Vicente
Carducho : Saint Pierre Armengol, musée
du Prado.
Bienheureux Pierre Armengol
Bien qu'issu de la famille des
comtes d'Urgel, Pierre (1238-1304) se fait chef de brigands, détroussant et
tuant. Mais, à 19 ans, il va trouver le vénérable Guillaume de Bas, successeur
de Saint Pierre Nolasque à la tête de l'Ordre de Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci. Voyant
la sincérité de son repentir, celui-ci l'admet au noviciat. Une fois religieux,
Pierre est envoyé racheter les esclaves chrétiens à Alger. Il en délivre des
centaines puis se livre lui-même en échange d'enfants prisonniers. Durant sa
captivité, il soutient la foi des chrétiens et convertit des musulmans.
Condamné à mort pour cela, il reste suspendu six jours au gibet, soutenu par la
Vierge. Devant le miracle, il est libéré avec vingt-six autres esclaves. Rentré
en Espagne, il se retire dans un monastère jusqu'à sa mort, accueillant avec
bonté de nombreux visiteurs et guérissant les malades.
Bienheureux Pierre Armengol
martyr (✝ 1304)
Ce fut d'abord un
bandit de grand chemin dont les comparses furent bien étonnés quand il décida
de se faire moine dans un des couvents de l'Ordre de la Merci dont le but était
de racheter les captifs. Il sut, par sa prudence et son zèle, obtenir la libération
de nombreux esclaves chrétiens dans le royaume de Grenade et de Murcie, alors
sous la domination des Maures. Il fut envoyé à Alger où, pour délivrer de
jeunes chrétiens dont il ne pouvait obtenir le rachat faute d'argent, il
s'offrit lui-même rançon. Comme l'argent ne venait pas, le bienheureux Pierre
fut attaché à une potence et resta ainsi suspendu six jours. Libéré par un de
ses compagnons qui venait d'arriver, il retourna en Espagne. Il aimait dire à
ses frères "Je pense n'avoir vécu que peu de jours heureux. Ce sont ceux
que j'ai passés au gibet parce qu'alors je me voyais mort au monde."
"Martyr de l'Ordre de Notre-Dame de la Merci. Fier et arrogant, il
s'était mis à la tête d'une bande de brigands. Un jour, il voulut assassiner un
passant quand il reconnut que c'était son père. Ce fut le point de départ de sa
conversion. Il entra dans l'Ordre de N.D. de la Merci et s'en fut en Afrique.
C'est là qu'il fut arrêté et pendu en haine de la foi chrétienne."
À Tarragone dans le royaume d’Aragon, en 1304, le bienheureux Pierre
Armengol. Il s’était mis à la tête d’une bande de brigands, mais, revenu à
Dieu, il entra dans l’Ordre de Notre-Dame de la Merci et employa sa vie avec
ardeur à racheter les captifs en Afrique.
Martyrologe romain
Peter Armengol, O. Merc.
M (RM)
Born in Tarragona, Spain, in 1238; died there in 1304; cultus confirmed 1686. Peter, born into the family of the counts of Urgell, exercised his boldness with a band of brigands before joining a Mercedarian community of monks in 1258. He devoted all his energy to the ransoming of captives, going so far as to offer himself as a hostage for 18 Christian children. His offer was accepted. Peter underwent horrible tortures during his African captivity, for which his is considered a martyr, although he actually died back in his hometown. His story, as we have received it, is unreliable (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Born in Tarragona, Spain, in 1238; died there in 1304; cultus confirmed 1686. Peter, born into the family of the counts of Urgell, exercised his boldness with a band of brigands before joining a Mercedarian community of monks in 1258. He devoted all his energy to the ransoming of captives, going so far as to offer himself as a hostage for 18 Christian children. His offer was accepted. Peter underwent horrible tortures during his African captivity, for which his is considered a martyr, although he actually died back in his hometown. His story, as we have received it, is unreliable (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Today, April 27, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Peter Armengol
(1238-1304), a Merdedarian friar who came to serve the Lord later in life,
following a misspent and dissolute youth. Having given up the world, he worked
tirelessly for the ransom of captives, all the while atoning for his own sins.
