Blessed Angelico
Blessed Angelico (Giovanni da Fiesole, O.P.) (born c. 1395 AD in Vicchio di Mugello, Tuscany, Italy; died February 18, 1455 AD in Rome, Italy) was an Italian Dominican friar and painter, universally known as "Fra Angelico" (the Angelic Brother), and one of the greatest painters of the Early Renaissance. His frescoes and panel paintings — above all the frescoes of the convent of San Marco in Florence — combine theological depth with an exquisite luminosity that has been called "painting on one's knees." He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1982, and declared Patron of Catholic Artists in 1984. His feast day is February 18.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Angelico
| Blessed Angelico | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 18 |
| Profession | Dominican friar (Order of Preachers); painter; theologian in paint; Prior of San Marco Florence; Patron of Catholic Artists |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Dominican Order; Florentine school of painting; Early Renaissance; 15th-century Italian Catholicism; Dominican intellectual tradition |
| Patronage | Catholic artists; painters; illuminators; embroiderers; weavers of liturgical textiles; Florence; the Dominican Order; all who make art in service of the Church |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; painter's palette and brushes; images of the Annunciation or Crucifixion (his most celebrated works); halo; a small angel (Angelico — "the angelic one"); the Annunciation scene |
| Birthplace | Vicchio di Mugello, Tuscany, Italy |
| Death Place | Rome, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died February 18, 1455, at the Dominican convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, where he was working on frescoes for Pope Nicholas V; he was approximately 60 years old; he had spent the last years of his life in Rome at the invitation of the pope, painting the Chapel of Nicholas V in the Vatican (frescoes of Saints Stephen and Lawrence, still extant); he died peacefully in the convent and was buried in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva; his tomb is still there; he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1982 |
| Primary Shrine | Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome — his tomb; February 18 feast; Dominican veneration |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; February 18 feast in the Dominican Order and in Italy; Patron of Catholic Artists |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar; Dominican calendar |
Biography
Guido di Pietro (his baptismal name) was born c. 1395 in Vicchio di Mugello in the Apennine hills north of Florence. He entered the Dominican Order at Fiesole around 1407–1418, taking the name Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (later nicknamed "Fra Angelico" — the Angelic Brother — both for the celestial quality of his art and the angelicness of his manner).
He was trained as a painter before or during his novitiate and developed a style that combined the gold and luminosity of the Gothic tradition with the new naturalism of the Early Renaissance — learning from Masaccio and Ghiberti while remaining deeply anchored in medieval contemplative spirituality.
His greatest achievements were the fresco cycle at the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence (c. 1438–1445), commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici after the friars moved from Fiesole; the frescoes of the Chapel of Nicholas V in the Vatican (c. 1447–1449); and the begun frescoes at Orvieto Cathedral (1447). He was Prior of the convent of San Marco from 1449 to 1452.
He refused the archbishopric of Florence when offered by Pope Nicholas V. He died in Rome on February 18, 1455, at the Dominican convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where he was buried.
Pope John Paul II beatified him on October 3, 1982, and declared him Patron of Catholic Artists in 1984.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Vicchio di Mugello, Tuscany, Italy
Death location: Rome, Italy
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Angelico have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| Blessed Fra Angelico: The Divine Art of Fra Giovanni of Fiesole - A Life of Faith and Beauty | Under 5 minutes | Leyendas De Santos |
| Lives and Feasts of February Saints: Blessed Fra Angelico, Maximian, Conrad, Leo and Peter Damian | 15–30 minutes | Leyendas De Santos |
Shrines
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Known shrines
- Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy — his tomb; February 18 feast.
- Museo Nazionale di San Marco, Florence, Italy — principal site of his artistic legacy (cell frescoes, Annunciation).
Feast day
February 18
Veneration
Blessed Angelico (Fra Angelico, Giovanni da Fiesole; c. 1395–1455) was an Italian Dominican friar and painter whose frescoes at San Marco Florence and the Vatican Chapel of Nicholas V rank among the greatest achievements of the Early Renaissance. Known for holiness as much as artistry. Patron of Catholic Artists. Beatified John Paul II, 1982. Feast February 18.
Prayers
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