DANIEL OF BELVEDERE, ST.

Martyr; d. Ceuta, North Africa, Oct. 10, 1227. Daniel was the franciscan provincial of Calabria, who with six companions—Samuel, Agnellus (Angelus or Angeluccio), Domnus, Leo, Nicholas, and Hugolinus—had the permission of Brother elias of cortona, the successor of francis of assisi, to embark for Morocco from a port in Tuscany. They spent a few days outside Ceuta, in the fondouq, or compound, of Christian merchants from Genoa, Pisa, and Marseille. Prepared by confession, Communion, and mandatum (the washing of feet) and after a night spent in prayer and pious ejaculations, they entered Ceuta on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 3, 1227. Although there is no evidence that they knew any Arabic, they preached the gospel publicly and were arrested and brought before the Moslem authorities. They were imprisoned as fools and eight days later, when deaf to promise or threat, they refused to renounce their faith, they were sentenced and beheaded. The Christians were allowed to bury the remains in their own fondouq. In 1516 the cult was approved for the Franciscan Order by leo x, and their names were inscribed in the Roman Martyrology.

Feast: Oct. 10.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctae Sedis Oct. 6:384–392, Propylaeum Decembris 451–452. c. m. de witte, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912) 14:68. f. delorme, "Pour l'histoire des martyrs du Maroc," La France franciscaine 7 (1924) 111–135. l. wadding, Scriptores Ordinis Minorum (3d ed. Quaracchi-Florence 1931—) 2:29–35. Bibliotheca hagiograpica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis (Brussels 1898–1901) 1:2093–94.

[t. c. crowley]