When was Pope Pius V born?

Pope Pius V was born on 17 January 1504 in Bosco Marengo.

What positions has Pope Pius V held?

Positions held by Pope Pius V include: Pope (1566–1572); Roman Catholic Bishop of Mondovì (since 27 March 1560); Roman Catholic Bishop of Nepi and Sutri (since 4 September 1556); cardinal priest.

Where did Pope Pius V study?

Pope Pius V was educated at University of Bologna.

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Pope Pius V

16th‑century Italian pope and Catholic saint, leading Counter‑Reformation reformer

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Pope Pius V, OP (Italian: Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572.

Quick facts

Born: 17 January 1504 wd
Place of birth: Bosco Marengo wd
Died: 1 May 1572 wd
Place of death: Rome wd
Citizenship: Papal States wd
Occupation: Catholic priest, Catholic bishop wd
Education: University of Bologna wd

Positions held wd

Pope (17 January 1566 – 1 May 1572)
Roman Catholic Bishop of Mondovì (since 27 March 1560)
Roman Catholic Bishop of Nepi and Sutri (since 4 September 1556)
cardinal priest

About

He was an inquisitor and is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the implementation of the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman Rite within the Latin Church, known as the Tridentine Mass. Pius V declared Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church.

As a cardinal, Ghislieri gained a reputation for putting orthodoxy before personalities, prosecuting eight French bishops for heresy. He also stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

By means of the papal bull of 1570, Regnans in Excelsis, Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. He also arranged the formation of the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic states to combat the advancement of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe. Although outnumbered, the Holy League famously defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory. Biographers report that as the Battle of Lepanto ended, Pius rose and went over to a window, where he stood gazing toward the East. "...[L]ooking at the sky, he cried out, 'A truce to business; our great task at present is to thank God for the victory which He has just given the Christian army'."

Questions

When was Pope Pius V born?: Pope Pius V was born on 17 January 1504 in Bosco Marengo.
What positions has Pope Pius V held?: Positions held by Pope Pius V include: Pope (1566–1572); Roman Catholic Bishop of Mondovì (since 27 March 1560); Roman Catholic Bishop of Nepi and Sutri (since 4 September 1556); cardinal priest.
Where did Pope Pius V study?: Pope Pius V was educated at University of Bologna.

Sources

Last updated 3 November 2026 · facts checked 4 November 2026

Cite this page

"Pope Pius V". DigiNepal. Last updated 3 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/pope-pius-v. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Pope Pius V, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Bartolomeo Passarotti - Pius V.jpg — Bartolomeo Passarotti and workshop, Public domain.

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