CatholicSaints.Info

Saint Alexius of Rome

detail of a stained glass window depicting the discovery of the death of Saint Alexius of Rome, date unknown, artist unknown; Church of Saint Sulpice, Bugue, Dordogne, France; photographed on 15 September 2012 by Father Igor; swiped from Wikimedia Commons Also known as

Alexius of Edessa
Alexius the Beggar
Alexis…
Alessio…
The Man of God

Memorial

17 July (Western calendar)
17 March (Eastern calendar)

Profile

The only son of a wealthy Christian Roman senator. The young man wanted to devote himself to God, but his parents arranged a marriage for him. On his wedding day his fiancee agreed to release him and let him follow his vocation. He fled his parent‘s home disguised as a beggar, and lived near a church in Syria. A vision of Our Lady at the church pointed him out as exceptionally holy, calling him the “Man of God”. This drew attention to him, which caused him to return to Rome, Italy where he would not be known. He came as a beggar to his own home. His parents did not recognize him, but were kind to all the poor, and let him stay there. Alexis lived for seventeen years in a corner under the stairs, praying, and teaching catechism to small children. At his death an unseen voice was heard to proclaim him ‘The Man of God’, and afterwards his family found a note on his body which told them who he was and how he had lived his life of penance from the day of his wedding until then, for the love of God.