St. Alexius in Rome

Alexius was a 4th-century son of a wealthy family who married well and had riches, but right after his wedding decided he wanted to give away all his wealth and live in poverty and obscurity. His plan didn't turn out exactly as he wished. I gave more details in this post.

The story of Alexius was pretty obscure—it was known more in the East although it made him a native of Rome—but there is a place in Rome now that remembers him. Physically changed by his years of poverty, he lived under the stairs of his parents' home for many years until his death. Legend tells us this was on the Aventine Hill in Rome.

The church of Saint Boniface has been on the Aventine Hill since the 8th century. Pope Benedict VII in 972 gave it over to Sergius of Damascus, a Greek metropolitan who had been living in Rome since being exiled. Next to the church, Sergius built a monastery for Greek and Roman monks who wished to live in strict poverty. It was Sergius who brought the story of Alexius to Rome. Sergius changed the name of the Church to include Alexius, and he created the legend that the holy man's family home was on this site.

Today, if you enter the Basilica of Saint Boniface and Alexius, on the left side there is a house, the house of Alexius' family. In it you will see stairs called the Holy Steps, below which there is an altar. The altar is where Alexius lived for 17 years. If you look at the illustration, you can assume the area is a little more elaborate than it would have been in the 4th century.

He is the patron saint of beggars, nurses, pilgrims, travelers, and the town of Kalavryta in Greece, where there is a monastery called Agia Lavra ("Holy Monastery") that is his major shrine. Why Kalavryta? I'm trying to work that pout. Once I've done some research, I'll get back to you.

See you tomorrow.