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Matthew of Agrigento. The political and religious engagement of a franciscan... 489

the reform movement in an extra-Sicilian context . It was not until
28
1421, in fact, that there is evidence of the presence on the island of a
number of friars who had decided to observe the Franciscan rule in all
its rigor. In that year, Alfonso V had, thus, made himself the interpreter
of their petitions to the viceroy of Sicily, who was asked for his help in
finding a suitable and functional site for the foundation of an observant
convent . In this sense, the letter sent to Nicolò Speciale seems to de-
29
tect all of the Aragonese sovereign’s interest in the Franciscan move-
ment: in an Order that, during the first decades of the fifteenth century,
was proving to be a reliable instrument capable of acting positively
within the urban societies of the Catalan-Aragonese dominions . The
30
intervention, then, in the island of Matthew, who had already demon-
strated his ability to make an impact within the city contexts, especially
in northern Italy, fitted well with the political logic of Alfonso V.
Thus, in Messina, the first stop on his return to Sicily, the friar from
Agrigento was able to devote himself to preaching and spreading the
cult of the most holy name of Jesus . This was a devotion to the name
31
of Christ, which had been strongly advocated by Bernardine and later
by his disciples, as a means of salvation and peacemaking value . The
32
cult was the bearer of a true political message, in that, it, according to
the observants, was able to restore assurance and credibility to the
communities that welcomed it . In Sicily, then, its spread must have
33
been considered by Matthew to be particularly important, since, here,
Christianity found itself coexisting for centuries with a large Jewish
and Muslim presence . The preaching of the friar from Agrigento must
34

28 Cf. F. Rotolo, Il beato Matthew d’Agrigento cit., pp. 93-94.
29 Aca, Real Cancilleria, Registros 2811, f. 84v (cf. A. Amore, Nuovi documenti
cit., p. 23).
30 See P. Evangelisti, Fede, mercato, comunità cit., p. 628.
31 The Observants were tireless itinerant preachers. Therefore, news in R. Ru-
sconi, La predicazione minoritica in Europa nei secoli XIII-XV, in I. Baldelli, A.M.
Romanini (a cura di), Francesco, il francescanesimo e la cultura della nuova Europa,
Istituto dell’Enciclopedia italiana, Roma 1986, pp. 141-165.
32 On the cult of the Most Holy Name of Jesus spread by Bernardine of Siena,
cf. the contributions published by E. Longpré, S. Bernardin de Sienne et le nome
de Jèsus, «Archivum franciscanum historicum», 28 (1935), pp. 443-476; Id., S.
Bernardin de Sienne et le nome de Jèsus, «Archivum franciscanum historicum», 29
(1936), pp. 142-168 and 443-477, and Id., S. Bernardin de Sienne et le nome de
Jèsus, «Archivum franciscanum historicum» 30 (1937), pp. 170-192.
33 Cf. B. Matthaei Agrigentini OFM., Sermones varii cit., p. 165.
34 As early as the late 11th century, Sicily presented a multicultural society,
consisting of Jews, Muslims, Greek-rite Christians and Latin-rite Christians. In
this regard, the contribution of A. Nef, Pluralisme religieux et état monarchique dans
la Sicile des XII e et XIII e siècles”, in H. Bresc (édité par), Politique et religion en Mé-
diterranée. Moyen Âge et époque contemporaine, Éditions Bouchène, Saint Denis
2008, pp. 237-254.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Dicembre 2023
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