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Padre Pio Travel: Where is San Giovanni Rotondo?

April 24, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

Catholic saint and Capuchin monk Padre Pio has been exhumed and put on display in the town where he spent most of his life, San Giovanni Rotondo. Why dig him up now? Today is the 40th anniversary of his death.

His remains are on view at a massive church designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and fellow Italian Renzo Piano. With enough indoor space for 30,000 worshippers, it's the second-largest church in the country after St. Peter's in Rome. (Which, if you wanna get technical, is in the Vatican City, not Italy.)

Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Padre Pio was famous for bearing the stigmata and he is among the faith's most-loved saints. Be ready for a crowd if you head to San Giovanni Rotondo: Officials expect more than 15,000 pilgrims today alone.

Related Stories:
· Padre Pio's Body Goes on Public Display [UK Times]
· Who Was Padre Pio? [Reuters]
· Churches coverage [Jaunted]