Alessandro Gavazzi

Alessandro Gavazzi was an Italian Protestant preacher and patriot. Born a Catholic, he at first became a monk and attached himself to the Barnabites at Naples, where he afterwards acted as professor of rhetoric. He later left the Church and became known as a provocative speaker against Catholicism, touring Europe and the United States. Protests against him broke out in Canada in 1853, causing numerous deaths in the Gavazzi Riots.