BELLINTANI, MATTIA DA SALÒ. - Capuchin preacher and writer, b. at Gazzane (Roè Volciano) on 29 June 1535, d. on 20 July 1611. He was distinguished for virtue, apostolic activity and literary activity. An eclectic lecturer of Bonaventuran tendency in various provincial and general study houses; several times provincial minister of Milan, of Bergamo-Brescia, definitor and commissary general; he spread the Order in France, obtaining the faculty for it (1575) from Henry III, in Switzerland (1589, 1591), in Bohemia (1602-1605).
On the commission 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 of his fellow countrywoman St. Angela Merici, edited 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 also appears 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). According to Capuchin tradition, he spread the practice of the Forty Hours, writing a Trattato on it (Brescia 1588), on its history and method. Like other confreres he made himself an apostle of mental and contemplative prayer among the people; he instituted in the cathedral of Brescia the hour of public meditation, adopted by St. Charles Borromeo at Milan; he taught the method
(from Composizioni giovanili inedite pubbl. Acc. d'Italia)
BELLINI, VINCENZO - Portrait with autograph signature.
Engraving by F. di Bartolo.
of meditating and arranged the topics in a work that had wide diffusion through many editions and versions in French and Latin: Prattica dell'oration mentale (part 1, ibid. 1573; part 2, Venice 1581; parts 3 and 4, ibid. 1607); in another work, Corone spirituali (Rome 1616), reprinted several times also in German (Ingolstadt 1616) and French (Rouen 1622) translations, and used by St. Charles Borromeo, he develops the theme dear to Franciscan spirituality of the passion of Jesus Christ; in the Teatro del Paradiso (2 vols., Salò 1620, French version Lyon 1629), he presents in 150 meditations the theology of heaven. He organized various confraternities; for the one that assisted those condemned to death he composed the Utili ricordi e rimedi (Salò 1614), also called Confortatorio. To foster priestly piety he destined the Preparazione alla sacrosanta Messa (Milan 1610), and other editions. Various works of a doctrinal, ascetic and oratorical character remained in manuscript.
Bibliography6 works
Ilarino da Milano