DOMINICI, JOHN, BL.

Writer, reformer, cardinal; b. Florence, c. 1356; d. Buda, Hungary, June 10, 1419. He took his name after his father, Domenico Banchini (or Bacchini); his mother was Paola Zorsi. He became a dominican c. 1373; studied at Florence, Pisa, and Paris (1377–80); and was sub-prior at S. Maria Novella, Florence (1381), then prior there (1385–87), and finally lector at SS. John and Paul, Venice (1388). He came under the spiritual influence of catherine of siena, who cured him of stammering (1381). An ardent follower of raymond of capua in the reform of his order, he personally reformed the priories of S. Domenico di Castello, Venice (1390), Chioggia (1392), and Città di Castello (1393); finally he was made vicar-general over all the reformed priories in Italy. At Venice he founded Corpus Christi (1393), a monastery of nuns, where his mother, Sister Paola, lived for 20 years, and at Fiesole he founded the priory of S. Domenico (1406). As a great popular preacher, he attracted many disciples, especially at Florence and Venice, where he promoted the movement of penance, and the accompanying processione dei bianchi, for which he was banished (1399) from the Venetian territories for five years. Carlo Malatesta of Rimini sent him on embassies to Venice (1404) and from Venice to Rome concerning the election of gregory xii. Having worked vigorously for the extinction of the western schism, he was held in great esteem by Gregory, who made him the archbishop of Ragusa July 29, 1407, and cardinal April 23, 1408, and then legate to Hungary and Poland (1409) and to the Council of constance, where he represented Gregory and read his resignation (1415). martin v sent him as legate to Hungary and Bohemia against the hussites (1418). The author of many theological, Biblical, and ascetical treatises, he took part in the controversy against the paganizing humanists and wrote the Lucula noctis (ed. E. Hunt, Notre Dame, Ind. 1940), in which he insisted on the Christian basis of education and the careful use of pagan authors, leaving out what is lascivious and tempting in them, especially for the young. In the Regola del governo di cura familiare (ed. D. Salvi, Florence 1860) he improved his Christian pedagogical system. He died while on embassy at Buda. His cultus was approved in 1832.

Feast: June 10.

Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum (New York 1959) 1.2:768–771. a. rÖsler, Kardinal Johannes Dominicis Erziehungslehre (Freiburg 1894). a. galletti, "Una raccolta di prediche volgari inedite del card. G. D.," Miscellanea di studi critici pubblicati in onore di Guido Mazzoni, ed. a. della torre and p. l. rambaldi, 2 v. (Florence 1907) 1:253–278. l. santamaria, "Il concetto di cultura e di educazione nel b. G. D., O.P.," Memorie Domenicane 47 (1930), passim. s. m. bertucci, Bibliotheca Sanctorum (Rome 1961), 4:748–756. s. orlandi, Necrologio di S. Maria Novella, 2 v. (Florence 1955) 2:77–126. i. colosio, Giovanni Dominici + 1419 saggi e inediti (Pistoia 1970). c. mÉsoniat, Poetica theologia: la "Lucula noctis" di Giovanni Dominici e le dispute letterarie tra '300 e '400 (Rome 1984).

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