The Making of a Saint

A recently uncovered memoir narrates the life of a 15th‑century Franciscan friar, once known as Filippo Brandolini, whose family legacy is woven through centuries of Italian history. The author, a descendant of the friar’s line, frames the account with a blend of mythic ancestry and candid self‑reflection, revealing a youth spent at court, in military service, and amid the turbulent politics of Renaissance Italy.

The memoir is divided into a hopeful “Time of Honey” and a harsher “Time of Gall,” with the latter focusing on the friar’s arrival in Forlì, his involvement in a daring conspiracy, and his eventual entry into the Franciscan order. Presented without editorial alteration, the text offers a vivid portrait of a man whose sins and virtues are recorded with the same frankness, inviting listeners to hear a rare, unvarnished voice from a bygone era.