Blessed Charles Spinola
Blessed Charles Spinola (born 1564 AD in Prague, Bohemia; died September 10, 1622 AD in Nagasaki, Japan) was an Italian Jesuit priest who was martyred in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate's systematic persecution of Christianity. Born in Prague into the noble Genoese Spinola family (whose members included many Jesuit priests and one canonized martyr), he spent the last seventeen years of his life on the Japanese mission, was arrested in 1618, suffered four years of horrific imprisonment, and was finally killed by slow burning (tsurushi) at Nagasaki on September 10, 1622 — together with Blessed Sebastian Kimura and many other martyrs — in what is known as the Great Nagasaki Martyrdom. He was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627 — one of the earliest beatifications for a Japan martyr. His feast day is September 10.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Charles Spinola
| Blessed Charles Spinola | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 10 |
| Profession | Jesuit priest; Italian-Genoese Catholic missionary to Japan; Japan martyr; member of the Spinola noble family; prisoner of the Omura detention |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Society of Jesus (Jesuits); Genoese Catholic tradition; 17th-century Japan martyrs; 205 Martyrs of Japan (in broader grouping) |
| Patronage | Genoa; Japan; Nagasaki; Jesuit missionaries; missionaries to Japan; those imprisoned for their faith; martyrs of the Tokugawa persecution |
| Attributes | Jesuit cassock; palm of martyrdom; flame (slow burning martyrdom); cross; Japan landscape; September 10 feast |
| Birthplace | Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic); born into the Genoese Spinola family |
| Death Place | Nagasaki, Japan |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom by slow burning (tsurushi — suspended burning or burning at a slow fire designed to prolong suffering and force apostasy); died September 10, 1622, in Nagasaki; he was approximately 58 years old; he had been arrested in 1618 after his hiding place was betrayed; he was held for four years in the infamous prison of Omura, where he ministered to his fellow prisoners through the walls of his cell; he was finally executed in Nagasaki on September 10, 1622, by the tsurushi method (suspended over a slow fire, which could take hours to kill); he died without apostatizing; he was beatified by Urban VIII in 1627 |
| Primary Shrine | Nishizaka Hill (Martyrs' Hill), Nagasaki, Japan — site of the 1622 martyrdom; September 10 feast; Urban VIII beatification 1627 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; September 10 feast in Japan and in the Jesuit Order |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Charles Spinola was born in 1564 in Prague — where his Genoese noble family had a presence — into the distinguished Spinola family of Genoa. He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained a priest.
He was sent to the Japan mission and arrived in 1602, serving as a Jesuit missionary for sixteen years in an increasingly dangerous environment as the Tokugawa Shogunate escalated its persecution of Christianity.
In 1618 he was arrested when his hiding place was betrayed. He was imprisoned in the Omura detention for four years, during which he continued to minister to fellow prisoners. He was finally transferred to Nagasaki for execution.
On September 10, 1622, he was executed by slow burning (tsurushi — suspended over a slow fire) at Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, together with Blessed Sebastian Kimura and approximately 23 other martyrs — a day known as the Great Nagasaki Martyrdom. He was approximately 58 years old.
He died without apostatizing. He was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627 — just five years after his martyrdom. His feast day is September 10.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Prague, Bohemia (now Czech Republic); born into the Genoese Spinola family
Death location: Nagasaki, Japan
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Charles Spinola have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Nishizaka Hill (Martyrs' Hill), Nagasaki, Japan — site of the Great Nagasaki Martyrdom of September 10, 1622; September 10 feast.
Feast day
September 10
Veneration
Blessed Charles Spinola (1564–1622) was a Genoese Jesuit priest who spent seventeen years on the Japan mission, was arrested in 1618, imprisoned at Omura for four years, and was executed by slow burning at Nagasaki on September 10, 1622 (the Great Nagasaki Martyrdom), dying without apostatizing; one of the earliest Japanese martyrs to be beatified — by Urban VIII in 1627. Feast September 10.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.