Augustine Fangi

Augustine Fangi, also known as Augustine of Biella, was an Italian Dominican friar and Catholic priest who lived from 1430 to 1493. He was recognized in his own time for his piety and for being a miracle worker. Fangi served as the prior of several Dominican monasteries, dedicating himself to the restoration and maintenance of the faithful observance of the Rule of Saint Dominic.

Life and historical context

Born in Biella in northern Italy to a prosperous family, Augustine Fangi was initially destined for a secular life. However, he was deeply impressed by the Dominican friars who had recently arrived in his town and chose to join their order. His life was characterized by profound regularity and piety, rather than overt spiritual ambition. A notable aspect of his character was his remarkable equanimity and his capacity for intense concentration on spiritual matters. One account describes him enduring a surgical procedure without anesthetic, explaining that his mind was so focused elsewhere that he scarcely noticed the operation.

Major contributions and significance

As prior of various Dominican houses, Fangi was instrumental in upholding the monastic discipline of his order. In 1464, he became the prior of the priory at Soncino in Lombardy, where he is credited with performing several miracles. These included the reported miraculous resuscitation of a deformed child who had died without baptism and the mending and refilling of a jug of wine for a crying boy. The last decade of his life was spent in Venice.

Veneration

Augustine Fangi died in Venice on July 22, 1493. He was buried in a crypt that was susceptible to flooding. In the 1530s, during repairs, his coffin was found floating in water, but his body and clothing were reportedly discovered to be incorrupt. This discovery significantly bolstered devotion to his cause for canonization. Despite this, his veneration waned over the centuries, with only the residents of Biella and the Dominican Order maintaining his memory. His cultus was officially confirmed in 1872, and he was beatified in 1878.