Who is St. Thomas Aquinas from Travels in Hyper Reality: Essays and what is their importance?

St. Thomas is the most important person in this book because of the fact that he has an entire essay devoted to him. According to the book, he was forty-nine years old when he died in Fossanova on March 7th, 1274. He was apparently fat, and Eco states in the book that due to his girth and weight, it was impossible for the monks to carry him down the stairs. Eco suggests that the worst thing that occurred in Aquinas' life was when he was made a saint in 1323.