MICANZIO, FULGENZIO. - Servite, b. at Passirano (Brescia) on 8 June 1570, d. at Venice on 7 Feb. 1654. Having gone to Venice for the sake of his studies, he entered into relations with Fra Paolo Sarpi, whose influence was decisive for him. Sarpi introduced him into literary and scientific circles, and at Padua M. met among others Galileo, with whom he thereafter always remained in contact, openly taking his side.
From 1597 to 1600 he was at Mantua teaching theology there; in the spring of 1600 he played an important part in the General Chapter of his Order at Rome; on 6 July 1600 he obtained at Bologna his degree in theology and remained there as professor of that discipline until 1606, the year in which Sarpi summoned him to Venice in order to have him at his side during the struggle over the interdict. M. therefore took part, together with Sarpi, in the struggle against Rome: he appears among the signatories of the Trattato dell'interdetto, a work of Sarpi, but presented as a collective declaration of seven theologians. He also defended Sarpi with a Confirmazione (Venice 1606) to the Considerazioni sopra le censure of Sarpi, which had been attacked by the Carmelite G. A. Bovio. For this activity of his the government of the Republic granted him in 1607 a stipend of 200 scudi, a sum doubled for him the following year. After the attempt on Sarpi's life (5 Oct. 1607), since the government of the Republic had granted the latter a house in Venice, M., by the will of that same government, lived there in order to be always at his master's side. At Rome it was feared that Sarpi and he were plotting for the introduction and consolidation of Protestantism at Venice. In fact they stood in close relations with Protestants and Gallicans; and much was hoped from them, moreover, and no secret was made of it, by the chaplain of the English embassy, William Bedell. Like Sarpi, M. too did not think of an actual adherence to Protestantism, even if his Lenten sermons aroused grave suspicions in the Catholic camp and lively hopes among the Protestants, and even if accusations, seemingly not unfounded, concerning his morals were added to aggravate M.'s position. On Sarpi's death, M. succeeded him as consultor and the Signoria arranged that his opinions be collected in volumes and preserved in the "camera segreta" for their usefulness (Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Riform. d. Studio, busta 549). M. left a life of Sarpi published in the Opere del Sarpi, VI, Helmstatt per Jacopo Mullero [but Verona per Jacopo Moroni] 1750, pp. 1-CVI.