Blessed Andrew Franchi


Blessed Andrew Franchi

1335 – 1401

Born of a noble family, Blessed Andrew Franchi embraced a Dominican vocation about the year 1351 and soon earned a doctor of theology degree at Rome. Renowned as a teacher, spiritual director and preacher, his great administrative abilities were likewise extolled, and he was made prior of several houses of the Order in Pistoia, Orvieto, and Lucca.

For twenty years, Blessed Andrew Franchi served the Church as the Bishop of Pistoia and continued to observe the same rules to which he was bound as a Dominican friar. It is recorded that he spent his income on the needy and for pious endeavors. A year before his death, which occurred on May 26, 1401, he retired from the Episcopal throne to prepare for his death.

The body of the holy bishop was buried in San Domenico in Pistoia, where it was found incorrupt during its first recognition in 1911. A second exhumation occurred in 1944 and the last in 1966. The medical report composed during this last exhumation described it as being completely mummified. The head is without hair and is detached from the body, while the upper lip, the point of the nose, all the toes, and parts of the fingers are missing.



The relic reposes in a glass-fronted reliquary beneath a side altar of the same church in which it was first interred. The body is clad in Episcopal garments, the head is crowned with a bishop’s mitre, while a silk veil covers the full length of the relic.

In 1921 the virtues of the saintly bishop were recognized by Pope Benedict XV, who sanctioned his cultus.

*from the book, The Incorruptibles, by Joan Carroll Cruz, TAN books

The incorruptible bodies of saints are a consoling sign of Christ's victory over death, a confirmation of the dogma of the Resurrection of the Body, a sign that the Saints are still with us in the Mystical Body of Christ, and proof of the truth of the Catholic Faith—for only in the Catholic Church do we find this phenomenon.






Return to Incorruptible Saints Page


Return to Saints Page


Return to Roman Catholic Saints Homepage



NOW AVAILABLE!!

Pelayo king of Asturias

Pelayo, King of Asturias  --

Pelayo's resistance initiated the nearly 800-year-long Reconquista to take back his country from the ruthless invader who had conquered his homeland and sought to erase his culture and his faith. His actions would lay the foundations of a Kingdom for Christ that would eventually reach around the world and spread the Catholic faith to millions of souls. Read more...


Please help us continue to bring high quality books to our readers at the lowest possible price! Click the link below! Thank you!


Now Available!


Defenders of Christendom
Battles - Honor - Miracles!
This book is filled with
amazing stories of little-known
Catholic heroes presenting
spectacles of bravery and
valor never exceeded in all the annals of history.
Demonstrating his
gallantry through daring feats
of arms, the knight's faith,
coupled with his marvelous
courage, made him nearly
invincible on the field
of battle. read more . . . 


Learning to Love God

Especially for young children -
Now available as an e-book!

Available for only $2.99 US
as an ebook download.

Also available in Spanish!



The exciting life story of
the holy Catholic knight
known as El Cid!



The amazing life story of the
little known incorrupt saint
- King Fernando III!
This highly acclaimed book is
inspirational to young men
and a guide to building a strong
masculine, Catholic character!

Also available as softback!