On the holy man Brother Matthew of Bascio, first Capuchin, priest and preacher

I think all of Italy knows that Brother Matthew had to be the first Capuchin. Indeed all Europe, so to speak, heard of his fame since he went preaching in the Capuchin habit not only through Italy but also in the wars and armadas sent against infidels and heretics he preached in the army. He was in the campaign that Charles V did against the heretics of Germany in which this valiant knight of Christ gave the best example. He used to go forward with a crucifix. And if certain ones think that he left the Congregation of Capuchin that is not true. He did not change from his original intention of going around to preach in the Capuchin habit as God has revealed to him. In 1525 Clement VII, of happy memory, allowed him to go preaching with that habit. The Capuchin Congregation and Reform then began from this. However there was a reason that towards the end he did not wear the point on the cowl. He was in our friary of Saint Nicholas in Rome after Paul III had issued the Bull in which His Holiness willed that those who wore the pointed cowl outside the Congregation would incur excommunication. Rather Matthew already had received his permission to go solo. Therefore Father Jerome of Montepulciano, the Vicar of the Province of Rome, Father Benedict of Siena, Guardian of that house, Father James the Spaniard, Lector told him that if he did not confirm he permission again with His Holiness Paul III he couldn’t not wear the pointed cowl with good conscience. He was a God-fearing and very eager regarding the precepts of His Holiness. This was the reason that he had the point of the cowl cut off. However, as for everything else he wore the Capuchin habit with sandals and mantle in the Capuchin style. Until his death he went around in this manner of dress. He did not wear a habit that resembled the shape of the habits that other Orders wear. Rather he always kept that first shape of the habit for which His Holiness had granted him permission.

I will not repeat the story about the beginning or again describe the life he led. I have done all this amply in the first book. Here I am only writing about when and how he died.

Therefore, as we said above, the servant of God continued with the first intention that he had. This was to go preaching the word of God and lead the souls of sinners back strayed from way of salvation. So when he was in the city of Chioggia he decided to return to the fair city of Venice. He had dwelt there often over a long period of time and gave the greatest example, bearing great fruit in preaching to the poor souls there. AS was his custom, once he arrived in that city he went off to a parish where there was a very religious Priest who was a close acquaintance of his. He was the rector of a little church called Saint Moses. While he was staying in the house of that Priest it pleased the Lord God to put an end to his struggles and labours and to reward him as his true servants. Although he became gravely ill so that his whole head was effected, he continued to lie up a bare board, as was his custom. While the city did not know that he was sick, our Lord God want to perform many notable things for his glory and to reveal the holiness of this servant of his. For a nobleman who loved him very much heard that he was at Saint Moses. He sent a servant to him straightaway to if he would go to dine with him. However when the servant arrived he found that Brother Matthew was gravely ill. Nonetheless he gave him the message of his master. Brother Matthew answered, “On my behalf please thank His Lordship very much for the very kind offer and tell him I am sick. I cannot come despite His Lordship’s wish. Otherwise I would visit him willingly.” The servant left and reported everything to the nobleman. This was the reason that the news that the illness of Brother Matthew the servant of God began to spread through the city. When the nobleman heard he regretted very much being deprived of the presence of this servant of God because he had wanted to see again for a long time. However he did not want to lack in courtesy. So he had many special foods made for that sickness and sent them to him. When the servant brought them the holy man said, “I have no need of these things. I know that if I sent them back that His Lordship would take it badly. Also since they have been given as an alms-offering to God I do not want you to return them. However there is a poor woman who has just given birth again. I do not know how many sick children she has. Take them to that poor woman who has greater need than I do. However the servant did not the woman. Nor did Brother Matthew know the name of the woman. So the servant was unwilling to go looking for searching for who she was. The holy man said to him, “Do not worry. I will give you a guide so that you may not be mistaken. Take my handkerchief and go directly to that street. Knock at the door nearest to where the handkerchief falls from your hand and give the alms to whoever comes to the door. And so the servant went where the Spirit guided him. Following the instructions of the holy man he saw where the handkerchief dropped from his hand and knocked on the nearest door. Miraculously, the woman came to the door immediately. As the servant gave her the alms she asked him who sent them to her. He replied, “God sent it. You need not know more.”

This was the second occasion by which the city knew that Brother Matthew was ill. Stupefied by that miracle, the servant said to anyone who wanted to listen, “Now it is obvious just how holy that servant of God is, Brother Matthew, who went around the city crying, ‘Hell for anyone who sins!’” And he told about that miracle of the handkerchief.

