Image 1 of 1: Saint Bonaventure holding the tree of redemption
Saints and feasts
St. Bonaventure
Cardinal-Bishop of Albano, Doctor of the Church
St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, was a Franciscan theologian and minister general. His writings and leadership joined prayer, learning, and service to the Church.
The reading
ⓘ Supplemental reading source
Novena Regina editorial summary of Paschal Robinson, “St. Bonaventure,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2 (1907), transcribed at New Advent.
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.
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