In 1614 St. Camillus died in this room. He was the founder of the Order of Clerics Regular, Servants of the Sick, better known as the Camillians.
Years later, the saint's room was transformed into a chapel, or 'cubiculum.' Today it holds the heart of the saint who gave his life caring for the sick.
FR. GIANFRANCO LUNARDON
Order of Clerics Regular, Servants of the Sick
'We often say that good people have big hearts, and that bad people don't have hearts. Here we preserve the heart of St. Camillus. For us it represents all of the struggles that his heart confronted as well as everything that he loved, so the heart is a powerful representation of our vocation.”
On either side are paintings of the saint's life. Although St. Camillus typically dressed very plainly, here he is shown in elegant attire as he prepares to receive communion on his death bed.
GIANFRANCO LUNARDON
Order of Clerics Regular, Servants of the Sick
“Here we see our cardinal bringing Communion to St. Camillus who was in a lot of pain as he received his last communion, that which the Catechism calls the “Viaticum,” the bread that the Church gives us, the Body of Christ, for the long journey.”
This room has witnessed countless moments of the Order's development in Rome. And not only among men...
GIANFRANCO LUNARDON
Order of Clerics Regular, Servants of the Sick
'In this room the founder of the Daughters of St. Camillus, St. Giuseppina Vallini, who was canonized by Pope Francis, received the symbol of the order from the hands of Blessed Luigi Tezza: a red cross. We could say that the heart in this room continues to beat, to generate new life.”
Other relics of St. Camillus are preserved next to the chapel. 400 years after his death they remain an inspiration for the Camillians serving the sick in 42 countries around the world.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
TR: JM
MG
