DANDINI, GIROLAMO. - B. at Cesena around 1550, he entered the Society of Jesus in Rome on 17 Aug. 1569, and d. at Forlì on 29 Nov. 1634. From June 1596 to Aug. 1597, together with Fr. Fabio Bruno, he carried out the apostolic visitation of the Maronites of Mount Lebanon; in addition to its informative purpose, the visitation was intended to regulate the sending of students to the Maronite College in Rome (cf. the instructions published by A. Rabbath, Documents pour servir à l'histoire du christianisme en Orient, I, Paris 1910, pp. 170-73). D. also convened two synods of Maronite bishops.
The book in which he intertwines recollections of the journey, the description of the country, the narrative and the acts of the visitation, was published posthumously (1656) at Cesena: Missione apostolica al Patriarca e Maroniti del Monte Libano del p. G. D., da Cesena, e sua pellegrinazione a Gerusalemme. The French translation, Paris 1675 (various reprints), is by the Oratorian R. Simon. Having returned from the Levant, the father held various positions of responsibility (in Poland, France, and Italy). He left two other works: De corpore animato (Paris 1601); Ethica sacra, hoc est de virtutibus et vitiis, Cesena 1651 (Antwerp 1676).