Govona, Rosa

Govona, Rosa an Italian philanthropist, was born at Mondovi in 1716. Her parents were poor, and Rosa became an orphan while very young, but she supported herself by labor. One day, finding a little girl in a still worse condition than herself, she aided her and taught her to work, and the two soon formed the plan of gathering other poor little girls for a similar purpose. Rosa at length received a house from the community in the plain of the Brao, where she settled down with her company. Charles Emanuel III gave her several large buildings which had belonged to the friars, and she organized the establishment of The Rosines. She also established houses in other places, and in the center of the cities of Novara, Fossano, Savigliano, Saluzzo, Chieri, and Saint Damian of Ostia. The establishment at Turin became the centre of all these houses, which still flourish. In this latter city she died, February 28, 1776. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.