Peter Petroni, Bl.
PETER PETRONI, BL.
Carthusian; b. Siena, Italy, 1311; d. there, May 29, 1361. He demonstrated great piety as a youth and devoted himself to the care of the sick and lepers. At the age of 17 he joined the carthusians at the charterhouse of Maggiani near Florence. The prior there wished to ordain him a priest, but Peter, feeling himself unworthy of this office, cut off the index finger of his left hand in order to disqualify himself for ordination. He is reputed to have warned boccaccio to mend his ways. Peter was venerated by the faithful for his many virtues during his lifetime, and numerous miracles are reported to have occurred at his tomb in the charterhouse, where his relics were translated some 60 years after his death. He is honored as blessed, although he has never been officially beatified; his tomb was for a long time the object of local pilgrimages. His vita was written by john colombini.
Feast: May 29.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum May 7:184–228. l. le vasseur, Ephemerides ordinis cartusiensis, 2 v. (Montreuil 1890) 2:169–270. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints (New York 1956) 2:421–422. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes (Paris 1935–56) 5:574.
[b. j. comaskey]