Claudio Granzotto was born in 1900 in Italy to a Catholic family of nine children. He was the youngest. His parents were farmers and Claudio worked in the fields as a child to help them make ends meet. His parents helped teach him the Catholic faith. His father died when he was only nine years old and he had to work to help his family get by. When he was only 15 years old, he was drafted into the Italian armed forces to fight in WWI. Once the war was over, he returned and began his studies. He quickly realized that he had artist talent, especially as sas sculptor. He enrolled in university to study art in Venice and graduated with honors. Religious art was the focus of his work. He became good friends with a Franciscan priest and soon decided to become a Franciscan religious brother himself. He dedicated his life to contemplation on the Gospel as well as to the service of the poor and his art through which he hoped to express his faith. Most of his works are depictions of Jesus Christ and the saints. He had a great devotion to Eucharistic adoration as well. He developed a brain tumor in 1945 and died shortly after. Word of his personal holiness and beautiful art work spread and Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1994.
