Gonzaga, Saint Aloysius

Gonzaga, Saint Aloysius (1568-1591), was an Italian Roman Catholic saint. He was the son of the feudal lord of Castiglione and was educated at the courts of Francesco de’ Medici in Florence and of King Philip II of Spain. He entered the Jesuit order in Italy in 1585. He gained great fame during his lifetime for his brilliance as a scholar of philosophy and theology. He died in 1591 while caring for the sick during a famine and plague in Italy. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726, and his feast day is June 21. Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, is named for this saint.