Blessed Agostino Novello
Blessed Agostino Novello (born c. 1240 AD in Termini Imerese, Sicily, Italy; died May 19, 1309 AD in San Leonardo al Lago, near Siena, Tuscany, Italy) was a Sicilian jurist and military commander who abandoned a brilliant legal career to become an Augustinian hermit. After serving as secretary general of the Augustinian Order, he retired to a hermit's life near Siena, where he died in 1309. A celebrated altarpiece by Simone Martini (c. 1328) depicting him and four of his miracles survives in the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo in Pisa. His feast day is May 19.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Agostino Novello
| Blessed Agostino Novello | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | May 19 |
| Profession | Jurist; legal scholar (University of Bologna); royal adviser to Manfred of Sicily; Secretary General of the Augustinian Order of Hermits; Augustinian hermit; penitent and contemplative |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Augustinian Order of Hermits; 13th–14th century Italian mendicant tradition; Sienese Catholic culture |
| Patronage | Siena; Sicily; Augustinians; lawyers and jurists who convert to religious life; children at risk; Tuscany; those who abandon worldly careers for God |
| Attributes | Augustinian habit (black); a law book (his former career); four children (his miracles of rescue); Siena cityscape; hermit's cell or cave |
| Birthplace | Termini Imerese, Sicily, Italy |
| Death Place | San Leonardo al Lago, near Siena, Tuscany, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died May 19, 1309, at the hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago near Siena, where he had retired in his final years; he was approximately 69 years old; he had spent his final years as a solitary hermit near Siena after resigning from the Augustinian generalate; he died peacefully; his body was brought to the church of Sant'Agostino in Siena; his cult was confirmed by the Holy See; a magnificent altarpiece by Simone Martini was painted for his altar at Siena c. 1328 |
| Primary Shrine | Sant'Agostino, Siena, Tuscany — his body; May 19 feast; Augustinian veneration |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; May 19 feast in Augustinian Order and Siena |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; Augustinian calendar |
Biography
Agostino Novello was born c. 1240 in Termini Imerese, Sicily, to a noble family. He studied law at Bologna — the greatest law school in medieval Europe — and became a distinguished jurist. He served as legal adviser at the court of Manfred, the Hohenstaufen King of Sicily.
When Manfred was defeated and killed at the Battle of Benevento (February 26, 1266) by Charles of Anjou, Agostino renounced his worldly career and entered the Augustinian Order of Hermits. He rose to become Prior General (Secretary General) of the Order, serving as a key leader of the Augustinians.
He resigned from leadership to live as a hermit near Siena at the hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago. He died there on May 19, 1309.
His body was interred in the church of Sant'Agostino in Siena. Around 1328, the Sienese painter Simone Martini painted a magnificent altarpiece depicting him with four miracles of child rescue, now in the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo in Pisa — one of the masterpieces of the Trecento.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Termini Imerese, Sicily, Italy
Death location: San Leonardo al Lago, near Siena, Tuscany, Italy
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Sant'Agostino, Siena — body and primary veneration; May 19 feast.
Feast day
May 19
Veneration
Blessed Agostino Novello was a Sicilian jurist who abandoned his career after the fall of Manfred of Sicily (1266) to become an Augustinian hermit. He served as Secretary General of the Augustinians before retiring to hermit life near Siena, where he died in 1309. Celebrated Simone Martini altarpiece (c. 1328) depicts him with miracles of child rescue. Feast May 19.
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