Jakov Varingez

Within the Order of Friars Minor, Jakov Varingez lived a hidden and humble life, assuming the simplest daily tasks. He served successively or simultaneously as cook, gardener, sacristan, porter, and questing friar. His work in the kitchen became for him a place of deep contemplation. Sources report that the sight of the hearth flames awakened in him intense meditations on divine love, frequently plunging him into mystical ecstasies amidst his daily chores. As a questing friar, he walked the streets and knocked on doors to ask for alms. This service became a true apostolate of proximity. In every home, he brought words of comfort, peace, and simple spiritual direction, becoming a brother and confidant to the poorest. His dedication was particularly heroic during the plague epidemic that struck Bitetto between 1480 and 1483. Despite his advanced age, he refused to abandon the population, providing material care and constant spiritual support to those infected.

The reputation of Jakov Varingez's holiness spread rapidly during his lifetime, supported by numerous accounts of miracles and extraordinary charisms, such as the gift of prophecy and phenomena of levitation during prayer. Popular piety has also preserved anecdotes testifying to his closeness to nature and animals, such as that of a hare pursued by hunters that found refuge under his habit.

After his death on April 27, 1496, he was buried in the cemetery of the convent of Bitetto. In 1505, nine years later, his body was exhumed and discovered to be totally incorrupt, supple, and intact. Faced with this sign, his remains were placed in an urn exposed to the veneration of the faithful.

In 1619, an event marked the history of his relics: a noble lady of the region (Donna Felice di Sanseverino, Duchess of Gravina) attempted to appropriate a personal relic by detaching a finger from the deceased with her teeth. A violent storm having prevented her from leaving the premises, she saw it as a divine warning, confessed her act, and returned the relic. This finger, kept in a silver reliquary, is still carried in solemn procession every year.

In 1656, while a terrible plague epidemic was ravaging the Kingdom of Naples, the city of Bitetto was miraculously spared. The population attributed this protection to the intercession of Jakov Varingez and chose him as co-patron of the city.

The formal canonical process was opened in 1629, then suspended before being relaunched in 1694 under the impetus of the Bishop of Bitetto, Mgr Francesco Onofrio Odierna. At the conclusion of this procedure, Pope Clement XI confirmed his historical cult (ab immemorabili) and solemnly proclaimed him blessed on December 29, 1700. The cause for canonization was officially reopened in 1986, marked by a new medical and canonical recognition of his incorrupt remains. On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of venerable within the universal Church.

The spirituality of Jakov Varingez rests on an intimate union between mystical contemplation and active service to the most destitute, perfectly embodying the ideal of life of the Friars Minor. Throughout his life, he nurtured a fervent devotion to the Virgin Mary, whom he chose as his protectress upon entering the convent, as well as to the Passion of Christ.

His legacy remains extremely vibrant in the Bari region and in Croatia. His sanctuary in Bitetto still houses his incorrupt remains, attracting numerous pilgrims. In October 2023, a scientific study conducted by researchers from the Politecnico di Bari enabled the creation of a precise three-dimensional facial reconstruction from his mortal remains, offering the faithful the true historical face of the venerable.