Background
Mittarelli was born in 1707 at Venice and christened Nicola Giacomo.
Mittarelli was born in 1707 at Venice and christened Nicola Giacomo.
Later, he studied theology and philosophy at the monasteries of his Order in Florence and Rome. When he completed his studies, he was assigned to teach these subjects to the younger members of the Order.
When he was admitted to the novitiate of the monastery, he was given the name Dom Gian Benedetto, by which he was known for the rest of his life. Because he was not attuned to the scholastic method, his superiors sent him to the Monastery of Saint Parisius in Treviso, where he became a confessor and the archivist of the Order. In 1760 he was elected Abbot of San Michele, and in 1765, Superior General of his Order for the space of five years during which he resided in Rome.
After his term expired, he returned to his monastery in Venice, where he remained as abbot until his death in 1777.