Somasca (Relics of St. Jerome Emiliani)

The Story

The Sanctuary of St. Jerome Emiliani (Santuario di San Girolamo Emiliani) stands in Somasca, a hillside hamlet of Vercurago in Lombardy, Italy, overlooking the southern arm of Lake Como. The basilica, dedicated to St. Bartholomew and St. Jerome Emiliani, preserves the relics of the saint who made this village the cradle of his religious family. Jerome Emiliani was born in Venice in 1486 and spent his youth as a soldier. Taken prisoner during war, he attributed his escape to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and the experience turned his life toward God. He gave himself to the care of orphans, the sick, and the poor in the cities of northern Italy, founding orphanages, hospitals, and houses of refuge. Around 1534 he gathered companions at Somasca, where the Congregation of Regular Clerics of Somasca, the Somaschi Fathers, took its name and its beginnings. He died at Somasca in 1537, having contracted disease while nursing plague victims, and his remains have been venerated there ever since. Jerome Emiliani was canonized in 1767, and in 1928 Pope Pius XI declared him the universal patron of orphans and abandoned youth. Pilgrims to Somasca visit the sanctuary church holding his relics, the places associated with his life and death, and the devotional path of chapels climbing the hillside above the village, in a tradition of care for the young that his order continues worldwide.

Church Recognition

St. Jerome Emiliani was canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767 and declared patron of orphans and abandoned youth by Pope Pius XI in 1928; the sanctuary church at Somasca, which holds his relics, has been honored with the rank of minor basilica.

Catholic Teaching

The sanctuary reflects the Church's veneration of the relics of the saints (CCC 1674) and the Gospel's call to works of mercy toward orphans and the poor, in whom Christ himself is served (CCC 2447); it is also a witness to the vocation of religious orders founded for charity (CCC 925-927).

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Practical

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Pilgrims visit the basilica holding St. Jerome Emiliani's relics, the room where tradition holds he died, and the hillside Way of St. Jerome with its chapels above the village; celebrations peak around his feast on February 8.

Go Deeper

The sanctuary's official website, https://www.santuariosangirolamo.org, offers history and visitor information; readers may also consult the Catechism on the works of mercy (CCC 2447) and resources of the Somaschi Fathers on the life of their founder.