John Bassandus, Bl.
JOHN BASSANDUS, BL.
Religious reformer and diplomat; b. Besançon, France, 1360; d. in the monastery of Collemaggio, near Aquila, Italy, Aug. 26, 1445. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Besançon in 1378, joined the celestines in Paris in 1390, and was sent to found a monastery in Amiens, where he was spiritual director of St. colette. He was prior in Paris and provincial of France five times from 1411 to 1441, traveling in Italy, Spain, and England for the visitation of Celestine houses. Charles VII of France sent him on an unsuccessful mission to persuade amadeus of savoy (antipope Felix V) to resign his claims to the tiara. Jean gerson, his friend, dedicated his De susceptione humanitatis Christi to him. In 1443, Eugene IV called on him to reform Collemaggio. St. john capistran gave his funeral oration, and his third successor at Collemaggio wrote his vita (Acta Sanctorum, Aug. 5:870–892). His relics are in Aquila.
Feast: Aug. 26.
Bibliography: b. heurtebize, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques 6:1263–64.
[j. pÉrez de urbel]