Claudio Granzotto

Claudio Granzotto, O.F.M. (23 August 1900 – 15 August 1947) was an Italian Franciscan friar and a noted sculptor of the mid-20th century. Due to the manner of his life, he has been beatified by the Catholic Church and is being considered for possible canonization.

Life

He was born Riccardo Granzotto in the commune of Santa Lucia di Piave, in the Province of Treviso, the youngest of nine children. His parents were peasants, who required his help in working in the fields from a very early age for them to survive, especially after the death of his father in 1909. Though they were very poor, they were devout Catholics who instilled into their children a strong knowledge of their faith. After the outbreak of World War I, he was drafted into the Royal Italian Army at the age of 15, where he served for the next three years.

After his discharge from the army, Granzotto was able to begin his studies and developed his talents as an artist, especially in sculpture. He enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, from which he graduated with honors in 1929. One of the major themes of his works was religious art. He soon felt a religious vocation and entered the Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans, in 1933. In his letter of recommendation, his pastor wrote to the friars that the Order is receiving not only an artist but a saint.

When he entered the Order, Granzotto chose not to pursue ordination and lived his life as a lay brother of the Order, at the Friary of Santa Maria della Pieve in Padua. He dedicated his life to prayer, the service of poor and his art, through which he hoped to express his faith. The majority of his works are depictions of Christ and the saints. One curious example of it, however, can be found in the parish church of his hometown, namely, a sculpted figure of the Devil, which supports the baptismal font of the parish, commissioned by its pastor. Another version was later sculpted for the ancient shrine of the Virgin Mary in the care of the Franciscan friars on the island of Barbana.

Granzotto would spend his days caring out his duties, both in the community and in his craft. He would often spend whole nights, however, in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, to which he was deeply devoted. About 1945, he developed a brain tumor, which was to cause his death. He embraced the sufferings he endured from this disorder as an imitation of the Passion of Christ, and died on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (15 August) 1947, a week short of his 47th birthday. His remains were buried at the friars' cemetery in Chiampo.

Veneration

The cause for Granzotto's canonization was accepted by the Holy See, which, after further study, issued a decree on 7 September 1987 that he had led a life of heroic virtue. The sudden and inexplicable healing of a child suffering from peridacriocistitis was subsequently declared a miracle credited to his intercession. On 20 November 1994 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

The feast day of the Blessed Claudio Granzotto is celebrated by the Franciscan friars and the Diocese of Vicenza on 2 September.