Saint Giovanni Battista de Rossi
Encyclopedia
Saint John Baptist de Rossi (February 22, 1698 – May 23, 1764) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church
.
, in the Province of Alessandria
, Piedmont
, then a part of the Duchy of Savoy
. He was one of four children of Carlo de Rossi and Francesca Anfosi, relatively poor but very pious parents. At the suggestion of his uncle, Lorenzo de Rossi, a Church Canon
, he travelled to Rome
, to study at the Collegium Romanum, under the Jesuits.
His desire to become a priest
was very strong, but was hampered by episodes of epilepsy
, which would normally exclude one from the priesthood. Nonetheless he was granted a dispensation
on March 8, 1721, and was ordained a priest soon after. He worked tirelessly in Rome on behalf of homeless women, the sick, prisoners and workers, becoming a very popular confessor
. St John Baptist was known as a second Saint Philip Neri
.
Owing to his selfless desire to assist the needy and downtrodden, he eventually succumbed to illness and died on May 23, 1764. His mortal remains were interred in the main altar of the church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini
in Rome, his base of operations.
on May 13, 1860. The process had started nearly ninety years previously, but was delayed due to the French Revolution
, the Napoleonic Wars
, and the Revolutions of 1848
. He was later canonized on December 8, 1881, by Pope Leo XIII
.
was dedicated to St John Baptist de Rossi in Rome in the year 1940, though construction was delayed for a while by the Second World War. This church was finally consecrated on May 22, 1965 (with the saint's relics translated
the following day, his feast day from the Church of SS Trinità dei Pellegrini).
Lady Elizabeth Herbert wrote a life of him in English.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Life
St John Baptist de Rossi was born in the municipality of VoltaggioVoltaggio
Voltaggio is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 40 km southeast of Alessandria....
, in the Province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, then a part of the Duchy of Savoy
Duchy of Savoy
From 1416 to 1847, the House of Savoy ruled the eponymous Duchy of Savoy . The Duchy was a state in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, with some territories that are now in France. It was a continuation of the County of Savoy...
. He was one of four children of Carlo de Rossi and Francesca Anfosi, relatively poor but very pious parents. At the suggestion of his uncle, Lorenzo de Rossi, a Church Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
, he travelled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, to study at the Collegium Romanum, under the Jesuits.
His desire to become a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
was very strong, but was hampered by episodes of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, which would normally exclude one from the priesthood. Nonetheless he was granted a dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
on March 8, 1721, and was ordained a priest soon after. He worked tirelessly in Rome on behalf of homeless women, the sick, prisoners and workers, becoming a very popular confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
. St John Baptist was known as a second Saint Philip Neri
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...
.
Owing to his selfless desire to assist the needy and downtrodden, he eventually succumbed to illness and died on May 23, 1764. His mortal remains were interred in the main altar of the church of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini
Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, Rome
The Chiesa della Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini is a church in the historic city centre of Rome. In the Regola rione, it neighbours other important historic buildings such as the Palazzo Farnese, Ponte Sisto and the Via Giulia.In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI entrusted the parish to the Priestly...
in Rome, his base of operations.
Beatification and canonization
Saint John Baptist de Rossi was beatified by Blessed Pius IXPope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
on May 13, 1860. The process had started nearly ninety years previously, but was delayed due to the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, and the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
. He was later canonized on December 8, 1881, by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
.
Legacy
A churchSan Giovanni Battista de Rossi (church)
S Giovanni Battista de Rossi is a church in Rome. It is dedicated to Saint John Baptist de Rossi .Saint John Baptist was canonized in the year 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. This church was commissioned by Pope Pius XII in 1940 with the services of the architect Tullio Rossi...
was dedicated to St John Baptist de Rossi in Rome in the year 1940, though construction was delayed for a while by the Second World War. This church was finally consecrated on May 22, 1965 (with the saint's relics translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
the following day, his feast day from the Church of SS Trinità dei Pellegrini).
Lady Elizabeth Herbert wrote a life of him in English.