John of God
John of God, O.H. (March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550) was a Portuguese soldier turned healthcare worker in Spain, whose followers later formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, a Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of the poor, sick and those with mental disorders.
Cidade was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII and is considered one of the leading religious figures in the history of the Iberian Peninsula.
Patron saint of Booksellers; hospitals; nurses; the mentally ill; heart patients; the dying
In the Martyrology
- March 8 Saint John of God, religious, founder of the Hospitallers