Saint Ugo Canefri da Genova

Biography

Ugo Canefri (1148 – 8 October 1233), also known as Ugo da Genova, was an Italian crusader and subsequently a health worker. Born probably in 1148 into the family of the counts of Canefri: feudal lords of Gamondio (today Castellazzo Bormida), Fresonara, and Borgo Rovereto in the area of today's Alessandria, Ugo was part of the Third Crusade with Conrad of Montferrat and Guala Bicchieri. After his twenties, he joined the Knights of Malta and abandoned his military career to care for the sick at the hospital of the Commenda di San Giovanni di Pré in Genoa. He devoted over fifty years to this work. Ugo Canefri was beatified soon after his death in 1233 and later canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. He is venerated particularly in Alessandria and Genoa, and within the Order of Malta. His feast day is celebrated on 8 October.