Didacus of Alcalá | |
|---|---|
_San_Diego_de_Alcal%25C3%25A1.png) San Diego de AlcalábyFrancisco de Zurbarán | |
| Religious andMissionary | |
| Born | c. 1400 San Nicolás del Puerto,Kingdom of Seville,Crown of Castile |
| Died | 12 November 1463(1463-11-12) (aged 62–63) Alcalá de Henares,Kingdom of Toledo,Crown of Castile |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 10 July 1588,Saint Peter's Basilica,Papal States byPope Sixtus V |
| Majorshrine | Ermita de San Diego, San Nicolás del Puerto,Seville, Spain |
| Feast | 13 November, 7 November (Franciscan Order in the United States and theRoman Catholic Diocese of San Diego) |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit Cross Lily |
| Patronage | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Franciscan Lay Brothers |
Didacus of Alcalá (Spanish:Diego de Alcalá), also known asDiego de San Nicolás, was aSpanishFranciscanlay brother who served among the first group of missionaries to the newly conqueredCanary Islands. He died atAlcalá de Henares on 12 November 1463 and is honored by theCatholic Church as asaint.
Didacus was bornc. 1400 into a poor but pious family in the small village ofSan Nicolás del Puerto in theKingdom of Seville. As a child, he embraced thehermit life and, later, placed himself under the direction of a hermit priest living not far from his native town. He then led the life of a wandering hermit. Feeling called to the religious life, he applied for admission to the Observant (or Reformed) branch of theOrder of Friars Minor at the friary inAlbaida and was sent to the friary in Arruzafa, nearCórdoba, where he was received as alay brother.[note 1] As a friar he worked at various manual trades to support the brotherhood.[1]
During his years living in that location, he journeyed to the villages in the regions surrounding Córdoba, Cádiz, and Seville, where he would preach to the people. A strong devotion to him still exists in those towns.
Didacus was sent to the new friary of the Order inArrecife on the island ofLanzarote, part of theCanary Islands. That island had been conquered byJean de Béthencourt about 40 years earlier and was still in the process of introducing the nativeGuanche people to Christianity. He was assigned to the post ofporter.
In 1445, Didacus was appointed asGuardian of the Franciscan community on the island ofFuerteventura,[2] where the Observant Franciscans soon founded the Friary of St.Bonaventure. Though it was an exception to the ordinary rules for a lay brother to be named to this position, his great zeal, prudence, and sanctity justified this choice. His defense of the indigenous people against the colonizers precipitated his return to Spain in 1449.[1]
In 1450, Didacus was recalled to Spain, from which point he went toRome to share in theJubilee Year proclaimed byPope Nicholas V, and to be present at thecanonization ofBernardine of Siena. In addition to the vast crowds ofpilgrims arriving in Rome for Jubilee Year, thousands of friars had headed to Rome to take part in the celebration of one of the pillars of their Order. An epidemic broke out in the city. Didacus served as infirmarian and spent three months caring for the sick at the friary attached to the Basilica ofSanta Maria in Ara Coeli, and his biographers record the miraculous cure of many whom he attended through his pious intercession.[3]
He was then recalled again to Spain and was sent by his superiors to the Friary of Santa María de Jesús in Alcalá, where he spent the remaining years of his life in penance, solitude, and contemplation. There he died on 12 November 1463 due to anabscess. His body was also rumored to haveremained incorrupt, did not undergorigor mortis and continued to emit a pleasant odor.[4]
A chapel, the Ermita de San Diego, was built in Didacus's birthplace between 1485 and 1514 to enshrine his remains in his native town.[5]
Didacus wascanonized byPope Sixtus V in 1588,[6] the first of a lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor. Hisfeast day is celebrated on 13 November, since 12 November, the anniversary of his death, was occupied, first by that ofPope Martin I, then by that of theBasilian monk andEastern Catholic bishop and martyrJosaphat Kuntsevych. In the United States the feast day is celebrated on 7 November, due to the feast of SaintFrances Xavier Cabrini.[1]
Didacus is the saint to whom theFranciscan mission that bears his name, and which developed into the City ofSan Diego,California, was dedicated.[7] He is the co-patron of theRoman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.[2]
The Spanish painterBartolomé Estéban Murillo is noted for painting several representations of Didacus of Alcalá.
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TheSmithsonian Institution holds a clockwork automaton of a monk.The model would perform a number of set actions, including the beating of the breast which accompanies theMea culpa prayer.A possible provenance would be a presumed model of Didacus, commissioned by Philip II of Spain toJuanelo Turriano, mechanic toEmperor Charles V.[10]
Historical theories for why the friar was built include that Philip II wished to share the miracle of his son's recovery with his people; or the clockwork friar provided a portable model of "how to pray" which could be displayed around the kingdom.[11]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Didacus".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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