Aloysian route
On the trail of the Saint of young people

In Castiglione delle Stiviere, way back on March 9, 1568, the person who would become the World Patron Saint of Youth was born: Luigi Gonzaga. Renouncing his dynastic rights as Marquis, Louis chose to lead a life of renunciation and sacrifice devoted to the care of the poor and the sick, so much so that he died infected by the plague at just 23 years old on 21 June 1591. In 1991 Pope John Paul II, during his historic visit to Castiglione delle Stiviere celebrated Luigi Gonzaga, making him one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic world. There are multiple traces of his existence in the city, including a stele located within the walls of the Castle which indicates the exact point where the Saint was born. The very first stop is the Basilica of San Luigi, which stands in the square of the same name and was built between 1608 and 1625 by the will of the Saint’s brother, Francesco Gonzaga. Completed in 1727, this church houses the precious relic of his skull and the remains of his three nieces, the founders of the Collegio Vergini. To continue, we recommend a visit to the Aloisiano Museum where important treasures are kept which testify to its belonging to an important branch of the Gonzaga family of Mantua. Here there is a great variety of portraits and antique furnishings. (the Museum carries out visits by reservation only).

You cannot miss a visit to the Cathedral (rebuilt in 1761), in which the future Saint received his Baptism and First Communion. Also inside this sacred building is buried the mother of San Luigi, Marta Tana. The story goes that Luigi Gonzaga retired to this very convent in 1854, after his father prohibited him from embracing religious life. In addition to this historical aspect concerning the Saint, the Convent is an important archaeological site from the Etruscan and Roman era. On the road that leads to Desenzano, taking a short detour to the left, you arrive at the small Ghisiola Hermitage, a charming little church immersed in the green hilly landscape, a place of reflection and silence. Here Marta Tana, mother of St. Louis, went to pray in front of the fresco of the Madonna della Rosa. About 1 km from Castiglione, on the state road that leads to Desenzano del Garda, there is the Convent of Santa Maria, the former country residence of the Saint’s family.