Charles Borromeo

Life events

1. Born — 1538

   Born on 2 October 1538 in the castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore, the second son of Gilbert Borromeo, Count of Arona, and Margaret de' Medici of the Milanese branch of the House of Medici.

2. Tonsured — 1550

   Received the tonsure at approximately age twelve, at which time his uncle Giulio Cesare Borromeo transferred to him the income from the Benedictine abbey of Sts. Gratinian and Felin; he declared that revenues beyond what was needed for his ecclesiastical formation belonged to the poor.

3. Educated — 1559

   Studied civil and canon law at the University of Pavia, earning a doctorate in both disciplines on 6 December 1559 despite a speech impediment that led contemporaries to regard him as slow.

4. Ordained — 1563

   Ordained a priest on 4 September 1563, then consecrated bishop in the Sistine Chapel on 7 December 1563 by Cardinal Giovanni Serbelloni, following the death of his elder brother Federico in November 1562.

5. Consecrated — 1563

   Consecrated as bishop on 7 December 1563 in the Sistine Chapel and formally appointed Archbishop of Milan on 12 May 1564, making his ceremonial entry into the city on 23 September 1565.

6. Council — 1562

   Organized the third and final session of the Council of Trent (1562–63) and contributed substantially to the drafting of the Catechismus Romanus (Tridentine Catechism).

7. Other — 1576

   During the plague and famine of 1576, remained in Milan while the civil governor and nobility fled, personally organizing the distribution of food to an estimated 60,000–70,000 people daily and going into personal debt to fund relief.

8. Died — 1584

   Fell ill with intermittent fever during his annual retreat at Monte Varallo in 1584, returned to Milan, received the last rites, and died on 3 November 1584 at the age of 46.

Relationships

Documented claims

• Created cardinal by his uncle Pope Pius IV on 31 January 1560, at age 21, making him a cardinal-nephew entrusted with both the public and privy seal of the ecclesiastical state. (certain)
• Members of the Humiliati (Brothers of Humility) formed a conspiracy against his life and fired an arquebus shot at him in the archepiscopal chapel; his survival was subsequently regarded as miraculous. (likely)
• Initiated the first 'Sunday School' classes and expanded the work of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine as part of his diocesan catechetical reforms in Milan. (likely)
• His iconographic emblem is the Latin word humilitas (humility), taken from the Borromeo family shield; he is typically depicted barefoot in archbishop's robes with a rope around his neck, referencing his plague ministry. (likely)
• Beatified by Clement VIII in 1602 and canonized by Pope Paul V on 1 November 1610; his feast was added to the General Roman Calendar for 4 November three years after canonization. (certain)