# Benedict XI

> pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304

**Wikidata**: [Q169301](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q169301)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XI)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/benedict-xi

## Summary
Benedict XI (born Nicola Boccasini, c.1240–July 1304) was an Italian Catholic friar and priest who served as pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304. He is recorded in sources as Blessed Benedict XI and is commemorated by contemporary monuments and a papal coat of arms.

## Biography
- Born: 1240 (year given in source; place not specified in the provided material)
- Nationality: Citizen of the Papal States
- Education: (not specified in the provided material)
- Known for: Serving as Pope Benedict XI of the Catholic Church (1303–1304)
- Employer(s): Catholic Church; the Papacy; associated with the episcopal list of the bishops of Ostia
- Field(s): Catholic priesthood; mendicant religious life (friar)

## Contributions
- Pontificate (1303–1304): Served as the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Papal States during his papacy, using the papal name Benedict XI (Benedictus PP. XI). The primary concrete outcome recorded in the provided material is his tenure as pope for the period 1303–1304.
- Commemoration and visual record: He is represented in a portrait image titled "39 Benedetto XI.jpg" and has an associated coat of arms file ("Coat of arms of Pope Benedict XI.svg"). A monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (circa 1305) commemorates him (file: "Lorenzo maitani (attr.), monumento di benedetto XI, 1305 circa, 01.jpg"). A memorial stone is recorded as "Lapide a Nicolò Bocassini.jpg".
- Ecclesiastical listing: Included in the list of bishops of Ostia (documented as part of episcopal records).

## FAQs
Q: What were Benedict XI’s dates of birth and death?
A: Sources give his birth year as 1240 and record his death in July 1304, with two closely reported dates in the provided material: 7 July 1304 and 15 July 1304.

Q: By what names is Benedict XI known?
A: He is known by his birth name Nicola Boccasini, by his papal name Pope Benedict XI (Benedictus PP. XI), and in hagiographic contexts as Blessed Benedict XI.

Q: What offices and roles did he hold?
A: He was a Catholic priest and a friar before and during his ecclesiastical career, and he served as pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304. He is also recorded among the bishops of Ostia.

Q: What evidence exists of his commemoration?
A: Visual and material commemorations recorded in the source material include a portrait image ("39 Benedetto XI.jpg"), a papal coat of arms file, a monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (circa 1305), and a memorial stone ("Lapide a Nicolò Bocassini.jpg").

Q: What is Benedict XI’s national or civic affiliation?
A: The provided material records his citizenship as that of the Papal States.

Q: Where can I find authority-control or library identifiers for Benedict XI?
A: The provided material lists numerous authority-control and catalogue identifiers (see the Structured data and identifiers section in this entry for the full list).

## Why They Matter
Benedict XI matters because he was the head of the Catholic Church and the papal officeholder for the period 1303–1304, carrying the papal name Benedict XI (Benedictus PP. XI). His short pontificate places him in the continuity of medieval papal succession and in the recorded roster of bishops of Ostia. The existence of near-contemporary commemorative works — a monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (c.1305) and memorial inscriptions — indicates that his person and papacy were commemorated immediately after his death. His recognition in later ecclesiastical and bibliographic records (including being referred to as “Blessed Benedict XI” in biographic sources) shows enduring veneration and institutional memory within Catholic tradition and reference collections.

## Notable For
- Serving as Pope Benedict XI of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304.
- Birth name Nicola Boccasini.
- Being referred to as Blessed Benedict XI in devotional and biographical records.
- Presence in the formal list of bishops of Ostia.
- Surviving visual and monumental commemorations: an extant portrait image file, a papal coat of arms file, a monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (c.1305), and a recorded lapidary memorial.
- Numerous library, archival and authority-control identifiers recorded across national and scholarly collections.

## Body

### Early life and identity
- Year of birth: 1240 (source-provided year; no place specified in the provided material).
- Birth name recorded in sources as Nicola Boccasini.
- Several modern and historical labels and aliases appear in source records: Nicola Boccasini; Pope Benedict XI; Blessed Benedict XI; Benedictus XI (Latin form).

