Raymond Gaufredi was born in
Marseille. A sympathizer with the
Franciscan Spirituals, he became
Minister General of the
Order of Friars Minor in 1289. Despite
Pope Nicholas IV having been the first Franciscan pope, it was not until his death in 1292 that Gaufredi felt able to relax the sanctions against the Spirituals, who had been persecuted for their strong condemnations of luxury in the church. Gaufredi was responsible in particular for the release from prison of
Roger Bacon.
Angelo da Clareno and some of his followers—including
St Thomas of Tolentino—were released from confinement and sent as
missionaries to
Armenia in order to avoid persecution from the friars in the
March of Ancona. He nominated
Pierre Jean Olivi for a teaching position at the
University of Montpellier. Gaufredi was also a supporter of the Franciscan
tertiary Ramón Llull, and in 1290 gave him a letter of recommendation permitting Llull to teach in Italian monasteries. He was deposed as Minister General by
Pope Boniface VIII, in 1295. Some
alchemical writings have been attributed to him. ==References==