BUGLIARI, FRANCESCO
Bishop, born 14 Oct. 1742 at S. Sofia d’Epiro (Calabria), and died there 18 Aug. 1806. After completing his studies at the Italo-Greek college of S. Benedetto Ullano, founded to provide religious care for the Albanians of Italy, B. was ordained priest. In 1792 he became president of the Italo-Greek college and was raised to the episcopal dignity. When the college’s seat was transferred to the abbey of S. Adriano, he introduced new educational directions there. This earned B. the reputation of being a Jacobin, and on Palm Sunday 1799 a mob of fanatics invaded and sacked the college itself. The bishop, together with the teachers and students, fortunately managed to escape the hands of his enemies. On 18 Aug. 1806 a band of brigands under Santoro of Longobucco and Giacomo Pisano of Acri, accompanied by fierce opponents of the bishop, sacked S. Sofia d’Epiro and stabbed B. to death after finding him in a granary, even as he invoked God’s forgiveness for his assassins.