GALANO, CLEMENTE. - Theatine missionary. Born in Sorrento, he professed at the convent of the SS. Apostoli in Naples on 25 February 1628. Having completed his studies, in 1636 he was assigned, together with Father Francesco Maggio, to whom the first Georgian grammar is owed, to the missions of Georgia, and he reached Gori, seat of the Theatine mission, in March 1637. From Georgia he passed into Colchis, where he labored for three years. A connoisseur of the Turkish, Georgian and Colchian languages, he nevertheless devoted himself to the care of the Armenians, whose language and liturgy he knew most thoroughly, converting not a few of them.

To carry out this mission of his better, in 1640 G. was sent by his superiors to Constantinople, where he opened a college for the Armenians, composing for them the first Armenian grammar and a Lagica. The patriarch Cyril of Erivan, an admirer of G.'s learning and zeal, negotiated with him the union of the Armenians with the Roman Church, and would have brought it to effect had death not prevented him. Because of the intrigues and persecutions of the usurper of the patriarchate, David, and his followers, G., at the beginning of 1644, left Constantinople bound for Rome, accompanied by a good number of disciples and by some dignitaries of the Greek and Armenian Churches, among them the Greek Cyril, archbishop of Trebizond, converted to the faith and union with the Catholic Church. Urban VIII received G. and his companions with proofs of paternal satisfaction. Having withdrawn to the convent of S. Silvestro al Quirinale, G. held the office of master of novices and, from the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide, that of professor of the Armenians of the new Collegio Urbano. In 1661 the same Congregation of Propaganda sent him, together with Father Luigi Pidon (1657-1717), his pupil, to Poland to negotiate likewise the union of the Armenians of that kingdom with Rome. Having arrived there in May 1664, he immediately founded an Armenian College in Lviv, but on 14 May 1666 death cut short his fervent activity. The college continued under the aegis of Pidon, who resumed and successfully brought to completion there the work of union.

Bibliography9 works

BIBL.: G. Silos, Historia Clericarum Regularium, III, Rome-Palermo 1650-66, p. 558; id., Auctorium historiarum Clericarum Regularium, ms., in the Arch. gen. of the Theatines in Rome, c. VI; A. Lamberti, Sacra istoria dei Colchi, Naples 1656, pp. 370-77; R. Ferro, Istoria delle missioni dei Chierici teatini, I, Rome 1704-05, pp. 389-312, 418-31, 436-53, 491; F. A. Vezzoni, Scrittori dei Chierici Regolari, I, Rome 1780, pp. 375-83; P. Amati di S. Filippo, Biografia dei viaggiatori italiani con la bibliografia delle loro opere, Rome 1882, p. 706; M. Tamarati, L'Eglise georgiana, Rome 1910, p. 327; Hutter, IV, coll. 118-19; A. Palmieri, s. v. in DThC, coll. 1023-1025.

Francesco Andreu

@incollection{ec5_galano_clemente, author = {Andreu, Francesco}, title = {Galano, clemente}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {1853}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/galano-clemente} }

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Galano, Clemente

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