ITALY, 1968, 4th centenary of Gonzaga's birth, Scott 981
the relief by Pierre Legros is in Rome's Hospital of the Holy Spirit
Aloysius was born in Lombardy, Italy and was the heir of his father, the Marquis of Castiglione. Raised in a variety of noble and royal courts, he was drawn to religious life, and against his family's wishes renounced his title and entered the Society in 1585. He nursed the plague-stricken people of Rome and, worn out by the work, died after being in the Society only six years. He is the patron saint of youth and because of his work with the sick patron also of those with AIDS and their caregivers. Aloysius' brother, Francesco Gonzaga, in 1608 began the construction of a baroque sanctuary in honor of Aloysius in their native town, Castiglione delle Stiviere. The church was designed by the Jesuit Luca Bienni, and was completed in the following century at the time of Gonzaga's canonization. It is run by the secular clergy and has been a minor basilica since 1964. More
VATICAN CITY, 1991, the 4th centenary of his death, aerogramme #29
The stamp shows the Basilical Sanctuary of Aloysius mentioned above
