Saint John of God
A soldier who became the founder of a hospital for the poor in Granada
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Founder, Religious
- Life
- 1495 – 1550
- Era
- 16th century
- Feast
- 8 March
- Countries
- Portugal, Spain
Life story
John, born João Cidade, came into the world on 8 March 1495 at Montemor-o-Novo in Portugal. While still a child he left home for Spain, worked as a shepherd and then served as a soldier in the Castilian army, taking part in several campaigns. Later he turned his hand to many trades, including selling religious books and prints, and he went to Ceuta in North Africa, where he helped a Portuguese family in difficulty.
In 1537 or 1538, in Granada, he heard a sermon by St John of Avila, and the event changed him deeply. According to early biographies, he was judged insane because of his public penitence and was confined in a hospital for the mentally ill, where he suffered harsh treatment. After his release he resolved to give his life to the care of the sick.
In 1539 he rented a house in Granada to take in the ill, the poor, the homeless and people with mental illness. He went begging through the city to feed them, and his work gradually won the support of townspeople and powerful patrons. Some men came to help him, and this group later grew into the Hospitaller Order of St John of God, approved by Pope Pius V in 1572.
John died in Granada on 8 March 1550, his birthday. According to one tradition, he fell ill after plunging into a river to rescue a drowning man during a flood. Pope Alexander VIII canonised him in 1690. In 1886 Pope Leo XIII named him, with St Camillus, patron of hospitals and the sick, and in 1930 Pope Pius XI named him patron of nurses.
Works and witness
- Worked as a shepherd and Castilian soldier, then at many trades
- Opened a hospital for the sick and poor in Granada in 1539
- Begged alms across the city to feed his patients
- His companions became the Hospitaller Order, approved in 1572
- Canonised in 1690
Patron of
Hospitals, The sick, Nurses
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Francisco de Castro, Historia de la vida y santas obras de Juan de Dios (1585)
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.