Blessed Odoric of Pordenone

Also known as

• Odoric Mattiussi
• Odoric Mattiuzzi
• Oderic….
• Oderik….
• Odorico….
• Odoryk….

Memorial

• 14 January
• 3 February on some calendars

Profile

Joined the Franciscans in 1300. Hermit. Priest. Preacher in northern Italy, drawing large crowds to his services. Missionary through the Near and Far East, preaching in Persia, China, Java, Ceylon, and Tibet from 1316 to 1330. First European to reach the capital of the Dalai-Lama. Known as a miracle worker in China. Died en route to Avignon, France to report his findings to the Pope. The written description of his travels were used as a manual for geographers of his day.

Born

• 1285 at Villanova, Friuli, Italy as Odoric Mattiussi

Died

• 14 January 1331 at Udine, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

• 2 July 1775 by Pope Pius VI (cultus confirmed)

Additional Information

• Abbé Stéphane Ansart
• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Katherine Rabenstein
• Hagiography Circle
• Kirken i Norge
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
• Roman Martyrology
• Santi e Beati
• Saints Alive, by Father Robert F McNamara
• Wikipedia

MLA Citation

• “Blessed Odoric of Pordenone“. Saints.SQPN.com. 8 April 2013. Web. 20 June 2013. <>