MONTAGNANI, PIETRO. - Neo-scholastic philosopher, b. at Tredozio (diocese of Modigliana) on 28 Aug. 1843, d. at the Charterhouse of Trisulti (Rome) on 8 June 1902. Trained in Rosminian ideas and in contact with various philosophers of the time, at the time of the restoration of Thomism under Leo XIII (1879), after serious personal investigations, he became an ardent advocate of scholastic philosophy.
He wrote: Rosmini, s. Tommaso e la logica (Bologna 1890); Tomisti e neotomisti (Rome 1891); Scolastica ed estetica (Parma 1891); Il sistema della verità sconfessato dalla verità (Milan 1892), and numerous other pamphlets. He contributed regularly to the periodicals La scuola cattolica, La scienza italiana, La sveglia delle Romagne, La favilla.
After years of teaching at Siena, Rocca S. Cassiano, and the Seminary of Modigliana, he was called to Cesena and appointed vicar general of the diocese by Mons. Vespignani, a distinguished cultivator of scholastic philosophy and a sincere admirer of M. At Cesena he collaborated on Vespignani’s best pastoral letters (Il libero pensiero, Il socialismo), which are veritable treatises, and remained in contact with Ausonio Franchi (Cristoforo Bonavino), in whose conversion he played an important part (cf. letters of M. and A. Franchi, in Civ. Catt., 1896, V. pp. 431-39). Difficulties and misunderstandings induced M. to withdraw to the Charterhouse of Vedana (Belluno), where he professed under the name of d. Roberto on 29 June 1894. He spent his final years studying the great theologian of the Order, Dionigi il Certosino.