Blessed Apostolic Preacher
Blessed Marco d'Aviano, O.F.M. Cap. ("The Apostolic Preacher") (born November 17, 1631 AD in Aviano, Friuli, Italy; died August 13, 1699 AD in Vienna, Austria) was an Italian Capuchin friar renowned throughout Europe as a wonder-worker, preacher, and papal legate. He served as the Apostolic Preacher at the Imperial Court in Vienna under Emperor Leopold I and played a dramatic role in rallying Christian forces for the Battle of Vienna (September 12, 1683) — the decisive engagement that turned back the Ottoman Turkish siege of Vienna and saved Central Europe from Ottoman conquest. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 27, 2003. His feast day is August 13.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Apostolic Preacher
| Blessed Apostolic Preacher | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | August 13 |
| Profession | Franciscan Capuchin friar; priest; Apostolic Preacher; papal legate; wonder-worker; confessor of Emperor Leopold I of Austria; spiritual director of the Holy League against the Ottomans |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Friars Minor Capuchin; Italian Catholic Church; Habsburg-Austrian Catholic tradition; 17th-century Catholic renewal; papal court apostolate |
| Patronage | Aviano, Friuli; Austria; cappuccino and coffee (legendary); the Holy League; victory over Ottoman Islam; Capuchin friars; Apostolic Preachers; wonder-workers; Catholic Europe; those who defend Christian civilization |
| Attributes | Capuchin habit (brown robe, pointed hood, beard); papal legate cross; a chalice and host (the Mass he celebrated before the Battle of Vienna); a Vienna cityscape; Turkish crescent (the enemy overcome); a coffee cup (cappuccino legend); cross |
| Birthplace | Aviano, Friuli, Italy |
| Death Place | Vienna, Austria |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died August 13, 1699, in Vienna, Austria; he was 67 years old; he died in Vienna, the city with which he was most associated through his role at the Imperial Court and his participation in the Battle of Vienna (1683); his feast day falls on the day of his death; Pope John Paul II beatified him on April 27, 2003; his beatification on that specific date (April 27) was particularly notable because April 27, 2003, was also the second anniversary of JPII's beatification of Pope Pius IX and Pope John XXIII (April 27, 2000 being Mercy Sunday); the April 27 date, which later became Divine Mercy Sunday, became significant in the pontificate of John Paul II as a day for recognizing Catholic sanctity |
| Primary Shrine | Aviano, Friuli, Italy — his birthplace shrine; August 13 feast; Friulian pilgrimage tradition; the Capuchin church in Aviano |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; August 13 feast in the Capuchin Order, in Austria, and in Friuli |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Marco Cristoforo Boschi was born November 17, 1631, in Aviano, Friuli, Italy. He entered the Capuchin Franciscans and took the name "Marco d'Aviano" after his hometown. He was ordained a priest and became a renowned preacher and confessor.
His fame as a wonder-worker — particularly the reported healing of a bedridden woman at Passau in 1680 — spread throughout the German-speaking Catholic world. Pope Innocent XI appointed him Apostolic Preacher and sent him as papal legate to the court of Emperor Leopold I of Austria.
In 1683, when a massive Ottoman army besieged Vienna, Marco d'Aviano played a central role: he traveled through Central Europe rallying the Holy League (the coalition of Catholic princes) and served as the spiritual animator of the defense. On the morning of September 12, 1683, he celebrated Mass for the Christian military leaders at Kahlenberg Hill overlooking Vienna. The allied Christian forces — under the command of King Jan III Sobieski of Poland — then attacked and routed the Ottoman army in the Battle of Vienna, permanently turning the tide of Ottoman expansion into Central Europe.
He continued as Apostolic Preacher and confessor to Emperor Leopold I until his death. He died August 13, 1699, in Vienna.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 27, 2003.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Aviano, Friuli, Italy
Death location: Vienna, Austria
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Marco d'Aviano have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Capuchin Church, Aviano, Friuli, Italy — his primary shrine; August 13 feast.
- Kahlenberg Church, Vienna, Austria — commemorating the Mass he celebrated before the Battle of Vienna, September 12, 1683.
Feast day
August 13
Veneration
Blessed Marco d'Aviano (1631–1699) was an Italian Capuchin friar, Apostolic Preacher, and papal legate renowned as a wonder-worker throughout Central Europe who played a central spiritual role in the Battle of Vienna (September 12, 1683), celebrating Mass for the Christian forces before the decisive battle that turned back the Ottoman siege of Vienna. Beatified John Paul II, 2003. Feast August 13.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.