Antonio da Stroncone
Antonio da Stroncone (1391 – 7 February 1461) was an Italian Franciscan friar (Order of Friars Minor). He was born in Stroncone, Umbria, into noble parents Lodovico and Isabella, who were members of the Third Order of Saint Francis. His uncle Giovanni da Stroncone was also a Franciscan.
From childhood he loved Francis of Assisi. At about twelve he asked to join the Franciscan convent. After initial delays because of his age and health, he was allowed to enter and soon took his vows rather than becoming a priest.
He trained in Fiesole under his uncle and Tommaso Bellacci. In 1428 he went to Corsica to help set up convents, returning in 1430 to a quiet convent in Assisi. He served as assistant novice master in Fiesole (1411–1420) and, with Bellacci (1420–1425), worked to calm the Fraticelli, a group considered by some to be heretical.
A famous vision of Jesus praised him for lighting many candles, so he began lighting candles on feasts of the Lord and Mary. He showed deep Eucharistic devotion, kneeling to beg forgiveness before Communion. He made small wooden crosses and placed them around the convent, and he walked barefoot as a sign of poverty.
Antonio died in early 1461 and was buried under the floor of the San Damiano convent in Assisi. In 1462 a flame was said to come from his grave as a sign from God. His relics were moved several times, ending up in Stroncone in 1809.
Local devotion to him grew, and Pope Innocent XI beatified him on 28 June 1687. His feast days are February 7 (and February 14 in the Franciscan Order). He is depicted in a Franciscan habit.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:53 (CET).