This story came to the ears of a nobleman called Savonara. He was a devoted and fond of Brother Matthew. He had been infirm for many years with his legs. They were all ulcerated and he had had them treated for a long time, but was never able to have them healed. When he heard about that miracle, he thought to himself, “If I commend myself to this holy man I hope that our Lord God may restore my health by his holy prayers.” With great haste he went to Saint Moses, wanting to visit the holy man. Finding him ill he gave him those kind offerings which befit a good Christian. He asked him if he would go to his house because there he would lack nothing. However, the servant of God Brother Matthew, who desired nothing else than to suffer, preferred to stay on his hard board rather than go away to die on a feather bed. In this way he accompanied our Lord who wanted to die on the hard wood of the cross for the salvation of everyone. Savonara’s faith and devotion towards him increased even more. With great humility, he said to him, “Father, as you know, I am ill. I have such faith in your holy prayers. If you pray for me, his Majesty will make me well.” The servant of God replied, “Yes, indeed I want to pray for you. Take a little water and wash my feet, and with that water wash your feet. Our Father Saint Francis did many miracles with this kind of washing. He will do the same for you.” Savonara did everything that the holy man told him and he was perfectly healed in that very place.

He was the man who paid all the expenses required for his funeral in order to give thanks in part for the benefit he received. This was required not long after. As the illness became worse and the servant of God tolerated with patience the great pain that the abscess gave his head, he prepared himself with great devotion for the passage of death. Receiving all the usual holy Sacraments that happy soul passed to its Creator. It was the fifth day of his sickness that was at the twenty-second hour, on the sixth August 1552.

Because of the grave infirmity, that body would naturally have been foetid. Instead, by a divine miracle it gave of such a fragrance that for a long time there was the sweetest smell everywhere. As the news spread through the city, almost the entire city was moved. The gathering of people who came to see his body was so large because it seemed that what happened already to many holy bodies was repeated in him.

Behold, the Lord God wanted to begin to make it known by the mouths of innocent children, for a great number of them began to arise crying with a loud voice along all the streets, “The holy man, Brother Matthew, has died!” The Lord also wanted to reveal it through wicked spirits because when many possessed persons heard the voices of the children, those spirits in the same way began to cry out also, “A holy man has died. By his merits we will be cast out from these lodgings.” The entire city was in such a commotion with the clamour that one could not go along the streets.

Behold the Lord God wanted to reveal his holiness with another miracle. In the presence of that great multitude a totally blind woman guided by her relatives cast herself upon that body. No sooner had the body touched her blind eyes then she was perfectly well. By the merits of this servant of his the Lord God restored light to them. This was the second miracle after his death.

It happened that when that venerable Priest, the rector of the church of Saint Moses, became aware of such stupendous and miraculous events, if he had had devotion before it grew such more. He relented of having promised the body to the Zoccolanti Fathers. Nonetheless in order not to break his word he wanted to carry it himself with all the honour that was fitting for it. With great solicitude he gathered all the Canons he could from the entire city along with a countless number of Religious. With many lights and an almost infinite number of people he took that holy body and carried it with supreme honour in procession around the square of Saint Mark’s. However so great was the assembly of people that rushed precipitously to touch the body, or at least the catafalque that it was not possible to move. When the Priest saw this he thought he had fulfilled his promise on his part to want to bring the body to the Friars. However since he could not go any further, with that excuse he returned to Saint Moses. Apart from the devotion he bore towards the holy man it seemed to him that some benefit would result for him from the concourse of the people and that keeping that holy body in his church would increase the standing of his parish. It was something amazing that the people tore nearly all his habit to pieces. Anyone who was able to get even the smallest piece of it considered himself blessed and devotedly wore it as a relic.

The Priest had returned therefore with great difficulty and put the body in the sacristy. He locked all the doors very securely, placing a guard to guard the body very carefully so that it would not be removed or cut up in fact to keep as relics. There the devout people of Venice began to honour the holy body, keeping many candles lit continuously in the church and the sacristy. Day and night the people did not fail to visit that holy body continuously although they could not see the coffin where it was except through a little window in the sacristy.

