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]
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 |
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]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ See Counter-Reformation and Thirty Years' War
- ^ See Bohemian Revolt
Citations
edit- ^ Commentari, p. 176.
- ^ a b c d Lupieri 2003, p. 26.
- ^ a b Vernarecci (1903), p. 652.
- ^ a b c Gargano (1868), p. 134.
- ^ a b c d e Vernarecci (1872), p. 20.
- ^ Vernarecci (1903), p. 653.
- ^ Vernarecci (1903), p. 652. ("… mutata solo di luogo nel 1733, ne' restauri e abbellimenti portati in quel l' anno al tempio di Santa Lucia.")
Bibliography
edit- Gargano, Sebastiano (1868). Manuale statistico amministrativo storico ed artistico della provincia di Pesaro e Urbino [Statistical and historical administrative manual of the province of Pesaro and Urbino]. Pesaro: Nobili.
- Lupieri, Edmondo F. (1 December 2003). "Friar of Ignatius of Jesus (Carlo Leonelli) and the First Scholarly book on Mandaeaism (1652)". ARAM Periodical. 16. Peeters Publishers: 25–46. doi:10.2143/aram.16.0.504670.
- Spreti, Marchese Vittorio (1968). Enciclopedia storico-nobiliare italiana: famiglie nobili e titolate viventi riconosciute dal R. g̊overno d'Italia compresi: città, comunità, mense vescovili, abazie, parrocchie ed enti nobili e titolati riconosciuti [Encyclopedia of Italian noblemen: noble families and living titles recognized by the R.government of Italy including: city, community, bishop's domains, abbeys, parishes and noble bodies and recognized titles]. Forni.
- Vernarecci, Augusto (1872). Dizionario biografico degli nomini illustri di Fossombrone [Biographical dictionary of the illustrious names of Fossombrone]. Monacelli.
- Vernarecci, Augusto (1903). Fossombrone dai tempi antichissimi ai nostri con illustrazioni e appendice di documenti [Fossombrone from ancient times to ours with illustrations and appendix of documents]. Vol. 2 pt. 2. Forni.
- Commentari dell'Ateneo di Brescia. Ateneo di Brescia. 1996.
Further reading
edit- Breve Racconto della Vita et Opere del Venerab. Servo di Dio Innocentto Leonelli della ctttd du Fossombrone [Brief Tale of Life and Works of the Venerable Servant of God Innocentto Leonelli of Fossombrone]. Fossombrone. 1679. Ms. in Fol., di carte 10, nel vol. 39 de' Mss. della Biblioteca Passionei. – Mentioned in Vernarecci (1903) p. 653