ARRIGONI, GIULIO

GIOVANNI, GIULIO. — Archbishop, born in Bergamo on 22 Sept. 1806, died in Lucca on 9 Jan. 1875. After completing his early studies at the diocesan seminary in 1821, he entered the Order of Friars Minor and was sent to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland to exercise his ministry there. Desiring to dedicate himself to missionary work, he went to Rome, where he distinguished himself especially as a preacher, so much so that he soon came to be regarded as one of the best preachers in Italy. In 1844 he was appointed professor of dogmatic theology at the University of Pisa. In 1848, in agreement with G. B. Giorgini, he drafted the original outline of the Tuscan Statute. Elected by Pius IX as Archbishop of Lucca on 5 Nov. 1849, he proved himself a man of government, endowed with singular energy, wholly devoted to improving ecclesiastical discipline and to advancing good studies among the clergy.