Saint Mystery

      Researched by Augi Garcia, Idea: Ernie Richards - Edition: Phil Flemming
 

I. Some background: A brief biography of San Francisco Solano

San Franciso Solano---in English, Saint Francis Solanus—was a South American missionary of the Order of Friars Minor. He was born at Montilla, in the Diocese of Cordova, Spain, on the 10^th of March, 1549; and he died in Lima, Peru, on the 14^th of July, 1610. His parents, Mateo Sánchez Solano and Ana Ximenes, were both of noble birth and acquired reputations for virtue and piety. When Francis was twenty years old, he was received into the Franciscan Order at Montilla, and after his ordination, several years later, he was sent by his superiors to the convent of Arifazza as a Master of Novices.  In 1589 he sailed from Spain to the New World, landing at Panama and crossing the isthmus to embark on a vessel that would take him to Peru. His missionary work in South America extended over a period of twenty years. During that time he spared no effort, shrank from no sacrifice however great, and feared no danger that stood in the way of evangelizing the vast regions of Tucumán (Argentina) and Paraguay.

So famous and successful was his missionary work that some contemporaries began to call him taumaturgo ( miracle worker ) and then even San Francisco Solano ( Saint Francis Solano ). Despite the number and difficulty of the dialects spoken by the Indians, he learned them all. Besides being engaged in active missionary work, he filled the office of custos ( guardian ) of the convents in Tucumán and Paraguay, and later was elected guardian of the Franciscan convent in Lima, Peru. In 1610, while preaching at Truxillo, he foretold the disaster that would befall that city eight years later, when the town was leveled and most of the inhabitants killed. Sixty-five years after his death in 1610 Solano was beatified by Clement X, and in 1726 Benedict XIII canonized him.

II. The Mystery: a galleon of the South Sea Armada named after San Francisco Solano

(picture of the pedant provided by Ernie Richards)

III. Some more background: how to become a Saint

For many centuries in Medieval times the bishops, or in some places only the primates and patriarchs, could grant martyrs and confessors public ecclesiastical honor. Such honors, however, were always decreed only for the local territory over which the grantors held jurisdiction. It was only if and when the Bishop of Rome's (Pope's) ratified the honor that it began universal.

 Over time abuses inevitably crept into the system due to popular fervor and the carelessness of some bishops in inquiring into the lives of those whom they permitted to be honored as saints. Towards the close of the eleventh century the Popes found it necessary to restrict Episcopal authority on this matter and decreed that the virtues and miracles of persons proposed for public veneration should be examined in councils. Even after these reforms, there continued to be complaints such as this: "some, following the ways of the pagans and deceived by the fraud of the evil one, venerated as a saint a man who had been killed while intoxicated".

 In 1174 Pope Alexander III (1159 - 1181) finally prohibited popular veneration in these words: "For the future you will not presume to pay him reverence, as, even though miracles were worked through him, it would not allow you to revere him as a saint unless with the authority of the Roman Church." Thus, the Pope for the first time completely reserved the right of beatification and sanctification to the papacy. Some bishops simply did not obey, at least as far as beatification was concerned, which they regarded as an inherent right of their ofice.

 The controversy resurfaced in the 17^th century and  Urban VII took action, publishing in 1634 a Papal Bull which sought to put a final end to all discussion by reserving to the Holy See exclusively an immemorial right both to to canonize and beautify.  Though the decree of Pope Urban VII was enforced after 1634, it is possible that Francisco Solano had been declared a “Saint” (San) in South America before that time. Retro-active enforcement of the decree was not scrupulous. Church records from El Peru are not complete, but it is highly possible that a local bishop had granted Solano the honor of being called as a saint. The Holy See did not see fit to ratify this decision until 1726, but by Solano was a long-established saint in the liturgy of the New World.

 Exceptionally, records do tell us that only 15 days after its death in 1610 the process of canonization for Solano was officially begun. Usually, it was between 5 and 50 years after a would-be saint's death when a formal request was made to consider a person for sainthood. The formal inquiry began in Lima, where there were 500 witnesses (normally 3 or 4 are required) appeared. Later it continued in other cities of Peru, Tucumán (Argentina) and Spain. Solano’s popularity in South America, coupled with uncertain communication between Rome, Spain and the Spanish Colonies, no doubt contributed to his rise as a local “un-official” saint.

IV. A final piece of evidence for the widespread if unofficial veneration of Solano before his canonization.

There exists in Seville a painting done by Bartolome Estaban Murillo in 1645. Murillo entitled the painting San Francisco Solano y el toro, “San Francisco Solano and the bull.”

The story on which the painting was based was well known in Murillo’s day. One day in a town called San Miguel a ferocious bull escaped and began to attack the villagers without mercy. The villagers called upon Francisco Solano and he confronted the terrible animal. People watched with amazement as the bull tamely approached Fray Francisco, licked his hands, and then let the Fray take him back to his corral.

  T  This painting confirms that Francisco Solano was already popularly considered a saint in 1645.  Nine years later it should come as no surprise thatwe find one of the South Sea  Armada galleons named after him. Every year the Armada del Mar del Sur (South Sea Fleet), composed of three or four big galleons and a few small sailing ships, left Callao, the port of Lima, on a voyage to Panama.

V. Bibliography

1. Camillus Beccari, "Beatification and Canonization." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. II (1907).

2. Pietro Cardinal Palazzini, 1983, Norms to be observed in inquiries made by bishops in the causes of saints, § 9 a

3. Life of St. Francis Solanus" (New York, 1888); LEO, "Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis" (Taunton, 1886), II 509-522; Acta SS., July, V, 847-901.

This article and its pictures can not be published without the  written permission of the author/s.

Many thanks to Phil Flemming and Ernie Richards that as always helped on the Article's Idea, edition and research.

*- Picture of the pendant provided by Ernie Richards, part of his Upcoming book on the Capitana and Maravillas Wreck.