Blessed Peter Armengol is a model of confidence. His life inspires everyone
who, amid the crisis of the modern world, needs special graces from Our Lady to
remain completely faithful.
Peter was born in Guadria dels Prats, Tarragona, Spain. Of noble birth, he was
related to the Counts of Urgel, and raised in the luxury and lifestyle of
nobility. Despite his parents best attempts to raise and educate him piously,
Peter was drawn into bad company as a young man, and entered into the life of a
bandit. He joined a gang of criminals who, pursued by the authorities, lived in
the mountains, preying on the unsuspecting travelers of the region. Soon, Peter
became the leader of the gang.
On account of his Peter’s bad behavior, his father, Arnold Armengol de Moncada,
moved to the kingdom of Valencia. There, he was employed by King Jaime, and
served as an advance ambassador when the monarch traveled. In 1258, the
monarch’s travels took him through the region controlled by Peter’s band of
ruffians, and father and son found themselves face-to-face, locked in
hand-to-hand combat. When Peter realized who he was attempting to rob, he was
overcome by grief, and fell at his father’s feet, begging for forgiveness and
mercy. The Lord changed his heart that day, and Peter resolved to change his
life.
Desiring nothing more than to atone for his sins, and repair his
relationship with the Lord, Peter petitioned the Mercedarian Order at Barcelona
to allow him entrance. There, he became a monk in the order founded by Saint
Peter Nolasco, and worked tirelessly to ransom Catholics captured by the
Mohammedans. Blessed Peter worked throughout Spain, converting many and freeing
those enslaved. Throughout his mission work, he lived a life of humility,
complete obedience to the Lord, penance, mortification, and continual prayer.
Wishing nothing more than to journey to Africa and be imprisoned so that others
might go free, Peter was eventually sent to that continent. On his first visit,
he successfully ransomed 119 captives without any incident. However, before
departing, Friar Peter learned of a prison with 18 children who, impelled by
the threats of punishments of the barbarous Mohammedans, remained in danger of
denying the Faith. The religious happily offered himself as hostage for the
ransom of the innocent captives. His release was promised in exchange for a
stipulated sum. But, if the payment did not arrive within the set time, he
would suffer harsh punishments. Peter, especially devoted to the Blessed
Virgin, maintained complete confidence that he would be provided for. The
children were freed, and he took their place in prison.
While imprisoned, Blessed Peter converted many of his captors through
both his preaching and his ministry of charity. Throughout all, he prayed to
the Blessed Virgin, Our Mother, and maintained his confidence in the Divine
Grace of the Lord. Over time, the required money was not paid, and his captors
grew tired of his cheerful attitude. They moved Peter to a less comfortable
prison, denied him of food, and tortured him mercilessly. As he was unable to
be broken in spirit, they condemned him to death by hanging. Even then, when
everything seemed lost, Blessed Peter prayed to Our Lady and confided in her.
The execution was carried out and Peter’s body was left hanging from the
gallows, as the custom was for birds of prey to feed on the corpses of those
who were killed. Six days had elapsed when the Mercedarian emissary arrived
with the required ransom money. Learning that he was too late, the emissary
went with great sorrow, in the company of some captives, to see the lamentable
sight. Reaching the site of the execution, he noticed that the body did not
emit a bad odor, but rather exhaled a heavenly fragrance. To their
astonishment, Friar Armengol spoke, telling them that the Blessed Mother saved
his life.
Blessed Peter returned to
Barcelona, where he was questioned about his miraculous survival. Only when
ordered by his superior to reveal what happened, did Peter recount: “The
Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our own mother, asked her Most Holy Son to
conserve my life; having obtained this favor, this same sovereign Queen
sustained me with her most holy hands, so that the weight of my body would not
hang upon the rope by which I was suspended.”
