CatholicSaints.Info

Also known as

• Bernardino of Feltre
• Bernardino of the Pawn Shops
• Martin Tomitani

Memorial

• 28 September

Profile

Born to the nobility, the eldest of nine children, he grew up with a speech impediment. After hearing Saint James of the Marches preach at Padua, Italy during Lent in 1456, he felt a call to the religious life. Joined the Order of Friars Minor in May 1456. Teacher. Studied at Mantua, Italy. Ordained in 1463. His speech impediment miraculously cured, and he became a travelling preacher throughout Italy, noted for his fiery sermons against usury. He organized more than thirty monti di pietá throughout Italy to give people an alternative to high-interest lenders.

Born

• 1439 at Feltre, Italy as Martin Tomitani

Died

• 28 September 1494 of natural causes

Beatified

• 13 April 1654 by Pope Innocent X (cultus confirmed)
• 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII (beatified)

Patronage

• bankers
• pawnbrokers

Representation

• green hill of three mounds, with a cross on each
• man holding monte di pietà, that is, a little green hill composed of three mounds and on the top either a cross or a standard with the inscription: Curam illius habe

MLA Citation

• “Blessed Bernardine of Feltre“. CatholicSaints.Info. 11 May 2020. Web. 25 February 2021. <>