St.

Aloysius Gonzaga
Born in the castle of Castiglione, 9 March, 1568; died 21 June, 1591. At eight he was placed in
the court of Francesco de'Medici in Florence, where he remained for two years, going then to
Mantua. At Brescia, when he was twelve, he came under the spiritual guidance of St. Charles
Borromeo, and from him received First Communion. In 1581 he went with his father to Spain,
and he and his brother were made pages of James, the son of Philip II. While there he formed the
resolution of becoming a Jesuit, though he first thought of joining the Discalced Carmelites. He
returned to Italy in 1584 after the death of the Infanta, and after much difficulty in securing his
father's consent, renounced his heritage in favour of his brother, 2 November, 1585, a proceeding
which required the approval of the emperor, as Castiglione was a fief of the empire. He presented
himself to FatherClaudius Acquaviva, who was then General of the Society, 25 November, 1585.
Before the end of his novitiate, he passed a brilliant public act in philosophy, having made his
philosophical and also his mathematical studies before his entrance. He had in fact distinguished
himself, when in Spain, by a public examination not only in philosophy, but also in theology, at
the University of Alcal. He made his vows 25 November, 1587. Immediately after, he began his
theological studies. Among his professors were Fathers Vasquez and Azor. In 1591 when in his
fourth year of theology a famine and pestilence broke out in Italy. Though in delicate health, he
devoted himself to the care of the sick, but on March 3 he fell ill and died 21 June, 1591. He was
beatified by Gregory XV in 1621 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. His remains are in the
church of St. Ignazio in Rome in a magnificent urn of lapis lazuli wreathed with festoons of
silver. The altar has for its centerpiece a large marble relief of the Saint by Le Gros.

Early life

Aloysius(Luigi) Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between
Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a
member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga. He was the oldest son of the Ferrante Gonzaga
(15441586), Marquis of Castiglione, and Marta Tana di Santena, daughter of a baron of the
Piedmontese Della Rovere family.

His father assumed that he would become a soldier, as the family was constantly involved in the
frequent minor wars in the area. His military training started at an early age, but he also received
an education in languages and other subjects. In 1576, at age 8, he was sent to Florence with his
younger brother Ridolfo, to serve at the court of Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici and to
receive further education. While there, he fell ill with a disease of the kidneys, which was to
trouble him throughout his life. While he was ill, he took the opportunity to read about the saints
and to spend much of his time in prayer. He is said to have taken a private vow of chastity at the
age of 9. In November 1579, the brothers were sent to the Duke of Mantua. Aloysius was
shocked by the violent and frivolous life-style he encountered there.
In 1584, he returned to Castiglione. There, he met Cardinal Charles Borromeo in July of the
same year. The cardinal found out that Aloysius had not yet received his first holy communion,
and gave this to him on 22 July 1580. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, he
felt strongly that he wanted to become a missionary himself. He started practicing by giving
catechism classes to young boys in Castiglione in the summers, and by repeatedly visiting the
Capuchins and Barnabites in Casale Monferrato, the capital of the Gonzaga-ruled Duchy of
Montferrat where the family spent the winter. He also adopted an ascetic life-style.

The family was called to Spain in 1581, to assist Empress Mary of Austria. They arrived in
Madrid in March 1582, and Aloysius and Ridolfo became pages for the infante don Diego,
Prince of Asturias (157582). He then started thinking in earnest about joining a religious order.
He had considered joining the Capuchins, but he had a Jesuit confessor in Madrid, and decided to
join that order. His mother agreed to his request to join the Jesuits, but his father was furious. In
July 1584, one and a half years after the infante's death, the family returned to Italy. Aloysius
still wanted to become a priest, and several members of his family worked hard to persuade him
to change his mind. When they realized that there was no way to make him give up his plan, they
tried to persuade him to become a secular priest, and to arrange for a bishopric for him. If he
became a Jesuit he would renounce any right to income from property or status in society. His
family was afraid of this, but their attempts to persuade him not to join the Jesuits failed;
Aloysius was not interested in higher office and still wanted to become a missionary.

