CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Blessed Gonzalo de Amarante (original) (raw)

Also known as

• Gonçalo
• Gonzague
• Gonzalès
• Gonzalve
• Gonzalvus
• Gundisalvus

Memorial

• 16 January
• 10 January (Dominicans)

Profile

Born to a wealthy, high-ranking family. Upon his ordination, he transferred his great wealth to his nephews, and spent 14 years in pilgrimage through the Holy Lands; his family did not recognize him when he returned, and his nephew set the dogs on him. Dominican friar. Received permission from his superiors to live as a hermit near Amaranthe, Portugal. Built a bridge over the Tamega River, mainly with his own hands.

Many wonderful incidents are told of Blessed Gonzalo. Among them

• As he was being carried to the baptismal font as an infant, he fixed his eyes on the church’s with a look of extraordinary love.
• He was directed to the Dominicans by a supernatural directive that he should join the Order in which the Office began and ended with the Ave Maria.
• When workers who helped briefly with his bridge building ran out of wine, Gonzalo prayed, smacked a rock with a stick, it split open, and wine poured out.
• When the workers ran out of food, Gonzalo went to the water, called out, and fish jumped onto the river bank to feed them.
• During a homily, in which he wanted to show the horror of exclusion from the Church, he ‘excommunicated‘ a basket of bread; the loaves immediately became black, rotted and inedible. When he removed the ‘‘ a few minutes later, the bread became fresh and wholesome again.

Born

• 1187 at Arriconha, Tagilde, Vizela, of Braga, Portugal

Died

• 10 January 1259 at Amarante, Portugal of natural causes

Beatified

• 16 September 1561 by Pope Pius IV

Representation

• Dominican with Saint Francis of Assisi
• Dominican with Saint Bernardine of Siena
• with the Christ Child, holding a ball, shining light on him
• Dominican holding a in his hand
• Dominican giving food to beggars

Patronage

• in Brazil
  • Acaiaca
  • Belo Vale
  • Contagem
  • Francisco Sá
  • Ibiturauna
  • São Gonçalo do Abaeté
  • São Gonçalo do Amarante
  • São Gonçalo do Pará
  • São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo
  • São Gonçalo do Rio Preto
  • São Gonçalo do Sapucaí
  • Virgolâdia
• in Portugal
  • Amarante
  • Braga

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Lives of the Saints, by Sabine Baring-Gould
• Short Lives of the Dominican Saints
• Saints and Saintly Dominicans
• Saints of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
• Stars in Saint Dominic’s Crown, by Father Thomas Austin Dyson
• books
  • Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
  • Saints and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
• other sites in english
  • Catholic Online
  • Wikipedia
• images
  • Wikimedia Commons
• video
  • YouTube PlayList
• sitios en español
  • Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
• sites en français
  • La fête des prénoms
• fonti in italiano
  • Santi e Beati
• websites in nederlandse
  • Heiligen 3s
• nettsteder i norsk
  • Den katolske kirke

Prayers

God of mercy and compassion, in your grace Blessed Gonsalvo came to love your holy name and served you in the solitary life. By the help of his prayer and the grace of the Spirit may we keep you in our thoughts and with burning zeal do what is pleasing to you. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – General Calendar of the Order of Preachers

MLA Citation

• “Blessed Gonzalo de Amarante“. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 December 2023. Web. 15 January 2025. <>