Renato Mambretti

Thanks to the invention of a small-size codex in the 2627 folder of the Fondo di religione at Milan’s Archivio di Stato, we publish here the full text of a short chronicle of the 14th century. Its title is Miracula meritis gloriose Virginis Marie facta in opere eius ecclesie de novo edifficate in Modoetia in contrata Strate; until now, we have only known it through the partial transcription made by Anton Francesco Frisi in the 18th century...

SUMMARY: Gerardo Tintori, a layman, was the founder of a hospital in the small city of Monza at the end of the 12th century. Notarial deeds concerning this foundation and the later history of the hospital are discussed in this article. A few decades after the death of Gerardo (1207) documents, mentioning him always in connection with his hospital, give him the title of beatus (1230) and of sanctus (1247). In fact between the 12th and the 13th century a new model of holiness, deeply rooted in the city social life, became popular in Italy, namely lay persons devoted to charitable actions and to relief of the poor and the sick. The 14th-century Chronicon Modoetiense, written by Bonincontro Morigia, includes the first biography of Gerardo and attributes a great number of miracles to him. Besides, this Chronicon praises highly the veneration of saint Gerardo.