### Religious life and occupations
- Occupations assigned in the provided data: Catholic priest (occupation code Q250867) and friar (occupation code Q548320). The description classifies him as a friar — a member of a mendicant male religious order in the Roman Catholic Church — and as a Catholic priest.
- He is part of the institutional structures of the Church and appears in lists that document bishops, specifically noted as part of the list of bishops of Ostia.

### Pontificate (1303–1304)
- Papacy: Held the papal office under the name Benedict XI. The provided wikidata description summarizes him as “pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304.”
- Papal style: Recorded as Benedictus PP. XI in formal papal styling.
- Duration: The source records his pontificate coinciding with the years 1303–1304. No additional acts, decretals, or detailed policies of his papacy are specified in the provided material.

### Death and immediate commemoration
- Death: Recorded in July 1304 with two specific dates present in the source materials: 7 July 1304 and 15 July 1304. The material does not resolve the discrepancy but records both dates as given.
- Immediate commemoration: A monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani dated circa 1305 is listed in the source material as memorializing Benedict XI. A memorial lapidary image referenced as "Lapide a Nicolò Bocassini.jpg" is recorded among visual artifacts.

### Names, titles and honours
- Papal name: Benedict XI (Latin Benedictus XI).
- Posthumous/beatific reference: The provided material includes references to “Blessed Benedict XI” and a biographical entry labelled “biography/Blessed-Benedict-XI,” indicating beatific or hagiographic recognition in some sources.
- Formal papal form: Benedictus PP. XI appears among the structured properties.

### Visual and material culture
- Portrait and coat of arms:
  - Portrait file: P18 listed as "39 Benedetto XI.jpg".
  - Coat of arms file: P94 listed as "Coat of arms of Pope Benedict XI.svg".
- Monument and lapidary:
  - Monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani: image listed under P1442 ("Lorenzo maitani (attr.), monumento di benedetto XI, 1305 circa, 01.jpg").
  - Memorial stone image: P1801 "Lapide a Nicolò Bocassini.jpg".
- These items are part of the recorded material culture preserving his memory.

### Ecclesiastical placement and lists
- The provided material includes a “part of” reference to Q1758579 and explicitly notes association with the list of bishops of Ostia. He is therefore recorded within episcopal catalogues and papal succession lists that collect the offices of the Roman Church.

### Structured data and identifiers
The provided source lists numerous catalogue entries, authority-control numbers, file names, and related identifiers tied to Benedict XI. These are recorded in archival and bibliographic systems worldwide and are cited here exactly as given in the source material:

