GIORDANO of Saxony, Blessed. — Dominican Master General, b. at Burgberg near Dassel (Westphalia) c. 1185, d. 13 Feb. 1237 off the coast of Syria.
As a young man, G. went to Paris where in 1218 he was magister artium. As a deacon and bachelor in theology, on 12 Feb. 1220 he entered the Dominicans, and as a delegate from the Paris convent he took part in the first General Chapter in May 1220 at Bologna. He taught in Paris. In 1221 he was appointed Provincial of Lombardy, and at the General Chapter in Paris on 23 May 1222 he was elected successor of St. Dominic. Alternating the General Chapters between Bologna and Paris and combining with his travels the visitation of the provinces and the propagandistic action for his Order in cultural centers, G. made notable journeys through Italy, Germany, France and England. He had contact with Gregory IX and the Papal Curia, with Frederick II, with Queen Blanche, with prelates and scholars everywhere. Returning to Europe after a visit to the Holy Land, he was shipwrecked off the Syrian coast and buried in the Dominican church at Acre. The ecclesiastical cult paid to G. over the centuries was confirmed by Leo XII in 1827.
Endowed with a lively intelligence and a noble will, a rich and generous heart, and captivating eloquence, he
(da P. Kondakov, L'icone russe, I, Praga 1928, tav. 8)
