St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Mariapfarr Parish Church, Austria

As in most images the saint contemplates the crucifix. The small figure bringing him a lily flower is not an angel (there are no wings) but rather the Virgin Mary as Immaculate Conception (with the halo of stars and billowing blue mantle). When the saint was nine years old, according to the Roman Breviary (III, 640), he vowed perpetual virginity at the altar of the Virgin. The age mentioned in the Breviary may explain this portrayal of the saint as more of a boy than a youth. The Breviary also says Aloysius often lashed himself with cords, hence the flail shown in his left hand. And the crown set to one side represents his decision to give up the title of Marquis of Gonzaga.

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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.