Blessed Peter suffered a twisted neck and pale complexion from his hanging, for
the remainder of his life. While these afflictions caused him pain and
suffering, he nonetheless retained his cheerful, humble, and charitable
disposition. He retired to the monastery of Our Lady de los Prados, where he
lived for his remaining 40 years, in constant communion with Our Blessed Mother
and the Lord. There he was buried, and his relics are venerated still
today. He is considered a martyr by the Church, given his profound
willingness to suffer and die for his faith.
Recalling the miracle of his hanging, he frequently told the religious of the
monastery of this marvel: “Believe me, my dear brothers, that I do not
believe myself to have lived except for those few but most happy days when,
hanging from the gallows, I was held to be dead.”
SOURCE : http://365rosaries.blogspot.ca/2011/04/april-27-blessed-peter-armengol.html
Blessed Peter Armengol
Blessed Peter Armengol
Also known as
- Pere Ermengol
- Peter Armengaudius
- Peter Ermengol
- Pietro Armengaudio
Profile
Born to the nobility,
Pietro wasted his youth in dissolute living, and rode for a while as a brigand
and thief. His band once tried to hijack his father‘s
entourage, which caused the young man to re-evaluate his life. He had a
conversion, and joined the Mercedarians
in 1258.
From that point on he
worked tirelessly to ransom hostages.
Personally took the place of 18 captured Christian
children.
and endured enough torture
for the entire group, including being hanged until his tormenters thought he
was dead.
He survived the experience and retired to the convent of Saint Mary of the
Meadows, but it, and the life of pain he led as a result of the torture,
led to his being considered a martyr.
Born
Saint of Mercy, Saint of Change
Born: Mid-13th Century
Died: 1304
Feast Day: April 27
As a teen, Armengol was a
highway bandit. Such mobs as his own
became so violent and numerous that King James
I of Spain Arnaldo
Armengol Peter ,
crossed swords with his own son. In this
deciding moment, Peter threw down his
sword and repented of his deeds. Unlike
most highway bandits, Peter was
spared the punishment that was justly ordained, by merit of his father’s high
position. From that moment of his
repentance, the changed young Armengol began to pester the Mercedarian Friars
to be allowed to take the habit.
Seeing that they would not
be rid of the young man, the Friars accepted him into the Order and began to
prepare him for life as a religious. Brother
Peter , as he was now called, soon
showed himself to be one of the most virtuous friars, with a strong, deep
faith, as well as a shrewd mind capable of dealing with the Muslims. Thus, he was chosen by the Master General to
go on ransom.
During his second mission of
redemption, 1266, Brother Peter
was held by the Muslims in captivity, as he had exchanged himself for some
Christians who were in danger of apostasy.
Armengol’s companion, Brother Guillermo ,
did not return in time with the ransom money, so the Muslims hung Peter . Guillermo returned to the camp the day after
the hanging took place, to find his confrere was still alive, despite a broken
neck. Our Blessed Mother of Mercy, as
Patroness and Founder of the Order, had kept her servant alive by her grace.
Brother Peter
was freed from his captivity and returned with Brother
Guillermo to Spain Santa
Maria
Our Lady of Ransom, Pray for us!
The Mercedarian Friars may be found on-line at orderofmercy.org or on Google+ at +Mercedarian Friars. Many thanks to the Mercedarian House of Studies in Philadelphia,
PA for providing the text, "The Order of Mercy: The Mercedarians. A
Historical Profile," from which this information was taken.
Saint
Peter Armengol: Hero of Confidence
By TFP Student
Action
Saint Peter Armengol is a model
of confidence. His life inspires everyone who, amid the crisis of the modern
world, needs special graces from Our Lady to remain completely faithful.
