13 h 24 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a man seeking only humility becomes the person others call a saint?
In Antonio Fogazzaro’s The Saint, Piero Maironi leaves a troubled past behind and takes the name Benedetto. Among Benedictine monks near Subiaco, he seeks to serve God and others through work and humility. But Jeanne Dessalle, the woman who once loved him, discovers where he lives and comes to find him.
As poor people gather around Benedetto, some begin to believe he has special gifts. His gentle guide, Don Clemente, shares his hope for a Church open to renewal. Personal love presses against vocation, while private conscience meets public duty. Can a man trying to change himself also help change an institution?
What you’ll discover
- A life begun again Follow Benedetto as he seeks a life of service after failure, love, and grief.
- Love that seeks him out Meet Jeanne, whose return brings the claims of personal love close to his vocation.
- Quiet among the hills Enter the Benedictine world near Subiaco, shaped by prayer, work, and Don Clemente’s gentle guidance.
- The weight of holiness Consider what happens when others see a saint in a man seeking humility.
- Faith open to renewal Explore conversations about a Church willing to meet new knowledge and social needs.
Who will love it
For readers who love novels of conscience, questions of faith, and Italy at the turn of the twentieth century, with spiritual renewal and the hope of reforming the Church.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A man who gave up his old life
- The monastery and its quiet teacher
- A woman from the past returns
- The crowd begins to see a saint
- A call to reform the Church
- What the book is about and how it speaks
Who’s who
- Benedetto (Piero Maironi)A man with a troubled past who takes a new name and lives as a penitent, seeking to serve God and others.
- Jeanne DessalleA clever, independent woman who once loved Piero and now seeks him out, drawn and unsettled by the change in him.
- Don ClementeA learned, gentle Benedictine monk who guides Benedetto and shares his hope for a Church that is open to renewal.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 13 h 24 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear El santo in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
El santo
by Antonio Fogazzaro · 1905
Benedetto gives up his old life to serve God, while his hope for Church reform meets doubt and power.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Saint is a novel by the Italian writer Antonio Fogazzaro, published in 1905. It is the third book in a series about the Maironi family and their circle, and it follows the life of a man who has given up his old self to live as a penitent.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A man who gave up his old life
The story centers on Piero Maironi, a man with a past. Readers of the earlier books in the series know him as a husband who failed, a lover who strayed, and a person marked by grief. When this novel begins, he has left that life behind and taken another name, Benedetto, which in Italian means blessed.
Benedetto has chosen a path of penance. He lives close to the monks and works with his hands, seeking nothing for himself. He wants to pay for his faults by serving others and by staying out of sight. The choice is not a pose. It comes from real remorse and a hunger for a cleaner way of living.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about El santo
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Saint by Fogazzaro about?
It follows Piero Maironi, who takes the name Benedetto and lives as a penitent among monks. As people begin to see him as holy, he turns to the cause of reforming the Church.
Is The Saint part of a series?
Yes. It is the third of Fogazzaro's novels about the Maironi family, after Piccolo mondo antico and Piccolo mondo moderno. It can be read alone, though earlier books enrich Piero's past.
When was The Saint written?
Fogazzaro published it in 1905, in Italian, under the title Il Santo. It was written in a period of debate over reform in the Catholic Church.
The author
Antonio Fogazzaro
1842–1911 · Italian novelist
Antonio Fogazzaro was an Italian novelist and one of his country's most widely read authors at the turn of the twentieth century. The Saint (Il Santo), his controversial novel of a would-be reformer inside the Catholic Church, caused a sensation across Europe and was placed on the Vatican's Index of Forbidden Books. The novel once scandalized Rome.
More by Antonio Fogazzaro
All 2 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
