Saint Antoninus of Florence was an Italian Dominican friar, who ruled as an Archbishop of Florence. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Background
Florentine archbishop, was born at Florence, Italy, Mar. 1, 1389, as Antonio Pierozzi. He became a Dominican in 1405 and held various administrative posts from 1414 to 1446. In 1436 he established at Florence the famous monastery of San Marco, assisted as theologian at the Council of Florence in 1439, and was forced by Pope Eugene IV to accept the archbishopric of Florence, which he ruled from 1446 until his death, May 2, 1459. His principal works, Summa Theologica and Summa Historialis, are valuable historical sources. He was canonized by Pope Adrian VI, May 31, 1523. His feast is May 10.
Career
Antoninus had a great reputation for theological learning, and had assisted as a papal theologian at the Council of Florence. Of his various works, the list of which is given in Quétif-Échard, De Scriptoribus Ordinis Praedicatorum, vol. i.818, the best-known are his Summa theologica moralis (1477) and the Summa confessionalis, Curam illius habes (1472). The latter is one of three guides for confessors which he wrote, and it was highly regarded by the clergy as an aid for centuries. His writings were a major development in the field of moral theology. For a more up to date list of works and manuscripts, see Thomas Kaeppeli, Scriptores ordinis praedicatorum medii aevi, vol. 1 (Rome: Ad S. Sabinaa, 1970).
In 1477 Antoninus' the Chronicon partibus tribus distincta ab initio mundi ad MCCCLX was published; it was intended to be a history of creation from a religious perspective, up to the end of the 14th century. Though uncritical in its account of earlier ages, his accounts of more current events have been useful to historians.
Antoninus' writings, some in Italian, reflect a pronounced awareness of the problems of social and economic development. He argued in them that the state had a duty to intervene in mercantile affairs for the common good, and the obligation to help the poor and needy. His viewpoint on the vanity of women's dress made concessions to the social status of women of high birth or married to holders of high office.
Antoninus was canonized on 31 May 1523 by Pope Adrian VI, who himself held ideas of radical and drastic church reform similar to those of Antoninus.
His feast day, which was not in the Tridentine Calendar, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1683, for celebration on 10 May[1] as a Double, a rank altered in 1960 to that of Third-Class Feast. Since 1969, it is no longer in the General Roman Calendar, but the Roman Martyrology indicates that it is still observed, moved to 2 May, the day of his death.
Antoninus is honored as the patron saint of Moncalvo, near Turin.