From Gangster to Convert
Peter Armengol was born in Guardia dels Prats, a small village in the
archdiocese of Tarragon, Spain in 1238. He belonged to the noble house of the
barons of Rocafort, descendants of the counts of Urgel, whose ancestors were
directly linked to the counts of Barcelona and the monarchs of Aragon and
Castile.
Despite the great care taken by his parents regarding his education, young
Peter gave himself over to a life of total dissipation, vice and caprice.
“Abyssus abyssum invocat” (Deep calleth on deep), say the Scriptures. Thus
Peter joined a gang of criminals who, pursued by Justice, led the life of
bandits in the mountains. Soon, young Armengol became the leader of that gang.
On account of his son’s bad behaviour, Arnold Armengol de Moncada moved to the
kingdom of Valencia, recently conquered from the Moors by King Jaime.
This monarch had to embark on a trip to Montpellier in order to meet with the
King of France on matters of interest to both crowns. To travel safely, he
commissioned Arnold to go before him and rout the assailants who often robbed
and killed travellers in the Pyrenees region.
At the most dangerous part of the journey, the retinue of the noble Spaniard
saw itself surrounded by brigands. Arnold, with his troops, rushed at them,
wounding some and apprehending others. He spurred his horse forward with sword
in hand and urged his men to defeat the leader of the bandits. Indeed, Arnold himself
was the first to engage the leader in hand-to-hand combat. Suddenly, grief came
upon both noble and brigand, when they discovered their identity. Bathed
in tears, Peter prostrated himself at the feet of his father, delivered his
sword and, with it, his heart.
Penance for His Misdeeds
Filled with shame, the repentant youth retired to a Mercedarian monastery in
Barcelona. With an ardent desire to repair the injuries done to God, he become
a monk in that religious order founded by Saint Peter Nolasco to ransom
Catholics captured by the Mohammedans. He requested the habit with such
insistence and gave such conclusive proofs of his vocation that he was received
into the Mercedarian Order by the Venerable William de Bas, the French-born
successor of the holy founder.
The disorderly passions were now conquered by Peter Armengol in religious life.
He understood how to subdue them with such promptitude, through penance,
mortification of the senses and continual prayer, that even before he reached
the end of his novitiate he had managed to subject them to the dominion of his
will and reason.
During the eight years of his profession, he was entrusted with the important
task of dealing directly with the ransom of captives. He carried out this
function in the provinces of Spain that were still in the power of the
Saracens. Nonetheless, his greatest desire was to go to Africa and become a
captive for the ransom of Christians.
On an expedition to that continent, he arrived in Bugia in the company of Friar
William Florentino. There they ransomed 119 captives without any incident.
However, before departing, Friar Armengol learned of a prison with 18 children
who, impelled by the threats of punishments of the barbarous Mohammedans,
remained in danger of denying the Faith. The religious happily offered himself
as hostage for the ransom of the innocent captives. His release was promised in
exchange for a stipulated sum. But, if the payment did not arrive within
the set time, he would suffer harsh punishments. Divine Providence had disposed
that this man of God would thus give proof of his special confidence in the
omnipotent mediation of the Blessed Virgin, to whom he was deeply devoted.
Flaming Torch of Confidence
In captivity, Friar Armengol worked prodigies of charity among the infidels,
converting many by the efficacy of his preaching. The time prescribed for the
delivery of the money came and passed without the payment being made. The
infidels threw him in prison and even denied the food necessary for his sustenance,
but Our Lord, by means of His angels, miraculously provided for his survival.
Tired of tormenting him, the Moors conspired to take his life. They accused him
of blaspheming Mohammed and of being a spy sent by the Christian kings, thus
raising the ire of the Saracen Judge who condemned Friar Peter to death by
hanging.
When everything seemed lost, Friar Armengol prayed to Our Lady and confided in
her.
