St. Francis Borgia
Oct 10
Patron Saint of Portugal
Francis Borgia belonged to one of the most prominent families of the kingdom of Aragon, a family that gave the Church two popes.
His father, Juan Borgia, was the third Duke of Gandia. On his mother Juana’s side, Francis was the great-grandson of King Ferdinand V of Aragon.
On his arrival at the imperial court at eighteen, Francis crossed paths momentarily with a man who impressed him, and who was being arrested by the Inquisition: Ignatius of Loyola. The following year, Francis married Eleanor de Castro, a Portuguese noblewoman, with whom he had eight children.
On his father’s death in 1543, he became the fourth Duke of Gandia.