[edit] Religious career

In November 1585, Aloysius gave up all rights of inheritance, and this was confirmed by the
emperor. He went to Rome and, because of his noble birth, gained an audience with Pope Sixtus
V. On 25 November 1585 he was accepted into the Jesuit Roman noviciate by the order's
general, Claudius Acquaviva. He was asked to moderate his asceticism somewhat, as it disrupted
his relationship with the other novices; they found it difficult to speak with him when he isolated
himself. In part, this may also have been caused by his upbringing, where he had never learned to
relate to people outside the court.

His health continued to cause problems. In addition to the kidney disease, he also suffered from a
skin disease, chronic headaches and insomnia. He was sent to Milan for studies, but after some
time he was sent back to Rome because of his health. On November 25, 1587, he took the three
religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. In February and March 1588, he received the
lower ordinations, and started studying theology to prepare for the priesthood. In 1589, he was
called to Mantua to mediate between his brother Ridolfo and the Duke of Mantua. He returned to
Rome in May 1590. Later that year, he had a vision in which the Archangel Gabriel told him that
he would die within a year.

In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital for the stricken, and Aloysius
volunteered to work there. He was allowed to work in a ward where there were no plague
victims, as they were afraid to lose him. As it turned out, a man on his ward was infected, and on
March 3, 1591 (six days before his 23rd birthday) Aloysius showed the first symptoms of being
infected. It seemed certain that he would die in a short time, and he was given Extreme unction.
To everyone's surprise, he recovered, but his health was left worse than ever. While he was ill, he
spoke several times with his confessor, cardinal Robert Bellarmine. Aloysius had another vision,
and told his confessor that he would die on the Octave of the feast of Corpus Christi. On that
day, which fell on June 21, he seemed very well in the morning, but insisted that he would die
before the day was over. Cardinal Bellarmine gave him the sacraments, and recited the prayers
for the dying.

Purity was his notable virtue; he never looked even his mother's face and never looked at his
queen so that he could only recognize the queen by her voice. St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi saw
him in a vision in a great glory because he had lived a particularly strong interior life.

He died just before midnight on June 21, 1591.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga in Glory. The painting, now in the collection of the
Courtauld Institute, London, is included in a list of works with incomplete provenance during the period
1933-1945.

[edit] Veneration

Aloysius was buried in the Church of the Most Holy Annunciation, that had later become the
Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Rome. His name was changed to Robert before his death,
in memory of his confessor. Many people considered him to be a saint soon after his death, and
his mortal remains were moved to the Sant'Ignazio church 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 delle Stiviere. He was beatified only fourteen years after his death by
Pope Paul V, on October 19, 1605. On December 31, 1726, he was canonized together with
another Jesuit novice, Stanislaus Kostka, by Pope Benedict XIII. Pope Benedict XIII also
declared him to the patron saint of young students in 1729. In 1926, he was named patron of
Christian youth by Pope Pius XI. Owing to the manner of his death, he has always been
considered a patron saint of plague victims. In recent years, many have felt it proper to extend
this to include people living with AIDS. St. Aloysius is also the patron of Valmontone, a town
not far from Rome.

In art, St Aloysius 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.

Saint Aloysius' feast day is celebrated on June 21, the date of his death. He is the patron saint of
the family Rosselli Del Turco/Lais.

Born March 9, 1568, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Papal States Died June 21, 1591 (aged 23), Rome, Papal
States Venerated in Roman Catholic Church Beatified October 19, 1605, Rome, Papal States by Pope
Paul V Canonized December 31, 1726, Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII Major shrine Church of
Sant'Ignazio, Rome (his tomb) Feast June 21 Attributes Lily, cross, skull, rosary Patronage Young
students, Christian youth, Jesuit novices, People with AIDS and their caregivers