The religious Priest immediately found some excellent master masons. He ordered them to build a very beautiful and fitting tomb. However they were unable to carry this out because when the Zoccolanti Fathers hear about it, they straightaway had recourse to the Legate of Venice so that he would have the Priest hand over the body since Brother Matthew was a Friar of the Franciscan Order. Although he went around preaching alone, he did so with the permission of the Superiors. And so in justice the body belonged to them. It would be wrong if the holy man were not buried in a church of the Order. When the Legate hear all these reasons he immediately sent a command to the Priest to hand over the body to the Fathers. The Priest did not care too much about the command. He went off and gathered many lawyers and procurators. He also collected all the leaders of his parish who could have some influence and had recourse to the Legate in order to initiate litigation against the Zoccolanti Fathers. He claimed that since the holy man had died in his house and had not chosen a burial place elsewhere, the in justice it should be in that parish and that church where he died. However in virtue of its privileges the favour of the Order was such that the Priest was forced to hand over the body.

Once the Legate had given the judgement that the body belonged to the Zoccolanti Fathers, he enjoined the Captain of ten men to go in person to Saint Joseph. Having taken the body and placed it in a casket he was to put it into a boat as secretly as possible so as not to arouse uproar.

Therefore that honoured Captain went and did everything enjoined upon him. Taking the holy body the third day after his death, he put it into the coffin. However he was unable to do this secretly in such a way that no one knew. The Lord God wanted to reveal it for his glory it became known throughout the city and there was such a gathering of people that it was amazing. The body was taken from Saint Moses at the twenty-second hour and brought to Saint Francis of the Vine. On opening the coffin where the holy body was, again they smelled that fragrance which came from it. With one voice they began to cry, “What greater sign of holiness would you want than this? All our spices do not give off such a sweet fragrance as this holy body does.”

A great multitude of Religious had assembled. With great pomp and gladness they picked up the coffin to carry it to the place where the tomb had been prepared for it. The clamour of the people who lunged forward to touch the coffin was such that those Religious could hardly sing a single responsory. The clamour of the people increased when the woman whose sight he restored came to thank him for the benefit she received. Everyone turned to her, asking if it were true that she had been blind and that the holy man had restored her sight. She had to do quite a lot to have each one understand. The produced a great tumult and impediment so that they could not say the office used by holy church for the holy body. When the office had finished the Captain and his men opened a way so that the holy body could be led taken for burial because the crowds blocked the way. When it arrived at the tomb he placed guards at the doors so that they would not be blocked again. When the Religious picked up that body to place it in the tomb everyone saw such beauty that he did not look dead but asleep. His arms and legs were still flexible as if he were still alive. As the one carrying him was putting it into the tomb he dropped it. The holy body fell into the tomb on its knees in that way he used to be when he prayed.

(1) He was no sooner buried than a possessed woman came crying out with a frightening voice. Her relative placed her on the tomb. On behalf of the holy man the Religious commanded the evil spirits to leave. As they reminded the evil spirits many times of the name of the holy man, and after many horrendous movements and frightful voices the woman was perfectly freed. She returned to her house with great happiness, free and healthy.

(2) This was also remarkable. No sooner had that woman left than they brought there another who had been bewitched for twelve years. With great faith she knelt at his tomb and with much faith commended herself to the holy man. After the demons made the greatest outcry for some time the woman was completely free and healthy through the merits of this holy man.

Both these miracles occurred on the first day after his burial.

(1) What happened on the second day was no less spectacular. The devotion of people increased still and a great crowd came. They led a twelve year old girl possessed by many legions of demons. When she was brought to where the holy man lay entombed, she began to scream so loudly with a frightening voice that she stunned the people who were round about. She writhed as though she were a serpent. Then the candles burning there dimmed a little. For just as the demons had been conjured by someone, now they were commanded and they indicated their leaving the woman. In a very short time our Lord God freed completely freed her through the merits of blessed Matthew.

(2) Another miracle happened some days later. It happened in this way. There was a barber who had a son totally blind. When he heard about the great miracles that blessed Matthew was doing, he took his boy and with much faith and devotion brought him to the tomb. Commending himself to the holy man the boy was completely freed. Many people were present at this miracle.

(3) The Lord God worked another miracle through the merits of this servant of his. Bartholomew Barettaro came with much faith. For many years he had been completely deaf. He knelt straightaway before the tomb with much faith and was perfectly healed.

(4) The Lord God worked another miracle through this servant of his. It was in this way. There was woman called Vincentia Giorana who was completely crippled so that she could not use any part of her body except her eyes and tongue. With great insistence she begged her relatives to take her to the tomb. She asserted, “As soon as I am where the body of that servant of God Brother Matthew is, by his holy merits I will be perfectly healed.” Her relatives were moved by these petitions and took her to the tomb. When she arrived she commended herself with many tears to blessed Matthew. Immediately she got up as if she had never had any illness. To the great amazement of everyone there she went off home totally happy on her own feet.