The unjust execution was carried out and Peter’s body was left hanging from the
gallows. The Moors wanted his corpse to feed birds of prey. Thus, the
holy man’s body remained suspended. Six days had elapsed when Friar William
arrived with the ransom money. Learning what had happened, he went with great
sorrow, in the company of some captives, to see the lamentable sight. Reaching
the site of the execution, he noticed that the body did not emit a bad odour,
but rather exhaled a heavenly fragrance. To their astonishment, Friar Armengol
spoke, telling them that the Blessed Mother saved his life. Astounded by the
stupendous miracle, some pagans converted to the Catholic religion.
Conversation with the Queen of Angels
Learning of the portentous miracle, Barcelona impatiently awaited the return of
the unconquerable martyr of Jesus Christ. In the city, they received him with
great joy, escorting him from the port to his monastery, giving thanks to Our
Lord for His marvels. The religious wanted to hear from Friar Peter’s mouth
what had happened, but despite their earnest pleas, he would not speak.
Finally, the superior ordered him to tell all that had occurred.
Obedient, the man of God spoke: “The Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our own
mother, asked her Most Holy Son to conserve my life; having obtained this
favour, this same sovereign Queen sustained me with her most holy hands, so
that the weight of my body would not hang upon the rope by which I was
suspended.”
For the rest of his life, Friar Armengol had a twisted neck and a pale
completion, authentic signs of what had taken place. He retired to the monastery
of Our Lady de los Prados, where he practiced heroic virtue and spent his days
in familiar conversation with the Queen of Angels, whom he loved so dearly with
filial devotion.
Recalling the miracle of his hanging, he frequently told the religious of the
monastery of this marvel: “Believe me, my dear brothers, that I do not believe
myself to have lived except for those few but most happy days when, hanging
from the gallows, I was held to be dead.”
He rendered his soul to God on April 27, 1304. Our Lord deigned to give proofs
of the glorification of His servant with seven miracles, the cures of three men
and four women, even before his death. On March 28, 1686 Pope Innocent the XI
approved the public cult to the saint and, in the eighteenth century, Pope Benedict
XIV inscribed Saint Peter Armengol in the Roman Martyrology.
The Tomb of the Saint
Today the remains of Saint Armengol can be found in Guardia dels Prats. The
small village still preserves much of its medieval character: tortuous, narrow
stone-studded streets; buildings that recall old palaces or noble residences;
and a charming Romanesque–style church.
The body of Saint Peter Armengol was preserved incorrupt until 1936. During the
Spanish Civil War, however, communist marauders invaded and sacked the church,
carrying off his venerable body to the public square where they burned
it. Some children gathered up what they could of these ashes and took the
precious remains to their homes, where their mothers kept them with great care.
Later, after the communists were vanquished, the precious relics were returned
to the church, where they are kept in a reliquary over the main altar – largely
forgotten by “progressive” Catholics – in silent testimony of the sanctity of
the Catholic Church and Christian Civilisation.
In our times of profound moral crisis, let us ask Saint Armengol to obtain for
us before the throne of God, graces of unbending fidelity, unwavering hope and
heroic confidence in the powerful intercession of Our Lady.
Source: Cf. Abbe Rohrbacher,
Histoire Universelle de l'Eglise Catholique, vol. 20, Gaume Freres
Libraires, Paris, 1845, pp. 40-43.
SOURCE : http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/hall-of-heroes/saint-peter-armengol-hero-of-confidence.html
Da giovane non fu un santo, tutt’altro, con la superbia e l’irrequietezza del suo carattere, menò una vita di vizio e di incontrollata avventura; attirò su di sé l’odio dei concittadini di ogni ceto, perché costretti a subire la sua prepotenza e le sue ingiurie.
Arrivò a mettersi a capo di un gruppo di banditi, dopo aver lasciato casa e famiglia, fuggì sui monti, seminando il terrore nei paesi e il pericolo sulle strade; fu un criminale della peggiore specie unitamente agli altri banditi suoi complici.
Ma la Grazia di Dio era prossima a manifestarsi, nel 1258 il re di Spagna Giacomo I, incaricò proprio Arnaldo Armengol di debellare il banditismo, che rendeva insicure le strade e faceva morire il commercio e le comunicazioni.
