Aloysius Gonzaga

Aloysius Gonzaga (9 March 1568–21 June 1591) was the oldest son of the Marquis Ferdinand of Castiglione, a prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Marta Tana Santena, daughter of a baron from Piemonte, of the Della Rovere family.

Veneration

Aloysius was buried in the Church of the Annunciation in Rome. He was considered a saint soon after his death, and his mortal remains were moved to the church Sant'Ignazio in Rome, where they now rest in an urn of lapis lazuli in the Lancelotti Chapel. His head was later translated to the basilica bearing his name in Castiglione. He was beatified only 14 years after his death by Pope Paul V, on 19 October 1605. On 31 December 1726, he was canonized together with another Jesuit novice, Stanislaus Kostka, by Pope Benedict XIII. The same pope declared him to be the patron saint of young students in 1729. In 1926, he was named patron of Christian youth by Pope Pius XI. Because of the manner of his death, he has always been considered a patron of plague victims. In recent years, many have felt it proper to extend this to include AIDS victims.

Related Topics:
Annunciation - Rome - Lapis lazuli - Castiglione - Pope Paul V - 19 October - 1605 - 31 December - 1726 - Jesuit - Stanislaus Kostka - Pope Benedict XIII - Pope - Patron saint - 1729 - 1926 - Christian - Pope Pius XI - Plague - AIDS

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In art, he is shown as a young man wearing a black cassock and white rochet, or as a page. His attributes are a lily referring to innocence, a cross referring to piety and sacrifice, a skull referring to his early death and a rosary referring to his devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Related Topics:
Cassock - Rochet - Lily - Cross - Rosary - Virgin Mary

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His memorial day is on 21 June, the date of his death.

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