Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

Saint Bonfilius was one of the Seven Holy Founders who established the Servites in 1233 near Florence, Italy. The Servites, officially the Order of Friar Servants of St. Mary, is a Roman Catholic congregation of mendicant friars dedicated to apostolic work.

Originally Florentine merchants, Bonfilius and the other six founders lived a penitential life and devoted themselves to the Virgin Mary. According to tradition, Mary appeared to them in a vision, guiding them to withdraw into solitude. They founded their order with the approval of their bishop and later adopted the rule of St. Augustine of Hippo and a black habit, becoming known as the Servants of St. Mary. The seven founders were collectively canonized as saints in 1888.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.