Famous Spanish Saints

Birthdate: September 11, 1557

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Peralta de Calasanz, Spain

Died: August 25, 1648

Spanish Catholic priest Joseph Calasanz founded the Pious Schools, whose followers, the Piarists, dedicated themselves to the service of the poor. He was the man behind Europe’s first free school for children from impoverished homes. A friend of Galileo Galilei, he supported the heliocentric system, unlike other religious orders.