Elia Dalla Costa
Elia Dalla Costa (14 May 1872 – 22 December 1961) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and cardinal who served as the Archbishop of Florence from 1931 until his death. Dalla Costa served as the Bishop of Padua from 1923 until 1931 when he was transferred to Florence; he was elevated to the cardinalate on 13 March 1933. Dalla Costa was a staunch anti-fascist and anti-communist and was known best for providing refuge for Jewish people during World War II and providing others with fake documentation to flee from persecution.
Elia Dalla Costa Venerable | |
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| Cardinal, Archbishop of Florence | |
Dalla Costa in October 1958 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Florence |
| See | Florence |
| Appointed | 19 December 1931 |
| Installed | 21 February 1932 |
| Term ended | 22 December 1961 |
| Predecessor | Michele Carlo Visdomini Cortigiani |
| Successor | Ermenegildo Florit |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of San Marco (1933–1961) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 July 1895 by Antonio Feruglio |
| Consecration | 12 August 1923 by Ferdinando Rodolfi |
| Created cardinal | 13 March 1933 by Pope Pius XI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elia Dalla Costa 14 May 1872 Villaverla, Veneto, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 22 December 1961 (aged 89) Florence, Tuscany, Italy |
| Buried | Duomo di Firenze |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post(s) |
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| Motto | Virtus ex Alto ("Power from on high" or "Strength from above") |
| Coat of arms | |
| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Title as Saint | Venerable |
| Styles of Elia Dalla Costa | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Ordination history of Elia Dalla Costa | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Righteous Among the Nations |
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Dalla Costa was noted for his deep faith and holiness and became a revered figure in Florence. He was considered "papabile" in the conclave in 1939 since he was considered a pastoral and non-political prelate with a strong sense of faith. In 2012 the organization Yad Vashem named him as a "Righteous Among the Nations" due to saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust at great risk to himself.
The cause for his beatification opened two decades after his death in 1981 and he was titled as a servant of God; he was named as venerable after Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue.