GONDI, ANTONIO. - A Florentine of the RODEZ (v.) emerged, died on 18 September 1591. A man of great piety, a friend and benefactor of the poor who were ashamed to beg and of pious places, for 37 years procurator general of the Dominican monastery of S. Vincenzo in Prato, he was the beloved disciple of St. Catherine (of Siena).
The Saint wrote numerous letters to him, though only a few and minor ones remain. Instead, there are abundant references and allusions, inserted in letters written to other spiritual children, sufficient to convey the maternal tenderness with which he was surrounded. In her esteem, the Saint did not hesitate to compare him to St. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus.
BIBL.: Lettere spirituali di s. Caterina (of Siena), collected and illustrated by C. Guasti, Prato 1861, pp. 199, 297, 329; P. Bertini, S. Caterina (of Siena), Firenze 1935, pp. 302-309. Felice da Matteo