Innocenzo Leonelli | |
---|---|
Born | 1592 |
Died | April 1625 (aged 32–33) Brescia |
Other names | Tiburzio Lazzari |
Occupation(s) | soldier, hermit |
Parents |
|
Family | Mutatesia Leonelli, Ignatius of Jesus (born Carlo Leonelli), and three sisters |
Innocenzo Leonelli ( il Venerabile) (1592 – April 1625), also called "the hermit of Maddalena", [1] was a soldier whose fierce religiosity led him to vow to fight only enemies of the Catholic faith. He was the son of a "wealthy and semi-noble family". [2] His father, Giulio Leonelli, was a well-respected lawyer and onetime governor of Turin. [3] His brothers were Mutatesia Leonelli, who was appointed as treasurer of the pontifical chambers by Pope Urban VIII, [4] and the Discalced Carmelite missionary Ignatius of Jesus. [2]
He first fought in Lombardy [4] and later, in 1617 he served his faith by fighting Protestants [i] in Bohemia and Hungary. [ii] [5] In 1620 [4] or 1622, [5] after returning from his campaigns, he gave his wealth to the poor and renounced his name; seeking peace, he cloistered himself in the hermitage of Santa Maria Maddalena in Brescia, taking the name of Tiburzio Lazzari. [2] He spent his time with the sick and destitute, providing them with conversation and consolation, [5] and would leave the hermitage only to go begging for alms. [3]
The life of a hermit sapped his health and he fell gravely ill. The wealthy of Brescia offered him succor in their palaces but he refused them. Rather, he asked to be taken to a hospital to die among the same people he had previously ministered to. Following his death in April 1625, [5] the faithful considered him so holy the Bishop of Brescia had to protect his body from those wanting it for relics. [2] The Bishop later convened a trial to examine his life and works, [6] and thereafter Leonelli was referred to as il Venerabile. [5]
Two years after his death, the regents of the hospital re-buried him in a tomb of fine marble. The tomb was relocated in 1733 as part of the restoration and improvements made to the temple of Santa Lucia at that time. [7]
Innocenzo Leonelli | |
---|---|
Born | 1592 |
Died | April 1625 (aged 32–33) Brescia |
Other names | Tiburzio Lazzari |
Occupation(s) | soldier, hermit |
Parents |
|
Family | Mutatesia Leonelli, Ignatius of Jesus (born Carlo Leonelli), and three sisters |
Innocenzo Leonelli ( il Venerabile) (1592 – April 1625), also called "the hermit of Maddalena", [1] was a soldier whose fierce religiosity led him to vow to fight only enemies of the Catholic faith. He was the son of a "wealthy and semi-noble family". [2] His father, Giulio Leonelli, was a well-respected lawyer and onetime governor of Turin. [3] His brothers were Mutatesia Leonelli, who was appointed as treasurer of the pontifical chambers by Pope Urban VIII, [4] and the Discalced Carmelite missionary Ignatius of Jesus. [2]
He first fought in Lombardy [4] and later, in 1617 he served his faith by fighting Protestants [i] in Bohemia and Hungary. [ii] [5] In 1620 [4] or 1622, [5] after returning from his campaigns, he gave his wealth to the poor and renounced his name; seeking peace, he cloistered himself in the hermitage of Santa Maria Maddalena in Brescia, taking the name of Tiburzio Lazzari. [2] He spent his time with the sick and destitute, providing them with conversation and consolation, [5] and would leave the hermitage only to go begging for alms. [3]
The life of a hermit sapped his health and he fell gravely ill. The wealthy of Brescia offered him succor in their palaces but he refused them. Rather, he asked to be taken to a hospital to die among the same people he had previously ministered to. Following his death in April 1625, [5] the faithful considered him so holy the Bishop of Brescia had to protect his body from those wanting it for relics. [2] The Bishop later convened a trial to examine his life and works, [6] and thereafter Leonelli was referred to as il Venerabile. [5]
Two years after his death, the regents of the hospital re-buried him in a tomb of fine marble. The tomb was relocated in 1733 as part of the restoration and improvements made to the temple of Santa Lucia at that time. [7]