Saint John of Capistrano

Life story

John was born on 24 June 1386 at Capestrano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. He studied law at Perugia and was appointed governor of that city by King Ladislaus of Naples. During a war between Perugia and the Malatesta family he was captured and imprisoned. While in prison he decided to change his life.

On 4 October 1416 he entered the Order of Friars Minor at Perugia, influenced by Saint Bernardine of Siena. He was ordained priest in 1425 and became a celebrated preacher, travelling through Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Poland and Hungary, with crowds so large that he sometimes had to speak in the open air. The popes also entrusted him with various missions, including work as an inquisitor against the Fraticelli and appeals for Christian unity against the Ottoman threat.

In 1456 Ottoman forces besieged Belgrade. John, then seventy years old, went recruiting and led a force of commoners and local soldiers, working alongside the commander John Hunyadi. The Christian forces broke the siege in July. Soon afterwards he caught plague and died on 23 October 1456 at Ilok, now in Croatia. He was liturgically honoured as a saint in 1690, and the formal bull of canonisation was issued in 1724. His preaching drew very large crowds, and he is remembered in two places in particular: Belgrade, where the siege was lifted, and the Franciscan mission in California that bears his name, San Juan Capistrano. His memory also remains alive at Ilok, where he died and where his tomb is kept.

Works and witness

• Studied law at Perugia and served as the city's governor
• Entered the Franciscans on 4 October 1416
• Preached across Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Poland and Hungary
• Led a force of commoners in the relief of Belgrade in 1456
• Died of plague at Ilok on 23 October 1456

Patron of

Jurists, Military chaplains

Saints from the same country

Saint Agnes, Saint Lawrence, Saint Cecilia, Saint Sebastian

References

• Martyrologium Romanum
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1907–1912), entry on John Capistran
• Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.