Lives Of The Saints
July 14
St. Bonaventure
Quick answer
At a glance
- Who is this saint?
- St. Bonaventure was a Franciscan theologian, minister general, and cardinal-bishop of Albano. Honored as the Seraphic Doctor, he joined learning to prayer. He died at Lyons in 1274.
- Feast
- July 14
- Brief life source
- Novena Regina editorial summary of Paschal Robinson, “St. Bonaventure,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2 (1907), transcribed at New Advent. Read the source standards.
Brief life
Bonaventure entered the Friars Minor and studied at Paris under Alexander of Hales. His theological work grew alongside a life of prayer and preaching. He defended the mendicant friars during disputes at the university and became minister general of his order in 1257.
For seventeen years he guided the Franciscans through disagreements about religious observance. His work included constitutions for the order and a life of St. Francis intended to help the friars hold together around their founder’s example.
Pope Gregory X made him cardinal-bishop of Albano in 1273 and entrusted him with preparations for the Council of Lyons. Bonaventure died while the council was meeting in 1274. His spiritual and theological writings continue to unite careful study with the desire to love God.
Questions about this saint
Why is St. Bonaventure called the Seraphic Doctor?
The title honors the fervent love of God expressed in his teaching. The 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia emphasizes how his writings seek to deepen devotion while explaining the faith.
What did St. Bonaventure write?
His works include a commentary on the Sentences, the Breviloquium, the Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, and the Legenda Major, his life of St. Francis. His subjects range from theology to prayer and Franciscan life.
Why does this page give July 14 as his feast?
July 14 is his feast in the traditional Roman calendar used here and is the date recorded in the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia. His death occurred on July 15, 1274.
Source for these reading notes
The introduction and answers are Novena Regina editorial summaries of the older reference below. The brief life above has its own source citation at the top of the page.
Next step
Pray the St. Bonaventure novena
Open the novena and its source notes, then choose when to begin.
Meet a saint each morning
Receive the Saint of the Day story in your inbox, with a link to the full life. Free to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
See the daily saint emailChoose to subscribe on the next page, then confirm by email. No marketing added.
Keep reading
Nearby saint lives
Move through the calendar without leaving the saint library. These nearby feast-day lives help keep the reading trail connected.
Pray with this saint
Carry this saint into prayer
If this life stirred a particular need, keep going with the closest prayer links in the library.