Blessed Fra Angelico, born Guido di Pietro was an Italian painter. He joined the Dominicans in 1407 taking the name Fra Giovanna. He was initially trained as an illuminator. The Dominicans noticed his artistic talents and commissioned him to paint frescos in his convent of Fiesole. Fra Angelico then was moved to the friary of San Marco in Florence, where he painted some of his highest artistic achievements; The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Crucified Christ, to name a few. His piety was legendary and his artistic innovations and use of color inspire artists to this day. He died in Rome and is buried in the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and was beatified in 1982 by Pope Saint John Paul II.
