Blessed Peter Cambiani de Ruffia
Blessed Peter Cambiani de Ruffia (Italian: Pietro Cambiani da Ruffia; also Blessed Peter of Ruffia, Peter Cambiano; born c. 1320 AD at Ruffia, in Piedmont, Italy; died February 2, 1365 AD at Susa, Piedmont) was an Italian Dominican priest, inquisitor general of Piedmont and Liguria, who was assassinated in hatred of the faith and is venerated as a martyr. A member of the noble Cambiani family, he entered the Order of Preachers as a youth and, as papal inquisitor, laboured for years against the Waldensians in the Alpine valleys, until he was struck down by his adversaries in the cloister of the Franciscan church of Susa. He is one of three Piedmontese Dominican inquisitor-martyrs, together with Blessed Antony Pavoni and Blessed Bartholomew Cerveri. His cult was confirmed by Pope Pius IX on December 4, 1856, and his feast is kept on November 7.[1][2]
Born of a noble family, Peter entered the Dominican convent of Savigliano at about the age of sixteen and became a distinguished student of Scripture, theology, and law.[1][2] Named inquisitor general for Piedmont by Pope Innocent VI in 1351, he devoted himself to the defence of the faith in the region.[1]
On February 2, 1365, having celebrated Mass in the Franciscan church of Susa, Peter was approached by a group of heretics who asked to speak with him privately and then stabbed him to death within the friary.[1][2] His body remained at Susa until 1516, when it was translated to the church of San Domenico in Turin, where his relics are venerated.[2]
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Peter Cambiani de Ruffia
| Blessed Peter Cambiani de Ruffia | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 07 |
| Profession | Priest; inquisitor general of Piedmont |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Preachers (Dominicans) |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; palm of martyrdom; dagger or knife (instrument of his death) |
| Birthplace | Ruffia, Piedmont, Italy |
| Death Place | Susa, Piedmont, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom: stabbed to death by heretics in the Franciscan friary at Susa on February 2, 1365, after celebrating Mass |
| Primary Shrine | Church of San Domenico, Turin, Piedmont, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Not included in the General Roman Calendar; observed by the Dominican Order |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth and Dominican vocation
Peter Cambiani was born about the year 1320 at Ruffia, a small place in Piedmont (in the modern province of Cuneo), a member of the noble Cambiani family.[1][2] At about sixteen years of age he left the comforts of his family and entered the Order of Preachers at the convent of Savigliano.[2] He proved a brilliant student of Sacred Scripture, theology, and law, and his learning was afterward turned above all to the confutation of heresy.[1]
Inquisitor of Piedmont
In 1351 Pope Innocent VI named Peter inquisitor general for Piedmont, an office he exercised in the Diocese of Turin and the surrounding region, then troubled by the Waldensians who had spread through the Alpine valleys on the borders of Italy and what is now Switzerland.[1][2] He carried out his charge with vigour for many years, seeking to preserve the people of Piedmont and Liguria from heresy.[2]
Martyrdom at Susa
In January 1365 Peter set out with two Dominican companions on a mission through the mountain valleys, making his base at the Franciscan friary of Susa.[1] On February 2, 1365 — the feast of the Presentation of the Lord — having celebrated Mass in the Franciscan church, he was approached by men of the heretical party, who asked to speak with him and then fell upon him and stabbed him to death within the friary.[1][2] (Accounts vary as to whether his assassins numbered two or three.) The murder of the inquisitor in a sacred place caused great consternation.[2]
Fame and relics
The fame of Peter's death as a martyr spread quickly: Pope Gregory XI referred to it in 1375, and Saint Vincent Ferrer recalled it in 1403.[2] His body remained at Susa until November 7, 1516, when it was solemnly translated to the church of San Domenico in Turin, where his relics continue to be venerated.[2]
Significant events
- Entered the Dominican Order at Savigliano about the age of sixteen.
- Distinguished himself in Scripture, theology, and law.
- Named inquisitor general for Piedmont by Pope Innocent VI in 1351.
- Preached and worked against the Waldensians in the Alpine valleys.
- Martyred at Susa on February 2, 1365, after celebrating Mass.
- His relics were translated to San Domenico, Turin, in 1516.
- His cult was confirmed by Pope Pius IX on December 4, 1856.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Ruffia, Piedmont, Italy
Death location: Susa, Piedmont, Italy
Notable location: Birthplace; seat of the noble Cambiani family (Ruffia, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Where he entered the Dominican Order as a youth (Savigliano, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Diocese where he served as inquisitor; his relics rest in the church of San Domenico (Turin, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Place of his martyrdom (Susa, Piedmont, Italy)
Notable location: Where his relics were enshrined in 1516 (Church of San Domenico, Turin, Italy)
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Canonization
Beatification (confirmation of cult)
The immemorial veneration paid to Peter Cambiani was examined by the Congregation of Rites on November 29, 1856, and his cult was confirmed by Pope Pius IX on December 4, 1856 — an equipollent beatification — with his feast fixed on November 7.[2][1] He has not been formally canonized.
Feast day
November 07 (also commemorated on February 2, the day of his martyrdom)
Veneration
Blessed Peter Cambiani de Ruffia is venerated by the Order of Preachers and in the Archdiocese of Turin, where his relics rest in the church of San Domenico. He is honoured as a martyr for the faith and is often remembered together with the other Piedmontese Dominican inquisitor-martyrs, Blessed Antony Pavoni and Blessed Bartholomew Cerveri. In art he is depicted in the Dominican habit with the palm of martyrdom and the dagger by which he was killed.[2][1]
Prayers
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External links
- Encyclopedia.com – Peter of Ruffia, Bl. (New Catholic Encyclopedia)
- CatholicSaints.Info – Blessed Peter Cambiano
- Treccani – Cambiano di Ruffia, Pietro, beato (Dizionario Biografico)