Arnaldo venne a trovarsi di fronte alla banda capeggiata dal figlio Pietro, che dopo questo incontro drammatico, venne colpito dalla grazia e si pentì della vita che aveva condotto fino ad allora; si recò da Guglielmo di Bas, successore del fondatore dei Mercedari, s. Pietro Nolasco, si confessò e chiese consiglio; Guglielmo si convinse della sua sincerità e lo ammise nel noviziato dell’Ordine della Mercede nel 1258.
Sin dal primo giorno della sua entrata, cambiò totalmente vita, dimostrando così la sincerità della conversione; la crudeltà si trasformò in fervida carità e i vizi in continua preghiera e dura penitenza.
Gli vennero presto assegnati diversi incarichi, missioni e viaggi tra i musulmani, allo scopo di riscattare schiavi e prigionieri, secondo il primario compito per cui era sorto l’Ordine della Mercede; operò prima nei regni di Granada e di Murcia governati dai musulmani e poi direttamente ad Algeri, con una missione più difficile e impegnativa.
Riuscì in due mesi a riscattare ben 346 schiavi che fece rimpatriare; a Bugia riscattò 119 cristiani con alcuni suoi confratelli anch’essi prigionieri; trattò infine la liberazione di 18 ragazzi cristiani che stavano per essere avviati all’islamismo, per trentamila ducati; ma mancando di tale somma, riuscì a farsi accettare al loro posto, così come prescriveva il quarto voto speciale del suo Ordine.
Durante la sua prigionia, fu di conforto agli altri reclusi, operando molte conversioni anche fra i musulmani; le Autorità si indispettirono per questo e visto il ritardo del pagamento dei 30.000 ducati, lo considerarono una spia e lo condannarono all’impiccagione.
La sentenza fu subito eseguita e il corpo lasciato agli avvoltoi; poco dopo arrivò con i soldi del riscatto il padre Guglielmo Fiorentino, il quale saputo dell’impiccagione, si recò sul posto per dargli sepoltura, erano trascorsi sei giorni, ma Pietro Armengol viveva ancora e raccontò di essere stato miracolosamente sollevato dalla Madonna.
Liberati, con il denaro portato, altri prigionieri, i due mercedari tornarono in patria, ma Pietro portò per sempre sul suo corpo, i segni di quella tragica e bella vicenda: un pallore sul viso e le vertebre del collo distorte.
I superiori lo inviarono al convento dell’Ordine sito nel suo paese natale, Guardia de Prats; così i concittadini testimoni della sua efferatezza, poterono ammirarlo per la sua santità e penitenza.
Si ammalò gravemente, predicendo la data della sua morte, che avvenne il 27 aprile 1304; prima dei solenni funerali, furono guariti dalle loro malattie, tre uomini e quattro donne.
La sua biografia fu scritta e presentata come documento notarile, pochi giorni dopo la sua morte e avallata dalla firma di cinque confratelli, fra i quali il padre Guglielmo Fiorentino.
Papa Innocenzo XI, il 28 marzo 1686 approvò il suo culto ‘immemorabile’ e la festa fu fissata al 27 aprile, data della sua morte.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
San Pietro Armengol Mercedario
Guardia de Prats
(Tarragona), 1238 – 27 aprile 1304
Martirologio
Romano: A Tarragona nel regno di Aragona sulla costa della Spagna, san Pietro
Ermengol, che, un tempo capo di predoni, convertitosi poi a Dio, entrò
nell’Ordine della Beata Maria Vergine della Mercede e si dedicò con tutte le
forze per il riscatto degli schiavi in Africa.
Pietro
Armengol nacque nel 1238 a Guardia de Prats, vicino Montblanch (Tarragona),
figlio di Arnaldo Armengol, discendente della nobile famiglia spagnola dei
conti di Urgel.
