Albert Berdini of Sarteano

Albert Berdini, O.F.M., (also known as Albert of Sarteano) (1385 – 15 August 1450) was a Franciscan friar and noted preacher, born in 1385 in the town of Sarteano, which lies in the Province of Siena in the Tuscan region of Italy. He was an associate of Bernardine of Siena, and a diplomatic envoy of Pope Eugene IV to the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches.

Blessed Albert Berdini, O.F.M.
"King of Preachers"
Born1385
Sarteano, Province of Siena, Italy
Died15 August 1450
Milan, Italy
Venerated inOrder of Friars Minor

Life

Born in Sarteano in 1385, Albert entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals in 1405, and took up studies as a novice in Florence. In 1422, he went to Verona to continue his studies in the classics. In July 1423, he met Bernardine of Siena, who was preaching in Treviso. Berdini became desirous of following a stricter interpretation of the Rule of St. Francis which Bernardine was promoting and he transferred over to the Observant Friars Minor, becoming one of the companions of the Apostle of the Holy Name of Jesus.[1][2]

A humanist, Albert was a speaker of learned eloquence, and under the guidance of Bernardine, Berdini's fame as an orator became so renowned that he was commonly known as the "King of Preachers" (Rex Praedicatorum).[1] Upon hearing him preach, Caterina Moriggi was moved to take up the ascetic life.[3] One of Berdini's main themes was peace, and he would become personally involved in peace-making in Modena, Perugia, Arezzo, Brescia, and Ferrara.

Pope Eugene IV commissioned him as Apostolic Delegate for the East (Ethiopia, India, Egypt and Jerusalem). Berdini was accompanied on his missions by Tommaso Bellacci. In 1439 Berdini was sent by the Pope to deliver a letter to the Coptic Church in Egypt, an invitation to participate in the Council of Florence and thus take part in the ongoing efforts to unite all Christian churches. He returned to Italy on 26 August 1441 with four Coptic bishops, although eventually the efforts at reunion proved fruitless.[4][5]

The panel of the bronze door of St. Peter's Basilica, in Rome, in which Filarete sculpted the scene of the presentation of the Copts and Ethiopians, also handed down the image of Berdini alongside the papal throne. The entire door was then inserted in the new Vatican basilica, during the pontificate of Paul V.[6]

He was elected as Vicar General of the Order of Friars Minor, in which post he served 1442-1443 as the Acting Minister General due to the death of the Minister General, until the election of a new Minister General the following year.[7]

Albert died in Milan, Italy, on 15 August 1450.

Veneration

Though the title of Blessed has always been accorded to Albert of Sarteano by the Franciscans, his cultus has never been explicitly approved by the Catholic Church.[1]

Albert, along with his teacher, Bernardine, is considered among the four great pillars of the Observant reform within the Order of Friars Minor.[8]

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See also

Notes
  1. Donovan, Stephen. "Bl. Albert Berdini of Sarteano." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 4 January 2020 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. Gobry, Ivan. Saint Francis of Assisi, Ignatius Press, 2016 ISBN 9781681497341
  3. Rimoldi, Antonio. "Beata Caterina Morigi di Pallanza", Santi e Beati, August 28, 2011
  4. Quinn The European Outthrust and Encounter, p.81
  5. Trexler The journey of the Magi, p.128
  6. Cerulli, Enrico. "Berdini, Alberto", Trecanni, (Dizionario-Biografico) Volume 8 (1966)
  7. Robson The Franciscans in the Middle Ages, p.10
  8. American Catholic.org "St. James of the Marche"

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Bl. Albert Berdini of Sarteano". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

References
  • David B. Quinn, Cecil H. Clough, Paul Edward Hedley Hair The European Outthrust and Encounter: The First Phase C.1400-c.1700 Liverpool University Press, 1994 ISBN 0-85323-229-6
  • Richard C. Trexler The journey of the Magi: meanings in history of a Christian story Princeton University Press, 1997 ISBN 0-691-01126-5

    Sources
    • Michael Robson, O.F.M. Conv. The Franciscans in the Middle Ages The Boydell Press, 2006 ISBN 1-84383-221-6
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