Marcellino da Civezza (Marcellinus of Civezza;
secular name: Pietro Ranise) (born at
Civezza in
Liguria
Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
, Italy, 29 May 1822; d. at
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
, 27 March 1906) was an Italian
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 ...
author.
Life
He entered the
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...
in the Roman province, receiving the habit at
Cori, 1 February 1838. He completed his philosophical-theological studies at
Tivoli and
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 ...
.
In 1844 he obtained the degree of Lector (Professor) in philosophy, and in the following year, 17 May, was ordained priest. For some years he taught at Tivoli,
Ferentino
Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome.
It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area.
History
''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...
,
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
,
Aracoeli
The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Altar in Heaven (, ) is a Titular church, titular basilica and conventual church of the Order of Friars Minor, Franciscan Convent of Aracoeli located the highest summit of the Capitoline Hill in churches of Rome, ...
in Rome; in 1854 he retired to
Recco
Recco (Latin: ''Ricina'' / ''Recina'') is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, region of Liguria, Italy.
Recco is home to the September 8 fireworks festival honoring the Virgin Mary. The town is also known for being home to the most ...
in his native province of Genoa. By order of
Bernardino Trionfetti,
minister-general of the Friars-Minor, Marcellino in 1856 was entrusted with the major task of writing the history of the Franciscan missions, to which the greater part of his life was devoted. He undertook journeys all over Europe, bringing home literary treasures, especially from the libraries and archives of Spain. Later on he resided mostly at Prato and at Rome, engaged in the publication of his works.
From 1881 to 1889, Marcellino was
definitor-general
{{Catholic Church hierarchy sidebar, Administrative and pastoral titles
In the Catholic Church, a definitor (Latin for 'one who defines') is a title with different specific uses. There are secular definitors, who have a limited amount of oversight ...
of his order, and finally in 1899 he retired to the convent of Livorno, where he peacefully died. During his long literary career Marcellino made the acquaintance of many prominent men, with whom he carried on a large correspondence, preserved in the convent of Livorno. He enjoyed also the esteem of
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
, to whom he dedicated some of his works.
Works
The total number of books and brochures published by Marcellino amounts to between seventy and eighty. His works include:
*"Storia universale delle Missioni Francescane"
(Rome, Prato, Florence, 1857–1895), 11 vols in 8vo.
**A French version of this work was begun by Victor-Bernardine de Rouen, 4 vols (Paris, 1898–99);
*"Saggio di Bibliografia geografica, storica, etnografica Sanfrancescana" (Prato, 1879), 8vo;
*"Epistolae Missionariorum Ordinis S. Francisci ex Frisia et Hollandia" (
Quaracchi, 1888), 8vo;
*two periodicals: (a) "Crocana delle Missioni Francescane", 6 vols. 8vo (Rome, 1860–66; Fr. trans, Louvain, 1861–67); (b) "Le Missioni Francescane in Palestina ed in altre regioni della Terra", 8 vols. 8vo (Rome, Florence, Assisi, 1890–97);
*"Il Romano Pontificato nella Storia d' Italia", 3 vols. 8vo (Florence, 1886–87);
*"Fratris Johannis de Serravalle Ord Min. translatio et commentum totius libri Dantis Aldigherii, cum textu italico Fratris Bartholomaei a Colle eiusdem Ordinis" (Prato, 1891), in fol.;
*"La Leggenda di San Francesco, scritta da tre suoi Compagni (legenta trium Socioum) pubblicata per la prima volta nella vera sua integrita" (Rome, 1899; Fr. trans. by Arnold Goffin, Brussels, 1902).
Some of these were published with the collaboration of his friend
Teofilo Domenichelli.
References
;Attribution
* The entry cites:
**
Teofilo Domenichelli, ''In Memoria del P. Marcellino da Civezza'' (Florence, 1906);
**''Acta Ordinis Fratrum Minorum'', XXV (Quaracchi, 1906), 263-64.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civezza, Marcellino da
1822 births
1906 deaths
Italian Friars Minor
Italian male writers