Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor - January 28th
St Thomas Aquinas (b. 1225, Roccasecca, Italy) (d. 1274, Fossanova, Italy) (Relics: Toulouse, France; Aquino, Italy; Naples, Italy)
First Class Relics
Couvent des Jacobins
(Convent of the Jacobins)
Place des Jacobins
31000 Toulouse, France
*From 1274 to 1369 the remains of St Thomas Aquinas rested in Fossanova, Italy. In 1369 they were transferred to the Convent of the Jacobins in Toulouse, France. They remained here until the French Revolution. At this time they were moved for their protection a few blocks away to the Basilica of St Sernin in Toulouse. From 1789 to 1974 they remained within this church. Finally, in 1974 in honor of the 700th anniversary of the death of St Thomas Aquinas the relics were returned to the Convent of the Jacobins in Toulouse. They now rest within a bronze chest placed under an altar in this church.
Cattedrale di Aquino
(Cathedral of Aquino)
Piazza San Tommaso d’Aquino
03031 Aquino, Italy
*In 1963 the Archbishop of Toulouse, Gabriel Marie Garrone, gave to this church a small rib bone of St Thomas Aquinas.
*This relic is carried in procession every year on the evening of March 7th.
San Domenico Maggiore
(Saint Dominic the Greater)
Piazza San Domenico Maggiore 8
80134 Naples, Italy
* St Thomas Aquinas lived in this priory from 1272-1274. Preserved within his cell is the miraculous crucifix that exclaimed, “You have written well of me, Thomas.” Also located here is a bone from his left arm. Access to this cell is only given by special permission.
Churches of Honor
Parrocchia Santa Annunziata
(Parish of the Holy Annunciation)
Via della Chiesa 6
Roccasecca, Italy
*This church is just below the castle where St Thomas Aquinas was born. Presently this castle is in a state of ruin. However, a nice boardwalk allows easy access to the area.
Abbazia di Fossanova (Abbey of Fossanova)
Via San Tommaso D’Aquino 1
04015 Priverno, Latina, Italy
*St Thomas Aquinas was passing through this area on his way to the Council of Lyon. As he approached Fossanova he became deathly ill and was forced to stop. The monks at the Abbey of Fossanova took St Thomas in and cared for him until his death. For some years after his death his bones remained at this abbey and rested in the main sanctuary of the church. They were later moved in 1369 to Toulouse, France as noted above.
Churches of Honor in Rome
Santa Sabina (Saint Sabina)
Piazza Pietro d'Illiria 1
Rome, Italy
*This church is located on the Aventine Hill just south of Circo Massimo.
*St Thomas Aquinas lived here in 1265 when he opened a house of studies at Santa Sabina to teach theology to Dominican students. It was also around this time that he began to write the Summa Theologica.
*One of the oldest depictions of the crucifixion in Christian art is located on the uppermost left panel of the left entrance door. This wooden door dates back to the year 430 AD. (Note: This is not the entrance off of the street but the entrance from the narthex.)