- Images and media: P18: 39 Benedetto XI.jpg; P94: Coat of arms of Pope Benedict XI.svg; P1442: Lorenzo maitani (attr.), monumento di benedetto XI, 1305 circa, 01.jpg; P1801: Lapide a Nicolò Bocassini.jpg.
- Vital dates: P569: +1240-00-00T00:00:00Z; P570: +1304-07-15T00:00:00Z, +1304-07-07T00:00:00Z.
- Authority, catalogue and external identifiers (as provided):
  - P213: 0000000108907959
  - P214: 40860655
  - P227: 100937675
  - P244: n86095887
  - P245: 500356778
  - P268: 150286078
  - P269: 084295783
  - P373: Benedictus XI
  - P396: RAVV453846
  - P535: 8816030
  - P646: /m/05_dx
  - P648: OL6191393A
  - P691: mzk2008459130
  - P950: XX852883
  - P1006: 212308939
  - P1047: boccas
  - P1207: n2010102579
  - P1263: 230/000094945
  - P1273: a10325566
  - P1296: 0009092
  - P1417: biography/Blessed-Benedict-XI
  - P1422: 4157
  - P1559: Benedictus PP. XI
  - P1695: a0000001051633
  - P1711: 84186
  - P1819: I00442453
  - P1871: cnp01388564
  - P1986: papa-benedetto-xi
  - P2163: 195383
  - P2561: Benoît XI de Trévise
  - P2949: Boccasio-1
  - P3065: A012357638
  - P3241: 02429c
  - P3365: benedetto-xi-papa-beato
  - P3762: 431139
  - P3987: 220453, 530899
  - P4223: benedetto-xi-papa
  - P4286: 1459/Bienheureux-Benoit-XI
  - P4342: Benedikt_11.
  - P5002: 78046
  - P5019: benedikt-benedikt-xi
  - P5731: 83721
  - P6058: personnage/wd/108371
  - P6126: 61050
  - P6404: benedetto-xi
  - P6706: Benedétto+XI
  - P6764: N12618
  - P7038: 01_01_1303-1304-_Benedictus_XI,_Beatus
  - P7293: 9810623726805606
  - P7305: 3875968
  - P7400: benedictxipope
  - P7619: 1298:Boccasini
  - P7620: beato-benedetto-xi
  - P7704: agent/base/146905
  - P7796: 7
  - P7902: 100937675
  - P7986: 19637
  - P8034: 495/4440
  - P8080: B/Benedikt_XI.html
  - P8168: Q1299028
  - P8179: ncf11287191
  - P8189: 987007397417305171
  - P8440: 054-00195-001
  - P8445: 106508
  - P9017: 40860655
  - P9081: 27769
  - P9097: 12384114
  - P9164: 57790
  - P9179: 22259
  - P9247: 1416150
  - P9371: 214718965
  - P9507: 17999
  - P9522: 2672
  - P9756: 4271
  - P9943: person/443655064720
  - P9964: 100937675
  - P9984: 981058518532206706
  - P10242: 00904/eu_b_2123/b2123.html
  - P10553: 141896019
  - P10832: E39PBJvt7HVdPKBP44xy6cjBfq
  - P10864: 79575
  - P11249: 14036348
  - P11686: 981058518532206706
  - P12086: Paus_Benedictus_XI
  - P12288: Papa_Benedetto_XI
  - P12385: benet-xi
  - P12458: 257635
  - P12582: 20110803095458497
  - P13049: 100937675
  - P13166: 40283
  - P13591: person/05eaf62b-bbe1-4c7d-a238-36e17e0deed6
  - P13613: 85328
  - P14178: mzk2008459130
- Other metadata recorded in the source:
  - aliases: Nicola Boccasini; Pope Benedict XI; Blessed Benedict XI.
  - part_of: Q1758579.
  - occupation codes: Q250867 (Catholic priest), Q548320 (friar).
  - citizenship: Q170174 (Papal States).
  - instance_of: Q5 (human).
  - sitelink_count: 72.
  - wikipedia_title: Pope Benedict XI.
  - wikidata_description: pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304.

### Legacy and recorded remembrance
- Beatific designation and biographical records: The source includes a dedicated biographical record labelled “biography/Blessed-Benedict-XI” and multiple modern catalogue and library references that preserve his memory across national collections.
- Artistic and epigraphic commemoration: A contemporaneous monument attributed to Lorenzo Maitani (c.1305) and an extant lapidary memorial are part of the documentary trail that preserves his posthumous remembrance.

(End of entry — all content above is drawn exclusively from the supplied source material.)

## References

1. BeWeB
2. Catholic-Hierarchy.org
3. International Standard Name Identifier
4. Virtual International Authority File
5. BnF authorities
6. Integrated Authority File
7. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
8. British Museum person-institution thesaurus
9. Faceted Application of Subject Terminology
10. Find a Grave
11. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
12. Catalogue of the Library of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
13. VcBA (identifier)
14. Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
15. Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana
16. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
17. [Source](http://digitale.beic.it/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&vid=BEIC&vl%283134987UI0%29=creator&vl%28freeText0%29=Benedictus%20)
18. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
19. Vies des peintres, sculpteurs et architectes
20. [Source](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/benedetto-xi-papa-beato/)
21. Treccani's Enciclopedia on line
22. Enciclopedia Treccani
23. Dizionario di Storia
24. [Source](https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Benedykt-XI;3875968.html)
25. FactGrid
26. HMML Authority File