ANTONIO da Aquila. - Franciscan missionary, d. 22 Aug. 1679. He studied Arabic at the missionary college of S. Pietro in Montorio in Rome under Fr. Tommaso da Novara and departed for Egypt in 1630. He was first superior of the residence in Alexandria, then commissary of the mission and guardian of Aleppo. After ten years he was recalled to Rome to teach Arabic at the college of S. Pietro in Montorio. The Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide appointed him reviser of the Arabic printed Bible; he was also procurator general of the Order for the missions. He published an Arabic grammar. He was spiritual director of the Blessed Carlo da Sezze, to whom he suggested writing the mystical work *Le tre vie*.
Bibl.: A. Kleinhans, *Historia studii linguae arabicae et collegii missionum O.F.M. in conventu ad S. Petrum in Monte Aureo erecti*. Quaracchi 1930. Pancrazio Maarsschalkerwerd