St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Art

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: The Iconography

In Rome St. Aloysius Gonzaga, confessor and cleric of the Society of Jesus. He is renowned for his innocence and his contempt for princely honors. Pope Benedict XIII canonized him and made him a Protector of young people and especially of students. Later Pope Pius XI solemnly declared him the patron saint of all Christian youth. – Roman Martyrology for June 21

Portraits of Aloysius Gonzaga most often show him in a black cassock and white surplice gazing at a crucifix, as at right. His first biographer wrote that these portraits accurately represented the young man's habit of contemplating the crucifix, even before entering the clergy.

Other portraits often include lilies to reference his chastity. The second picture at right shows a metal crown on the floor and a floral crown in the hands of the descending angel. The former refers to his renunciation of the marquisate of Gonzaga in order to join the Jesuits, the latter to his martyr-like death: During the plague of 1590 in Rome the Jesuits set up a hospital for victims. Aloysius volunteered to serve in the hospital, and there he contracted the plague himself. He died soon after, at the age of 23. For this reason he is sometimes pictured with Saints Roch and Sebastian, who were invoked in time of plague (example).

This saint should not be confused with another Jesuit novice who died young, St. Stanislaus Kostka. He is also pictured in a black cassock but with a black cape, not a white surplice. He sometimes holds the Christ Child in his arms, but rarely the crucifix.

Prepared in 2016 by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Augusta University

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A typical statue of the St. Aloysius Gonzaga (See the description page)

Guercino, The Vocation of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, circa 1650 (See the description page)

St. Aloysius is sometimes confused with St. Stanislaus Kostka (1550-68), shown here in a stained glass window wearing a black cassock and cape and holding the Christ Child. (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

ATTRIBUTES

Primary attribute: crucifix.
Attributes used from time to time: lily stalk, crown.
The saint is usually pictured in a black cassock and white surplice.

MORE IMAGES

Mid-18th century: With Bernard of Clairvaux in a Jesuit church: in a baroque altar.
1766: Miguel Cabrera's The Miracle of St. Aloysius Gonzaga and the Novice Nicholas Celestini
Late 18th/early 19th century: The saint is included in Querena's St. Joseph with the Christ Child and Saints. Another work in Venice, St. Joseph Gives the Lily Stalk to St. Anthony of Padua, has the most of the same persons arranged in nearly the same configuration.
19th century (est.): A more intimate interpretation of the second image above.

DATES

Feast day: June 21
Born March 9, 1568
Died June 21, 1591

BIOGRAPHY

Cepari, Life of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Butler, II, 603-606
The Roman Breviary, III, 640-41.
Acta Sanctorum, June vol. 4, 847-1169

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