Da giovane non fu un santo, tutt’altro, con la superbia e l’irrequietezza del suo carattere, menò una vita di vizio e di incontrollata avventura; attirò su di sé l’odio dei concittadini di ogni ceto, perché costretti a subire la sua prepotenza e le sue ingiurie.
Arrivò a mettersi a capo di un gruppo di banditi, dopo aver lasciato casa e famiglia, fuggì sui monti, seminando il terrore nei paesi e il pericolo sulle strade; fu un criminale della peggiore specie unitamente agli altri banditi suoi complici.
Ma la Grazia di Dio era prossima a manifestarsi, nel 1258 il re di Spagna Giacomo I, incaricò proprio Arnaldo Armengol di debellare il banditismo, che rendeva insicure le strade e faceva morire il commercio e le comunicazioni.
Arnaldo venne a trovarsi di fronte alla banda capeggiata dal figlio Pietro, che dopo questo incontro drammatico, venne colpito dalla grazia e si pentì della vita che aveva condotto fino ad allora; si recò da Guglielmo di Bas, successore del fondatore dei Mercedari, s. Pietro Nolasco, si confessò e chiese consiglio; Guglielmo si convinse della sua sincerità e lo ammise nel noviziato dell’Ordine della Mercede nel 1258.
Sin dal primo giorno della sua entrata, cambiò totalmente vita, dimostrando così la sincerità della conversione; la crudeltà si trasformò in fervida carità e i vizi in continua preghiera e dura penitenza.
Gli vennero presto assegnati diversi incarichi, missioni e viaggi tra i musulmani, allo scopo di riscattare schiavi e prigionieri, secondo il primario compito per cui era sorto l’Ordine della Mercede; operò prima nei regni di Granada e di Murcia governati dai musulmani e poi direttamente ad Algeri, con una missione più difficile e impegnativa.
Riuscì in due mesi a riscattare ben 346 schiavi che fece rimpatriare; a Bugia riscattò 119 cristiani con alcuni suoi confratelli anch’essi prigionieri; trattò infine la liberazione di 18 ragazzi cristiani che stavano per essere avviati all’islamismo, per trentamila ducati; ma mancando di tale somma, riuscì a farsi accettare al loro posto, così come prescriveva il quarto voto speciale del suo Ordine.
Durante la sua prigionia, fu di conforto agli altri reclusi, operando molte conversioni anche fra i musulmani; le Autorità si indispettirono per questo e visto il ritardo del pagamento dei 30.000 ducati, lo considerarono una spia e lo condannarono all’impiccagione.
La sentenza fu subito eseguita e il corpo lasciato agli avvoltoi; poco dopo arrivò con i soldi del riscatto il padre Guglielmo Fiorentino, il quale saputo dell’impiccagione, si recò sul posto per dargli sepoltura, erano trascorsi sei giorni, ma Pietro Armengol viveva ancora e raccontò di essere stato miracolosamente sollevato dalla Madonna.
Liberati, con il denaro portato, altri prigionieri, i due mercedari tornarono in patria, ma Pietro portò per sempre sul suo corpo, i segni di quella tragica e bella vicenda: un pallore sul viso e le vertebre del collo distorte.
I superiori lo inviarono al convento dell’Ordine sito nel suo paese natale, Guardia de Prats; così i concittadini testimoni della sua efferatezza, poterono ammirarlo per la sua santità e penitenza.
Si ammalò gravemente, predicendo la data della sua morte, che avvenne il 27 aprile 1304; prima dei solenni funerali, furono guariti dalle loro malattie, tre uomini e quattro donne.
La sua biografia fu scritta e presentata come documento notarile, pochi giorni dopo la sua morte e avallata dalla firma di cinque confratelli, fra i quali il padre Guglielmo Fiorentino.
Papa Innocenzo XI, il 28 marzo 1686 approvò il suo culto ‘immemorabile’ e la festa fu fissata al 27 aprile, data della sua morte.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
