Early life Zirano was born in about 1564 in
Sassari, in the
Kingdom of Sardinia (once part of
Spain and today
Italy) to a family of modest farmers. Historians have not been able to discover the name of his father, who they believe died in a
plague epidemic that claimed twenty thousand victims in Sassari in 1582. His mother, Margherita, lived until 1598. He most likely had two sisters and one brother. At the age of about 33, official papers described him as "a man [...] of short stature, black eyes, and brown beard." In an era where the majority of the population was illiterate, it was exceptional when he began receiving an education from the monastery of Santa Maria di Betlem at the age of 14. In 1580, Zirano became a professed member of the
Order of Friars Minor Conventual, and received his
ordination to the
priesthood in 1586 at the Cathedral of San Nicola from the
Archbishop of Sassari Alfonso de Lorca. In Sardinia, the right to arrange for the ransom of captives was reserved for members of the
Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, so in late 1597 or early 1598, Zirano presented a petition to
Pope Clement VIII in late 1597 to be granted the right to raise funds to pay the 200
scudi in
ransom that Serra's master demanded in exchange for his freedom. Zirano also wanted to raise funds to free other Christian slaves in the area. In Algiers, the situation was tense due to the anticipated war with the Kingdom of Kuku. Word reached the city that a large number of Spanish warships had been spotted near the island of
Ibiza east of Spain. When Algerian authorities arrested a smuggler from Kuku within the city, they discovered letters written by Matteo de Aguirre, addressed to Zirano as well as to other Christians in Algiers. Zirano was added to a list of people who were searched for to be captured in the city, but he remained safely on the outskirts of the city. He helped four Christian slaves escape from their masters, and returned to Kuku with them in September. However, on the way to the port city of Azeffoun, the soldiers who were escorting him through the mountains deserted him, possibly as part of a plot to betray him to Algerian soldiers. and he was held for a ransom of three thousand gold ducats, However, the Pasha refused, hoping to receive the ransom for Zirano himself. After several days of disagreement, the Janissaries and the Pasha agreed to have the Grand Council of the city decide Zirano's fate.
Death After being informed of the sentence, Zirano's captors offered him freedom if he converted to Islam, which he refused. The executioners tied his hands to two poles driven into the ground. They told him once again that he would be spared if he would convert to Islam, and again he refused. They flayed him alive, and took his skin, removed from his body, and stuffed it with straw and publicly displayed it outside one of the gates to the city. Zirano's cousin, with the help of two Christian slaves, collected his remains and buried them in the Christian cemetery, outside the walls of the city. His cousin eventually earned his freedom and he returned to Sardinia some time prior to 1605. ==Beatification==