07 August - Gaëtan was born in Vicenza, then part of the Republic of Venice. His parents were Gaspard, Count of Thiene, and Maria Porto. His mother, very pious, encouraged him in the path of holiness.
Like many young people of his milieu, he studied law in Padua and completed his studies at the age of 24, obtaining a degree in civil law and canon law. In 1506, his father introduced him to Venetian diplomacy. He was sent to the court of Pope Julius II, where he worked for the reconciliation of the sovereign pontiff with the Republic of Venice.
The death of his mother brought him back to Vicenza, where he founded a hospital for the incurable. The young diplomat was as much concerned with the care of souls as he was with the care of bodies. He decides to gather around him people who wish to share the monastic ideal with an active ministry. In 1513, the death of Pope Julius II allowed him to leave the papal court and found an order based on these ideals: the oratory of Divine Love. Gaëtan was ordained a priest in 1516 at the age of 36, which for the time was late.
The Oratory of Divine Love, a new congregation, was approved by Clement VII in 1524. One of his companions, Giovanni Pietro Carafa (later Pope Paul IV), was the first superior. Bishop of Chieti (pronounced Theate in Latin), he was at the origin of the name that the congregation later bore. The Order of Theatines took the apostles as models and contributed powerfully to the reform of morals in the 16th century. The first houses of the congregation were founded in Naples in 1533 (Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore) and in Venice in 1540.
After suffering many difficulties despite the success of his foundations, Gaëtan de Thiène died in Naples on 7 August 1547 at the age of 67. His remains lie in the Basilica of St. Paul Major in Naples. Gaëtan de Thiène was beatified in 1629 by Pope Urban VIII and canonised on 12 April 1671 by Pope Clement X, together with Rose of Lima, François Borgia, Louis Bertrand and Philippe Benizi. He is the patron saint of the theatines, the unemployed and job seekers.
