Osimo, Italy: Basilica of Saint Joseph of Cupertino
About Saint Joseph of Cupertino:
This is the home of the patron saint of air travelers (due to the fact that he often levitated), test takers, poor students and sometimes called “the dunce“. As you can probably guess, he was indeed a rather poor student, prone to being distracted and usually unable to concentrate on anything for very long. But we love stories about how God can take those who seem foolish and help them become saints!
Giuseppe da Copertino, 1603–1663 was far from an ideal candidate for the priesthood, in fact, his superiors had serious doubts about his suitability for the priesthood. Born of a poor family and easily distracted, he was indeed not a good student and in fact did not seem to be good at much of anything, a fact that he readily admitted. In addition to this, his health was not good either, which meant that he was more of a burden to his family than anything else and, in fact, they were happy to see him go!
It is interesting how so many of our saints seem to come from those people thought to be unworthy when viewed from a worldly point of view!
One day around the age of 17 he saw a Franciscan Friar begging and decided that this would be the life he needed. No one would expect much of him and that suited him as well. Having two uncles in the order he felt that surely he would be admitted. However, that task proved more difficult than expected. Since he had such a poor academic background, he was turned down repeatedly before one order finally accepted him. But even here, he could not make it. He was forgetful and so downright stupid in the eyes of many that they finally turned him out.
Now he returned home, but was no more welcomed than when he left, except for the fact that his mother went to the head of the order that had turned him out and blasted them for doing so (most likely because she did not want the burden of caring for him, rather than any compassion). The order agreed to take him back but only as a Third Order layman and hired him to take care of the monastery mule.
Assigned to the stables, he became a source pleasure to the Friars who were enthralled by his good nature and happy expression.
There is much more to the fascinating story of his life, including times when he could prophesy, levitate and had many visions of God.
Due to the fact that he had been known to levitate, he later became the patron saint of air travelers. If you look at the photo of the church you will see a painting of him levitating behind the main altar.
We celebrate the feast day of Saint Joseph of Cupertino on September 18.
About the Church of San Francesco in Osimo:
Saint Francis of Assisi visited Osimo in 1215 and 1220, leaving a strong local impact. After his death in 1226, the citizens rebuilt an earlier small church (dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene the Penitent) and then constructed a new church with an attached convent. It was consecrated on May 7, 1234 and dedicated to St. Francis. The exterior retains the austere Romanesque-Gothic style of the 13th-century building (Latin-cross plan with projecting apse and square bell tower elements). The interior was completely renovated in the mid-to-late 18th century in a Baroque/Neoclassical style by architect Andrea Vici after the beatification (1753) and canonization (1767) of St. Joseph of Cupertino . The Conventual Franciscans (Frati Minori Conventuali) carried out the work to house his remains properly.
The body of Saint Joseph of Cupertino was placed under the main altar in 1771; the church was reconsecrated on May 27, 1781 and rededicated to him. Pope Pius VI elevated it to the rank of basilica in 1796. A new crypt for the saint’s remains was built in 1963. in a church originally named the Church of San Frances, and later re-named the Convent Basilica of St. Joseph of Cupertino.
You can see Saint Joseph of Cupertino’s body dressed as a friar in a glass sarcophagus in the crypt area and you can also see the rooms where he lived.
Some Catholic tours do include Osimo, but it is not one of the major stops on most of the tours that go to Eastern Italy.
Visiting the Basilica of Saint Joseph of Cupertino in Osimo, Italy:
Address: Piazza A. M. Gallo, 10, 60027 Osimo AN, Italy
GPS coordinates: 43° 29′ 11.2452” N, 13° 29′ 2.0112” E
Tel: (+39) 071 714523
e-mail: ufficio.basilica@virgilio.it
Visit the official website of the Sanctuary of Saint Joseph of Cupertino.
Traveling to Osimo, Italy:
Osimo is about 10 miles from the seaport of Ancona and about 13 miles from Loreto. For independent travelers, there are several small hotels in Osimo.
By train: Osimo-Castelfidardo station is a train stop on the Ancona-Pescara line.
By bus or taxi: There is bus and taxi service from Ancona as well as Loreto.
Just came back from Loretto and Giuseppe Cupertino in osimo. I stayed at hotel Loretto took a taxi to Osimo 50.00 round trip. It was well worth it. Getting from Rome to Loretto was easy. Train to Ancona, Bus “R” drops you at bottom of Loretto basilica. Perfect. 3 1/2 hrs from Rome. Beautiful travel. Train and bus.
Great information…thanks for sharing.