Birth. February 25, 1821, at 12:30 p.m., in Florence. Son of Giovanni Battista Bausa, a merchant of Genovese origin, and Maria Annunziate Somigli, from Florence. He was baptized at home by the obstetrician, Luisa Falchi, necessiatis causa in forma Ecclesiae, fearing that he may die; the following day he was baptized at the cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore and received the name Antonio Vincenzio Giuseppe.

Education. Initial studies in Florence under a woman teacher at a school situated in Piazza del Duomo (in the building of Confraternità della Misericordia); when he was eight, he started studying at Scuole Pie, under Fathers Giovanni Zucconi and Stanislao Gatteschi (letters, grammar and humanities for five years); continued studying letters (Latin and Greek) until he was 18 years old; then, in 1839, he entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) at the convent of S. Maria Novella in that city; took the name Agostino; there, he studied philosophy; made his religious profession on November 9, 1844; on February 27, 1845, he took the solemn religious vows; he studied at the Dominican convent of Perugia from November 11, 1845 until 1846; at Collegio S. Tommaso, annexed to the Dominican convent of S. Maria sopra Minerva, in Rome, he studied letters, from November 12, 1846 (among his profesors was Father F. Xarriè, theologian noted for his studies on S. Tommaso d'Aquinas; obtained the doctorate on July 12, 1847; returned to Florence.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 24, 1845, in the Carthusian monastery, Florence, by Aulo Augusto Foscolo, titular Latin patriarch of Jerusalem he celebrated his first Mass on the following March 25, Easter Sunday. Further studies in Perugia and Rome, 1845-1848. Lector of theology at the Dominican convent of S. Maria Novella, Florence, 1847-1849. In 1849, he accompanied, as secretary, Antonio Merciai, O.P., titular archbishop of Teodosiopoli, apostolic delegate before the Chaldeans, Armenians and Syrians of Mesopotamia, Kurdistan and Armenia, and prefect of the missions in Mossul, who was returning to his post. Charged with the administration of the apostolic delegation of Diarbékir in October 1850, after the death of Archbishop Merciai; he established himself in Mossul and later in Nur-Jaruk, where he learned the local languages; later, he became a missionary in Kurdistan, where he was imprisoned and retained as hostage; after his liberation, when he was preparing to go to Armenia, he had to return to Italy in 1856 because of poor health; he spent some years in Ancona in recovery. In 1860, he went to the convent of S. Maria Novella in Florence, where he taught theology and Oriental languages (he knew Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Chaldean, Armenian and Kurdish). At that time, he became vicar general of the Congregation of S. Marco. In 1869, he was named professor of dogmatic theology at the archdiocesan seminary of Florence; he also became known as an excellent conferencist (1866-1875). He participated in the First Vatican Council as theologian of the archbishop of Florence. After the council, he resumed his teaching of theology at the seminary and became prior of the convent of S. Maria Novella in 1878. Named master of the Sacred Palace on January 17, 1882.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of May 23, 1887; received red hat and deaconry of S. Maria in Domnica, May 26, 1887. President of the Pontifical Academy of the Catholic Religion, Rome, December 22, 1887.

Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Florence, February 11, 1889. Opted for order of priests and title of S. Sabina, February 14, 1889. Consecrated, March 24, 1889, Sala Ducale, Vatican, by Pope Leo XIII, assisted by Francesco di Paola Cassetta, titular archbishop of Nicomedia, papal almoner, and by Guglielmo Piferri, O.S.A., titular bishop of Porfireone, papal sacristan. Because of his eloquence, he was called the Bossuet of Florence.

Death. April 15, 1899, Florence. Exposed in the metropolitan cathedral of Florence, where the funeral took place on August 19; and buried, on August 25, in a provisional chapel in Mercy Cemetery, Soffiano; transferred definitively to the grand chapel of the same cemetery, October 29, 1901. His remains were transferred to the present crypt underneath the chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence (1), when Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, archbishop of Florence, had it finished.

Bibliography. L'archivio della segreteria degli arcivescovi di Firenze card. Agostino Bausa. Curated by G. Aranci. Firenze : Pagnini , 2014; Bausa, Agostino. Scritti editi ed inediti del card. Agostino Bausa dell'ordine de' Predicatori arcivescovo di Firenze. Firenze : San Giuseppe (tip.), 1900; Celli, Maria Grazia. "Il Cardinale Agostino Bausa", in Firenze e suoi cardinali (Firenze : Pagnini Editore, 2005), p. 87-125; Celli, Maria Grazia. Fra' Agostino Bausa. Da missionario nel Kurdistan a cardinale di Firenze. Firenze : Pagnini, 2007. (Opuscula); LeBlanc, Jean. Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les potificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, GrégoireXVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903. Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007. (Collection Gratianus. Série instruments de recherche), p. 128-129; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recientoris Aevi. Volumen VIII (1846-1903). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1979, pp. 33, 52, 55 and 272.