Aloysius Gonzaga, religious - June 21st
St Aloysius Gonzaga (d. 1591, Rome, Italy) (Relics: Rome, Italy; Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy)
First Class Relics
Il Santuario di San Luigi Gonzaga
(The Sanctuary of St Aloysius Gonzaga)
Via Cesare Battisti 1
46043 Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy
*St Aloysius Gonzaga was raised in this city at his family’s castle. Despite this lofty upbringing he decided to renounce his worldly inheritance in favor of a life as a Jesuit. During his formation in Rome he was never lacking in charity and often spent many hours caring for the sick. On one such occasion he himself contracted the plague. Shortly thereafter at the tender age of twenty-three he passed away. His skull was eventually given to one of his brothers and returned to his family’s castle. Today this relic rests above the main altar of the church located here.
Sant’Ignazio (Saint Ignatius)
Via del Caravita 8/a
Rome, Italy
*This church is east of the Pantheon.
*The remains of St Aloysius Gonzaga rest under the altar in the right transept. His rooms are next to the church and can be visited by appointment.
*The body of St Robert Bellarmine (d. 1621) rests under the altar in the third chapel on the right side of the nave.
*The remains of St John Berchmans (d. 1621), the patron saint of altar servers, rest under the altar in the left transept.
Churches of Honor in Rome
Santa Maria della Consolazione (Our Lady of Consolation)
Piazza della Consolazione 94
Rome, Italy
*This church is east of Tiber Island.
*In 1506 a hospital was founded adjacent to this church. It was at this hospital that St Aloysius Gonzaga contracted the plague while caring for the sick. He eventually died from this disease at the age of twenty-three.
Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano
(The Most Holy Name of Mary at Trajan’s Forum)
Piazza Foro Traiano 89
Rome, Italy
*This church is near Trajan’s column just east of Piazza Venezia.
*The first chapel on the right side of the nave is dedicated to St Aloysius Gonzaga.
Santo Spirito in Sassia (Holy Spirit in Sassia)
Via dei Penitenzieri 12
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Vatican.
*A statue of St Aloysius Gonzaga is placed within the first chapel on the left side of the nave.
San Carlo al Corso (Saint Charles on the Corso)
Via del Corso 437
Rome, Italy
*This church is near the Spanish Steps.
*A painting depicting St Aloysius Gonzaga among the plague stricken is within the second chapel on the left side of the nave.
*The heart of St Charles Borromeo (d. 1584) rests within a reliquary in an altar located behind the main sanctuary.
