Inmate number 113355 at the Dachau concentration camp, Giuseppe Girotti spent his final months in a crowded cabin before his death on 1 April 1945. A member of the Order of Preachers, his life transitioned from academic theological study in Rome and Jerusalem to the dangerous clandestine work of sheltering persecuted Jewish families during the Nazi occupation of Italy.
Early Formation and Scholarship
Born in 1905 in the Italian town of Alba, Girotti entered the Dominican order after witnessing a sermon at the local cathedral. He pursued rigorous religious education, attending the Angelicum in Rome and the École Biblique in Jerusalem. His academic career focused on biblical analysis, resulting in published scholarly works including studies on the Book of Wisdom and the Book of Isaiah, alongside his 1934 text, Prolita in Sacra Scriptura.
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While serving as a professor at the Saint Maria delle Rose convent in Turin, Girotti developed strong ties to Jewish culture and maintained deep opposition to the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. Following the 1943 Nazi occupation of Italy, he utilized his knowledge to establish escape routes and secure false identification documents. His efforts saved several individuals, including Salvatore Fubini and the family of Emma De Benedetti.
Imprisonment and Death
Girotti was arrested on 29 August 1944 after being betrayed by an informant who posed as a person in need. He passed through the Le Nuove prison in Turin, the San Vittore prison in Milan, and the Gries transit camp in Bolzano before his transfer to Dachau in October. Suffering from severe leg pain and suspected carcinoma, he was killed in the prison medical center, likely by a lethal injection.
Posthumous Recognition
The Yad Vashem organization designated Girotti as Righteous Among the Nations on 14 February 1995. Decades later, the Roman Catholic Church formally recognized his death as martyrdom. Pope Francis confirmed the cause, leading to his beatification on 26 April 2014 in Alba Cathedral, a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Severino Poletto.
Fast facts
- Born: 1905, Alba, Italy
- Died: 1 April 1945, Dachau concentration camp
- Religious Order: Dominican
- Inmate Number: 113355
- Beatified: 26 April 2014
- Yad Vashem Recognition: 14 February 1995
Questions readers ask
Why was Giuseppe Girotti arrested?
He was caught assisting a wounded Jewish partisan reach a hideout in Turin, having been betrayed by a spy.
What was his role during the Holocaust?
He provided Jewish people with false identification papers, arranged safe hideouts, and coordinated escape routes from Italy.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1995
- Worked as Catholic priest, biblical scholar and theologian
- Educated at Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
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