Early life and entry into the Order
Augustine Fangi was born in 1430 in Biella, Piedmont, to a wealthy family that had planned a secular career for him. Instead, he was drawn to the Dominican friars newly arrived in the town and entered the monastery there, eventually becoming a priest. His vocation emphasized regularity and piety over personal ambition, and he maintained this focus throughout his religious life.
Ministry as prior and reported miracles
In 1464 Fangi was appointed prior of the priory at Soncino in Lombardy, where he worked to restore and maintain strict observance of the Dominican Rule. Contemporary accounts note his remarkable equanimity; during a necessary surgical procedure performed without anesthetic he remained silent, later explaining that his mind had been so concentrated on spiritual matters that he scarcely noticed the operation. He was also reported to have been seen levitating in ecstasy during prayer. Several miracles were attributed to him at Soncino, including the claimed restoration to life of a deformed child who had died without baptism and the mending and refilling of a broken jug of wine for a distressed boy.
Final years in Venice and death
The final ten years of Fangi's life were spent in Venice. He died there on 22 July 1493, the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, and was buried in a damp, flood-prone crypt beneath the church.
Discovery of incorrupt body and later veneration
In the 1530s workmen repairing the church discovered Fangi's coffin floating in water that had entered the burial chamber. When the coffin was opened, his body and clothing were found to be incorrupt despite the prolonged exposure to moisture. This discovery renewed local devotion, though centuries passed before wider recognition; his cultus was confirmed in 1872 and he was beatified in 1878.
May Augustine Fangi intercede for us, and may we imitate today the holiness this Life has shown.
