Church of St. Philip
On 30 October 1835, John Bosco entered the seminary, at the Archbishops’ Seminary, formerly the convent of the Philippine Fathers, whose rector was the theologian Sebastiano Mottura. This is where John Bosco studied until 10 May 1841, the year in which he reluctantly discontinued his clerical career, as he himself remembered: “that separation was extremely painful, separation from a place where I had lived for six years and where I had education, science, ecclesiastical spirit and all the signs of kindness and affection that anyone could wish for”. In the night between 3 and 4 April 1839, the day of the funeral of his friend and colleague Luigi Comollo, John Bosco heard a sound coming from the corridor, a sound which approached and woke the whole roomful of people. The door was thrown open and everyone saw a multi-coloured light and heard the voice of Comollo say: “Bosco! Bosco! Bosco! I am safe!”, which was in accordance with a promise the two friends had made, namely that the first of them to die would send a message to inform the other of his safety. In the church of St. Philip, which was annexed to the seminary, John Bosco went to the clergy every day to receive Communion, while refusing to take breakfast and fasting until lunchtime.
