Ugo Canefri (1148 – 8 October 1233), also known as Ugo da Genova, was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

and subsequently a health worker. Canefri was born, probably in 1148, into the family of the counts of Canefri: feudal lords of Gamondio (today

Castellazzo Bormida Castellazzo Bormida (Ël Castlass in Piedmontese, and Castlass an Burmia or Castlas an Burmia locally) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin Turin ( ...

), Fresonara and Borgo Rovereto in the area of today's

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

. He took part in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

together with

Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat (Italian language, Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (c. 1146 – 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the '' ...

and

Guala Bicchieri Guala Bicchieri ( 1150 – 1227) was an Italian diplomat, papal official and Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. He was the papal legate in England from 1216 to 1218 and took a prominent role in the politics of England during John, King of Eng ...

, consul of

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

. In his early twenties, having joined the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

, he abandoned his career at arms and was sent to care for the sick in the hospital of the Commenda di San Giovanni di Pré in Genoa. He continued in this work for more than fifty years. He was beatified soon after his death in 1233, and later canonised as a saint of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He is venerated particularly in Alessandria and Genoa and within the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

. His feast day is 8 October.

References

* Giambattista Verdura, ''Vita morte e miracoli di S. Ugone cavaliere gerosolimitano'', Genova 1665. * Vincenzo Persoglio, ''Sant'Ugo cavaliere ospitaliere gerosolimitano e la Commenda di S. Giovanni di Pré'', Genova 1887. * Carlo Caviglione, ‘Ugo Canefri cavaliere della fede e della carità’ in ''Il Cittadino'', Genova 18/10/1970. * Cassiano da Langasco, ‘Ugo Canefri un precursore del servizio sociale ai poveri’ in ''La voce alessandrina'', 4/10/1980. * Carla Reschia, ‘Ugo Canefri tra miracoli e carità’ in ''La Stampa - Edizione di Alessandria'', 8/10/1989. 1148 births 1233 deaths 12th-century Genoese people 13th-century Genoese people People from Castellazzo Bormida Italian Roman Catholic saints 13th-century Christian saints Christians of the Third Crusade Knights Hospitaller Italian health professionals {{Italy-saint-stub