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Bonaventure

Bonaventure, commonly known as Saint Bonaventure, was a 13th-century Italian Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian. Born Giovanni di Fidanza in 1221 in Bagnoregio, he entered the Franciscan Order in his twenties and studied at the University of Paris, where he became a leading teacher and later served as Minister General from 1257 until his death in 1274. In this role he sought to reform the order and to strengthen its intellectual and spiritual life during a period of internal tensions.

Bonaventure's writings include a major commentary on the Sentences, a standard scholastic text, as well as Itinerarium

He was canonized in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and is commonly known as Doctor Seraphicus. He

mentis
in
Deo
(The
Mind's
Journey
to
God)
and
the
Collationes
in
Hexaemeron
(Disputations
on
Creation).
His
thought
sought
to
harmonize
Augustinian
theology
with
Franciscan
spirituality,
emphasizing
the
primacy
of
God,
the
light
of
revelation,
and
the
role
of
the
Church
in
guiding
the
soul
toward
union
with
God.
He
developed
a
distinctly
mystical
yet
scholastic
account
of
creation,
grace,
and
the
person
of
Christ,
and
he
helped
shape
later
Franciscan
and
Catholic
theology.
was
later
declared
a
Doctor
of
the
Church
in
1588.
His
influence
extends
through
medieval
scholasticism,
Franciscan
spirituality,
and
Catholic
theology
more
broadly,
where
he
is
remembered
as
a
key
figure
who
bridged
contemplation
and
doctrinal
systematization.