(5) The blessed Matthew did another miracle. It was this. The woman Gandolfa Chiozzora had a son. He had been struck down by a grave illness that had left him completely paralysed. One day – it was a Saturday – with much faith she commended herself to the Lord God so that through the merits of Father Matthew he might be pleased to make her son well. When she had finished her prayer she returned to her son and found him perfectly healed.

(6) This was no less marvellous. There was a woman, Paichina of Vicenza who had been sick with numbness for many years. When she heard about the great miracles that the servant of God Brother Matthew was doing she went with much faith to the tomb. She prayed there for some time and through the merits of this servant of God she found herself perfectly healed. Because of that healing she began to cry out with great wonder and tears, “Now the holiness of this servant of God is clear!” Disclosing her infirmity to the people – there was an almost infinite number of people there – she gave thanks to God and to his servant Brother Matthew who had healed her completely.

(7) The Lord God worked another miracle. There was John da Santa Trinita` Piazziero who had a bad leg. He had born that infirmity for a long time and had undergone many remedies but was not able to heal them. When he came to the tomb in the presence of many people, with much he commended himself to the holy man and was perfectly healed.

(8) Father Matthew did another miracle. Mister Anthony Zavarino lived by the seaside and was completely lame. It pleased the Lord God that one day one of his friends visited him and told him about the great miracles that the Lord God was doing through the merits of his servant Brother Matthew. He commended himself to God with much faith and devotion and he was healed in that place. Later he visited the tomb of the servant of God. With thanksgiving he left crutches there. Mister Mark Giustiniano, the brother of Sir Giustiniano, an orator in France, and other persons were present there at the holy tomb.

(9) The Lord God worked another miracle. There was a woman who had not been able to get out of bed for seven years. When she heard about the miracles that God was working through his servant, she had herself taken to the tomb. Commending herself with much faith she was perfectly healed. Four thousand persons were present.

(10) The Lord God did another miracle. It was with a crippled boy. Brought to the tomb and commending himself to God he was completely healed. His father testified that the boy had been infirm for a long time. Many persons were present.

(11) The Lord God worked another miracle with a girl. She was completely paralysed so that she could not move. She was carried to the tomb of the holy man. Commending herself with much faith she was healed perfectly. She returned home to the great joy of the whole neighbourhood. A certain nobleman was present for this. He had despised the holy man in Rome and in Venice. Having seen this miracle he knelt down. Then with tears he admitted his guilt in the presence of all the Friars of Saint Francis of the Vine.

(12) The Lord God worked another miracle through the merits of this servant of his. Gasparrina was a woman from Mestre and daughter of the woman Madalena. She was paralysed for many years so that she could not move. When she heard people tell of the miracles that the Lord God worked through the merits of Father Matthew, she had herself brought to the tomb. Commending herself with much faith she was perfectly healed within a very short period of time. The sister on Monsignor Pisano was present with all her family.

(13) The Lord God worked another miracle with a woman supported by Mister Dionisio Contarini. Because of grave infirmity in her head that she had suffered for many years, she was totally incapacitated. She went with much faith to the tomb of Father Matthew and was completely freed. This miracle happened on the 25th of August with man witnesses present.

(14) The Lord God worked another miracle. There was German called Angelo who was staying at Virghera. He was completely hydropic. With much faith he had himself brought to where the body of Father Matthew lay. He had no sooner arrived, devoutly commending himself, than he was perfectly freed in the presence of many persons.

I will leave off narrating and writing here about the many other miracles that our Lord God has worked and still works through the merits of this servant of his. I have only written about those he did in the beginning after his death. I have no information about the others that have been done for many years at the holy body. From all these we can know how many merits the first Capuchin, Father Matthew has before God.

I write all this in order to inspire the hearts of those who read this to follow the holy life that this servant of God led. I write this also so that everyone may know that the poor Congregation of Capuchins did not begin with Bernardine Occhino, as some say. Nor did it begin with Brother Louis of Fossombrone, but with Father Matthew of Basci. As I wrote in the Chronicle , by a divine revelation he took again the habit that our Father Saint Francis wore and that then the whole Order wore for more than a hundred years. No one should say that he left our Congregation. For Pope Clement, of happy memory, granted him to go preaching. He persevered in this praiseworthy and holy office of preaching the gospel of Christ from the beginning until his blessed death. In this he finished his life in the true observance of the Rule of Saint Francis. Adorned with many miracles and holy virtues that holy soul flew away to heaven. Amen.