Nicola da Gesturi was an Italian Capuchin friar born Giovanni Angelo Salvatore Medda in 1882. After losing both parents during his childhood, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1911, adopting the religious name Nicola. He spent much of his ministry in Sardinia, where he performed charitable tasks and engaged in the Franciscan practice of begging to connect with the local population. He became widely known for his compassionate service to the sick and those displaced by the Second World War.