A Saint, a Crusade, and the Invention of Cappuccino

Mark of Aviano was a saintly crusading cleric — and the namesake of a very popular coffee drink.

This week for Catholics is particularly important because on August 15, we celebrate the Assumption or Dormition of Mary, when, according to ancient tradition, Jesus gave a special grace to His Mother by taking her body and soul into Heaven. But today Catholics honor Blessed Mark of Aviano, a saint who will likely resonate with coffee drinkers of many religious backgrounds when they find out that the popular cappuccino drink was invented by and named for him.

You see, Marco d’Aviano, who died on this day in 1699, was an Italian Capuchin friar. You can probably guess the origin of the name cappuccino now. EWTN explains how Mark went on a crusade to save Vienna from the Muslim Ottoman Turks and ended up unexpectedly immortalizing himself:

[Mark] is the charismatic figure who helped Pope Innocent XI recreate the Holy League of Christian nations to oppose the Ottoman Empire’s quick expansion in Europe over the preceding months. During a Mass celebrated in the encampment on the Mount Kahlenberg on the eve of the decisive battle of Sept. 12, 1683, he galvanized the Christian soldiers through a fiery homily, urging them to defend their Christian brothers and their faith against the invaders.

The battle was a massive victory for the Holy League, and the Turkish army withdrew in a hurry. They withdrew in such a terrible hurry that they left behind them, according to tradition, even their many bags of strong Turkish coffee.

Blessed Mark of Aviano, intercede for us. pic.twitter.com/PotQMK0vfa
— Saint Cyril of Alexandria (@EvangeliumV) July 6, 2020

In our day, you can hardly walk a few steps in many European cities without running into a coffee shop or a restaurant that sells coffee. But in the 17th century, coffee was practically unknown in Europe, and the strong Turkish beans did not, according to the thinking of the crusading army, make a drink that was even remotely palatable. That’s where the helpful Capuchin friar stepped in to turn the coffee into a treat.

Blessed Marco advised them to mix the beverage with some milk to sweeten it. The delicious beverage, which also happened to have the same color as the friar’s habit, was then called kapuziner in his honor and rapidly spread through Vienna and the rest of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Turks’ loss was the crusaders’ gain — and our gain too, more than three centuries after the Battle of Vienna!

Mark of Aviano had many accomplishments in his life. He was a popular and influential preacher in many European cities, and his own personal holiness was a powerful support for his eloquent words. It was no wonder that he was able to convince so many people to repent and change their lives based on his advice. Mark was also a great peacemaker. Pope Innocent XI chose Mark as an apostolic missionary to inspire fervor for fighting the Muslims, who had made so many incursions into and conquests in Europe (we could sure use Mark again today on that score).

But the humble Capuchin friar will always be best remembered for having made coffee popular among Europeans through his invention of the cappuccino.

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