's
Triptych Matteo's parents, of a noble family originally from
Catalonia in
Spain, educated him most carefully and had him instructed in all the then known sciences. At the
University of Bologna, he earned a doctorate in civil and canon law, and became a professor of law. He worked in the chancery of the Kingdom of Sicily at the court of King
Manfred of Sicily. In this capacity Matteo accompanied the King in the war against
Charles I of Anjou, who disputed Manfred's right to the crown of Sicily. In the battle at Benevento, in which Manfred was killed and his army routed, Matteo was wounded and thought to be dead, and so was left on the battlefield among the corpses of other soldiers. Regaining consciousness, Matteo was able to reach his home; however, disillusioned with the world and with the evanescence of all earthly glory, he determined thenceforth to forsake all worldly honors and dignities. Following this decision, Matteo asked for admission as a lay brother into the
Order of St. Augustine, and was received in a convent in Sicily. There he took the name Agostino; and there he would live unknown to the world, far from his home and his people, devoted to exercises of piety. He lived there tranquilly until an unforeseen incident brought him once more before the world. When Clement of Osimo, General of the Order, heard of this, he compelled Agostino, under obedience, to receive
Holy Orders, and brought him to Rome, where Agostino reformed the Constitutions of the Order,
Nicholas IV appointed Agostino his confessor and
Grand Penitentiary, a position which he accepted only under obedience. Agostino was elected prior general in 1298. Despite his attempts to refuse this position he was ordered by the pope to accept. In 1300 he resigned from office and spent the remaining ten years of his life at the hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago. In his retreat near Siena, Agostino not only dedicated himself to the practice of the virtues proper to the religious state, but also ministered to the people of the surrounding villages as well as in nearby Siena. He was known and respected for his deep humility and love of contemplation. He played an important role in the founding of Siena’s hospital of Santa Maria della Scala and composed a set of guidelines for the hospital community. ==Veneration==