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St. Francis Borgia ( 1510 – 1572 ) was born near Valencia , Spain , on October 28 , 1510 . He was the son of Juan Borgia, the 3rd Duke of Gandía and Joana of Aragon , daughter of Afonso de Aragon, Archbishop of Zaragoza , who, in turn, was the illegitimate son of Ferdinand The Catholic (Ferdinand II of Aragon) and his mistress Aldonza Ruiz de Iborre y Alemany. Francis was also the paternal great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI . Although as a child he was very pious and wished to become a monk, his family sent him instead to the court of the Emperor Charles V . He distinguished himself there, accompanying the Emperor on several campaigns and marrying a Portuguese noblewoman, Eleanor de Castro Melo e Menezes, in Madrid in July 1529 and by whom he had eight children: Carlos, Isabel, João, Alvaro, Fernando, Afonso, Joana, and Doroteia. In 1539, he convoyed the corpse of Empress Isabella Of Portugal to her burial-place in Granada . It is said that, when he saw the effect of death on the beautiful empress, he decided to "never again serve a mortal master". However, while still a young man, he was made viceroy of Catalonia , and administered the province with great efficiency. His true interests, however, lay elsewhere. When his father died, the new Duke of Gandía retired to his native place and led, with his wife and family, a life devoted entirely to religion. In , he became the Jesuits' commissary-general in Spain; and, in 1565 , Father General of the entire Order . His successes have caused historians to describe Francis as the greatest General after Ignatius . He founded the ''Collegium Romanum'', which was to become the Gregorian University , dispatched missionaries to distant corners of the globe, advised kings and popes, and closely supervised all the affairs of the rapidly expanding order. Yet, despite the great power of his office, Francis led the simplest of lives, and was widely regarded in his own lifetime as a saint. Francis Borgia died on September 30 , 1572 in Rome and was Canonized in 1671 . His feast day is October 10 . |
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