Joseph Cafasso
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Cafasso was a significant social reformer in early nineteenth-century Turin
, born in Castelnuovo d'Asti
, Piedmont
, Italy
.
He was one of the so-called ‘Social Saints’ of nineteenth-century Turin
, who took it as their job to minister to the dispossessed, marginalised and often criminal elements of a city in the throes of industrialisation. He was the apostle of prisons and the comforter of those condemned to the death penalty, and was called "The Priest of the Gallows".
Cafasso is the patron saint
of prison chaplains, captives
, imprisoned people
, prison
ers and prisons.
A monument has been erected to his memory in Turin
at the road crossing of Corso Regina Margherita, Corso Principe Eugenio and Corso Valdocco (called the Rondò della Forca, or the Gallows Roundabout).
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, born in Castelnuovo d'Asti
Castelnuovo Don Bosco
Castelnuovo Don Bosco is a comune in the province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km east of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Asti, on a hill near the confluence of the Nevissano and Bardella.Castelnuovo Don Bosco borders the following municipalities:...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
He was one of the so-called ‘Social Saints’ of nineteenth-century Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, who took it as their job to minister to the dispossessed, marginalised and often criminal elements of a city in the throes of industrialisation. He was the apostle of prisons and the comforter of those condemned to the death penalty, and was called "The Priest of the Gallows".
Cafasso is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of prison chaplains, captives
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, imprisoned people
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers and prisons.
A monument has been erected to his memory in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
at the road crossing of Corso Regina Margherita, Corso Principe Eugenio and Corso Valdocco (called the Rondò della Forca, or the Gallows Roundabout).