BELLINTANI, MATTIA DA SALÒ. – Capuchin preacher and writer, born at Gazzane (Roè Volciano) on 29 June 1535, died on 20 July 1611. He distinguished himself by his virtues and by his apostolic and literary activity. An eclectic reader with a Bonaventurian inclination, he taught in various provincial and general houses of study; he was several times provincial minister of Milan and of Bergamo-Brescia, definitor, and general commissary; he spread the Order in France, obtaining faculties for it (1575) from Henry III, and in Switzerland (1589, 1591) and Bohemia (1602-1605).
At the behest of the General Chapter of 1587 he wrote the Historia Capuccina (1525-1600), edited by Melchiorre da Pobladura (2 vols., Rome 1946-49), in which he presents the Order as the realization of the genuine Franciscan life. Among his other historical writings, mention should be made of the Vita della conterranea s. Angela Merici, published by another hand (Brescia 1600). He preached for fifty years in Italy and abroad; Cardinal Federico Borromeo ranks him as a model of the sacred orator, as is also evident from the collections of his sermons, all published several times: Delli dolori di Christo prediche otto, con quattro d'altre materie (2 vols., Brescia 1598; English version, London 1931); In sermones s. Bonaventurae et in Evangelia de tempore a Paschate usque ad Adventum scripturales introductiones (Venice 1588); Essaggerationi morali (Salò 1622); Quadragesimale ambrosianum duplex (2 vols., Lyon 1624, published at Cologne in 1681 under the title Conciones exquisitissimus). In accordance with Capuchin tradition, he spread the practice of the Forty Hours’ devotion, writing a Trattato on its history and method (Brescia 1588). Like other fellow religious, he became an apostle of mental and contemplative prayer among the people; he established in Brescia Cathedral an hour of public meditation, adopted by s. Carlo Borromeo in Milan; he taught the method
(from Composizioni giovanili inedite pubbl. Acc. d'Italia)
BELLINI, VINCENZO — Portrait with autograph signature.
Engraving by F. di Bartolo.
He taught the method of meditation and arranged the subjects in a work that enjoyed wide circulation through numerous editions and versions in French and Latin: Prattica dell'oration mentale (part 1, there, 1573; part 2, Venice 1581; parts 3 and 4, there, 1607); in another work, Corone spirituali (Rome 1616), reprinted several times also in German (Ingolstad 1616) and French translations (Rouen 1622), and used by s. Carlo Borromeo, he develops the theme dear to Franciscan spirituality of the passion of Jesus Christ; in Teatro del Paradiso (2 vols., Salò 1620, French version Lyons 1629), he presents the theology of heaven in 150 meditations. He organized various confraternities; for the one that assisted those condemned to death he composed Utili ricordi e rimedi (Salò 1614), also known as Confortatorio. To foster priestly piety he dedicated Preparazione alla sacrosanta Messa (Milan 1610), along with other editions. Various works of a doctrinal, ascetical, and oratorical nature remained in manuscript.