Luke Belludi, Bl.
LUKE BELLUDI, BL.
Franciscan; b. probably in or near Padua, c. 1200; d. there, after June 9, 1285. A member of the affluent Belludi family, he is thought to have studied at the University of Padua and to have joined the franciscans at the age of 20, receiving the habit from francis of assisi himself. He became the admiring disciple and close companion of anthony of padua, accompanied him on his preaching missions, and attended him on his deathbed at Aracoeli (Rome), 1231. Luke's denunciation of the excesses of Ezzelino (1194–1259) brought heavy reprisals that ended only with the tyrant's death. As provincial superior, Luke continued building the great basilica of St. Anthony where his body now rests in the chapel named for him. pius xi confirmed his cult in 1927.
Feast: Feb. 17.
Bibliography: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 19 (1927) 213–216. b. marinangeli, Cenni sulla vita del b. L. Belludi (Padua 1929). l. guidaldi, Il Santo 3 (1930) 59–69. La cappella del beato Luca e Giusto de' Menabuoi nella basilica di Sant'Antonio, photos m. tosello, text g. bresciani alvarez (Padua 1988). a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, ed. h. thurston and d. attwater, 4 v. (New York 1956) 1:359–360. g. fussenegger, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 6:1206.
[m. f. laughlin]