Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

The life

Aloysius Gonzaga, Saint, b. in the castle of Castiglione, 9 March, 1568; d. 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 Father Claudius 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 Alcalá.

Butler, Lives of the Saints, 21 June; Acta SS., 21 June; Cepari, Life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga; Rouvier, Les Saints de la C. de J. (Paris, 1893).

From the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), article “St. Aloysius Gonzaga”, in the public domain. Some details may since have been revised by later research. Read the whole article on Wikisource.