BARNABA di PALMA. - Spanish Franciscan, born in Palma (Cordova) to a humble Sicilian family (whence he is also called B. of Sicily) in 1460, died there, in the reputation of sanctity, on 14 October 1532.

Assigned to agricultural work, he was called the "holy gardener" or "B. the saint." Having taken refuge in the Franciscan convent of Los Angeles to escape the plague that was raging in his town, he remained there for many years assigned to the work of the garden, living as a religious without however wearing the habit, of which he considered himself unworthy. Only in 1491 did he begin his novitiate there and then made his profession. He was distinguished for humility, penance and charity.

Among other charisms, he received from God infused knowledge. Although illiterate, he in fact wrote the following mystical opuscules: 1) Elevazione della mente in Dio; 2) Vita di Gesù Cristo; 3) Il mistero della Messa; 4) La Dottrina cristiana; 5) I Gradi dell'orazione; 6) I Novissimi; 7) Centiloquio dell'anima; 8) La via dello spirito. All his other writings remained unpublished; the last of these was printed in 1534 under the care of Duke Bejar, a friend of B.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: A. di Guadalupe, Historia de la Provincia de Los Angeles, Madrid 1662, pp. 313-22; J. H. Sbaralea, Supplementum et castigatio ad scriptores trium Ordinum s. Francisci, I, Rome 1906, p. 114.

Egidio Caggiano

@incollection{ec2_barnaba_di_palma, author = {Caggiano, Egidio}, title = {Barnaba di Palma}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {867--868}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/barnaba-di-palma} }

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