Raymond of Capua

A brief biography.

Raymond of Capua was born 1330 at Capua as Raymond delle Vigne. He studied at the University of Bologna, entered the Dominican Order, and received the priesthood.

Held assorted offices in various dominican friaries including, 1367, prior of the Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, lector in Florence, and (1374) Siena.

Spiritual director of, close advisor to, and extensive correspondent with Saint Catherine of Siena.

Added his voice to the plea for pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon. Worked with plague victims in Siena, and caught the disease himself.

He supported pope Urban VI against the anti-pope Clement VII in 1378.

As Master-general of the Dominicans 1380-1399 he restored discipline to the Order.

He wrote biographies of Catherine of Siena (1347-29.4.1380) and Agnes of Montepulciano, O.P. (1268-20.4.1317).

He died 1399 in Nuremberg, while he was promoting the reform of the Order. His body was later transferred to Naples. On the fifth centenary of his death, Raymond was beatified 1899 by pope Leo XIII.

Philately

In 1996 was the celebration of the 6th centenary of the Dominican’s Studium Generale in Zadar, Croatia, and the 40th year of the faculty of  literature (1956). On the stamp the seal of the Dominic’s priory in Zadar (Jadra).

Raymond of Capua (c.1330-5.10.1399) as 23rd Master of the Order signed the fundation of the Studium Generale at Zadar.14th June 1396.

The manuscript , - a codex from 1345 on parchment with the oldest preserved Croatian text written in Latin script 'Order and Law' (Rule and Constitutions) of Dominican nuns in Zadar.
 

On the postmark the portrait of Raymond of Capua.

Croatia 1996. Mi 397, Sc 312. Postmark Zagreb 16.10.1996.

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