calendar, and his feast was moved to 8 January, the day of his death. His works, consisting of

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s, letters and

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

treatises, have been frequently reprinted.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Justinian, Lawrence Patriarchs of Venice Italian Roman Catholic saints 1381 births 1456 deaths 15th-century Venetian people Canonical Augustinian bishops

Lorenzo Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

Burials at San Pietro di Castello (church) Canonical Augustinian saints Italian Renaissance people 15th-century Christian saints Canonizations by Pope Alexander VIII 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Republic of Venice

Biography

Veneration

See also

References

External links