St. Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) was an Italian Jesuit theologian, cardinal and archbishop, one of the most important defenders of the Catholic faith after the Reformation, and the author of catechisms that taught the faith to children and adults for three centuries. He was the spiritual director of the young St. Aloysius Gonzaga, lived simply and gave his money to the poor even as a cardinal, and wrote devotional books such as The Art of Dying Well. Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1930 and declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1931. His feast day is September 17. Below are his story, his role in the Galileo affair, and prayers to St. Robert Bellarmine.
A short prayer to St. Robert Bellarmine, written for this page:
St. Robert Bellarmine, you taught the faith clearly and lived it humbly.
Pray for catechists, teachers and all who explain the faith,
and help me to know, love and serve God, and to be ready for a holy death. Amen.
Who was St. Robert Bellarmine?
Roberto Bellarmino was born on October 4, 1542, at Montepulciano, in Tuscany, the nephew of Pope Marcellus II. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1560, studied in Rome, Padua and Louvain, and was ordained in 1570. At Louvain and then at the Roman College he taught theology, and his lectures became the Controversies, a massive, calm and carefully argued defense of Catholic doctrine against the Protestant reformers, so effective that Protestant scholars wrote whole books to answer it.
At the request of Pope Clement VIII he wrote two catechisms, a short one for children and a longer explanation for teachers, which were translated into dozens of languages and used until the twentieth century. As spiritual father at the Roman College he guided the young St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whom he cared for on his deathbed and beside whom he asked to be buried. He was made a cardinal in 1599 and served as archbishop of Capua from 1602 to 1605. Though a prince of the Church, he lived austerely, ate the food of the poor, and once gave the tapestries of his rooms to clothe beggars, saying the walls would not catch cold. He died in Rome on September 17, 1621.
Bellarmine and Galileo
As a leading theologian of the Holy Office, Bellarmine was involved in the first Galileo affair. In 1615 he wrote that if a true demonstration of the earth’s motion were found, Scripture would have to be interpreted with care, but that no such proof had yet been given. In 1616, by order of Pope Paul V, he informed Galileo that he must not hold or defend the Copernican theory. He died years before Galileo’s trial of 1633.
Scripture
St. Paul’s charge to teachers of the faith (2 Timothy 4:1–2, Douay-Rheims):
I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, and his kingdom:
Preach the word: be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine.
What is St. Robert Bellarmine the patron saint of?
- Catechists and teachers of the faith
- Canon lawyers
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, bishop and Doctor of the Church, is September 17, the day of his death, which he shares with St. Hildegard of Bingen.
Frequently asked questions
What is St. Robert Bellarmine known for?
His defense of Catholic doctrine in the Controversies, his catechisms, his holiness of life as a cardinal, and his role in the Galileo affair.
When was Robert Bellarmine declared a Doctor of the Church?
In 1931, by Pope Pius XI, a year after his canonization.
When is St. Robert Bellarmine’s feast day?
September 17.
More saints
- Doctors of the Church
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- St. Ignatius of Loyola prayer
- St. Peter Canisius
- St. Hildegard of Bingen
- Prayer for a happy death
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- 2 Timothy 4:1–2 (Douay-Rheims).