Picture: Bernardino Licinio · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Berard of Carbio
Franciscan martyr and saint
SaintResearchedOrder of Friars MinorDocumented cause
Feast: 16 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1150
Died
16 January 1220
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
1481
by Pope Sixtus IV
Who they were
Berard, of the noble Leopardi family of Carbio in Umbria, was received into the Franciscans by St Francis in 1213. He knew Arabic and was an eloquent preacher.
In 1219 St Francis sent him with four companions to Morocco. Their open preaching led to prison, and when they would not abandon their faith the king killed them with his own sword on 16 January 1220: the first martyrs of the Franciscan order.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
One of the first Franciscans to give his life for the Gospel.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Berard of Carbio
- Wikidata Q818683 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Berard of Carbio (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.