CHAIN IS NOT INCLUDED Available in Solid 14K Yellow or White Gold, or in Sterling Silver Saint John of God (Spanish: San Juan de Dios; Portuguese: So Joo de Deus; March 8, 1495 March 8, 1550) was a Portuguese-born friar and saint, who has become one of Spains leading religious figures. St. John of God was born Joo Cidade in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, into a once prominent family that was impoverished but had great religious faith. His mother died when he was only a small , and his father joined a monastic order. As a young man, St. John worked as a shepherd for a farmer, who was very pleased with his strength and diligent work. John had an offer to marry the farmers and become heir to the property; he refused because he wanted to pursue a spiritual life in the name of the Lord. He moved to Spain, where he served as a heroic soldier under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and fought in a few battles. After many heroic exploits, he worked disseminating religious books, using the recent Gutenberg moveable-type printing press to provide people with the word of the Lord. He experienced a major spiritual conversion on Saint Sebastians day (January 20), while listening to a sermon by Saint John of vila, the man who was later to become his spiritual mentor and would encourage him in his quest to improve the life of the poor. He then went temporarily into what appeared to be a state of madness brought on by the Lord and was subsequently thrown into the madhouse, where he recovered after a visit from Blessed John of vila and realized that the poor and needy deserved better treatment than he had received. He decided to devote the rest of his life to caring for the sick and the poor. Settling in Granada, Spain, he expended all of his ene