Anna Colonna (1601–1658) was an
Italian noblewoman of the
Colonna and
Barberini
The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...
families. She was also the
Princess of Paliano.
Early life
Colonna was born in 1601 at
Orsogna
Orsogna ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. I ...
;
the daughter of
Filippo Colonna,
Prince of Paliano
The title Duke and Prince of Paliano is borne by the head of the elder line of the Colonna family. At times the honour has been borne by several members at once. The Princes also bear many other titles and honorifics.
The Princes of Summonte ar ...
, and Lucrezia Tomacelli,
of
Galatro
Galatro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italy, Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. As of 31 December 2004 it had a population of 2,077 a ...
, and was thus Princess of Paliano. Her paternal grand-parents were Carlo Colonna and Anna Borromeo and her maternal grand-parents were Girolamo Tomacelli and Lucrezia Ruffo. Both the Tomacelli and Ruffo families were influential in Naples.
One of the members of Colonna's mother's entourage was the poet Francesca Turina Bufalini, the grandmother of
Cardinal Mazarin
Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...
. Bufalini would compose several poems in honor of both Anna and her mother
and might also have been a tutor of Anna.
After the death of Anna's mother in 1622 when Colonna twenty-one and her sister was two, they were sent to live and be educated at the convent of
San Gisueppe dei Ruffi.
The convent had been founded by Anna's maternal grandmother Ippolita Ruffo
and her aunt Caterina Tomacelli.
who was prioress of the convent during her nieces stay there.
Sometime around 1623 it was rumored that a betrothal was underway for one the Colonna sisters with the proposed groom being Taddeo Barberini,
the nephew of the new pope
Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
. Though the Barberini had come into prominence and power they were regarded as upstarts lacking a sufficient noble background. This hoped to amend by marrying the youngest Barberini brother into the ancient Roman nobility. (The Colonna family could trace their descent back to the 11th century.)
Barberini was also at the time in discussion to marry Anna Carafa,
a significant heiress and a distant relative of Colonna. Barberinis brother ,Cardinal Francesco Barberini visited the convent in 1627 in order to ascertain the demeanour and health of the three sisters.
In the end Colonna was chosen as an acceptable bride for his brother.
Colonna having spent about four years in the convent resigning herself to not marrying
and devoting herself to a pious life, left the convent the same year (1627)
to prepare for her marriage.
After her departure her younger sister Ippolita Maria
formally joined the convent.
Marriage
On 14 October 1627, at age 26, she married
Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini (1603–1647) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals Francesc ...
,
Prince of Palestrina (later
Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect' ...
of Rome) who was two years her junior. The marriage was celebrated by Barberini's uncle,
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
at
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo (, , ; ), colloquially known as Castello in the '' Castelli Romani'' dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome, in the Italian region of Lazio. Situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills with panoramic views of Lake Albano, Cast ...
.
[Testamento Barberini:](_blank)
Anna Colonna At the castle, a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
was erected which merged the
heraldic
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
bee
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
s of the
Barberini
The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...
with the single
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
of the
Colonna.
Colonna and her husband had great affectation for each other which also extended to their children, whose well-being Colonna informed her husband about in great detail in their correspondence.
Colonna showed great care for her children, even sleeping by their beds in a makeshift cot when they were ill.
Colonna was very devout and saw things like the death of one of her children's nurse-maids as a divine punishment.
For the first few years of their marriage the couple lived at the
Palazzo Barbarini, with Colonna and her husband inhabiting one wing, while her brother-in-law Antonio lived in the other, but Colonna found the air in the building unhealthy
and believed that inhaling this "
bad air" was the reason for her having given birth to only daughters.
The couple therefore moved to the older residence
Palazzo Barberini ai Giubbonari
Palazzo Barberini ai Giubbonari, also called Casa Grande Barberini, to distinguish it from the Palazzo Barberini, more famous palace in the Trevi district, is a historic palace in Rome. It was the Barberini family, family's first residence in th ...
,where their first son Francesco would be born.
Rome
As the wife of the secular
patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
of the Pope's family in Rome, Colonna became one of the most powerful women in the city and in the surrounding
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
. This is reflected in the personal wealth she and Barberini amassed during Urban's reign; a pontificate known for its Anna
m. Halso er status was also made clear by the manner in which she was treated by her peers. In 1634, when crowds were assembled for a
tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
at the
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona () is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an elongated oval. The ancient Romans went there to watch the '' a ...
, her place is described in the following terms:
The event was held in honour of the 1634 visit to Rome of Prince
Alexander Charles Vasa
Alexander Charles Vasa (; 4 November 1614 – 19 November 1634) was the fifth son of King Sigismund III of Poland and his wife Constance of Austria.
During the election of 1632 he supported his brother Vladislaus IV Vasa. After his voyage ...
of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and the Piazza was decorated with
tapestries
Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...
of gold and silver. Colonna distributed diamonds and other prizes to winning tournament entrants.
Botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
Giovanni Baptista Ferrari
Giovanni Baptista (also Battista) Ferrari (1 May 1584 in Siena – 1 February 1655 in Siena), was an Italian Jesuit, orientalist, university teacher and botanist. Linguistically highly gifted and an able scientist, at 21 years of age Ferrari ...
spent a significant amount of time working in the gardens established by Colonna's brother-in-law, Cardinal
Francesco Barberini. The second edition of his botany reference book, ''De Florum Cultura'', was dedicated to Colonna in 1638. Colonna was also a patron of botanical artist,
Giovanna Garzoni
Giovanna Garzoni (1600 – February 1670) was an Italian Baroque painter. She began her career painting religious, mythological, and allegorical subjects but gained fame for her still life botanical subjects painted in tempera and watercolour.Jo ...
.
Religious patronage
Colonna would remain very religious throughout her life and donated regularly to religious charities.
Colonna had as a spiritual advisor the
Oratorian priest Giovanni Tomaso Eustachio
In 1638, Colonna requested the relics of the Oratorian founder
Philip Neri
Saint Philip Neri , born Filippo Romolo Neri, (22 July 151526 May 1595) was an Italian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charitable work. He is sometimes refe ...
and commissioned the sculptor
Alessandro Algardi
Alessandro Algardi (July 31, 1598 – June 10, 1654) was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome. In the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, one of the major rivals ...
to design gold and silver
reliquaries
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''.
Relics may be the purported or actual physic ...
to house them.
The caretakers of Neris remains hid it, but since Colonna was the wife of the Pope's nephew her demand was acceded to, and she was given one of Neris ribs.
Colonna also commissioned paintings such as a depiction of
Sant'Alessio from
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...
titled "The Death of Saint Alexius"
Barberini exile
After the death of Pope Urban VIII, newly elected
Pamphili
The House of Pamphili (often with the final ''long i'' orthography, Pamphilj) was one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Later, the Pamphili family line merged ...
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X (6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death, in January 1655.
Born in Rome of a family fro ...
launched an investigation into the Barberini's handling of funds during the
Wars of Castro
The Wars of Castro were a series of conflicts during the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro (located in present-day Lazio, Italy), which eventually resulted in the city's destruction on 2 September 1649. The conflict ...
. Colonna's husband, Taddeo, and his brothers, cardinals
Francesco Barberini and
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts a ...
went into exile in Paris with the support of Cardinal
Jules Mazarin
Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the Chief minister o ...
. Mazarin was the uncle of
Marie Mancini
Anna Maria "Marie" Mancini, Princess of Paliano (28 August 1639 – 8 May 1715) was the third of the five Mancini sisters, nieces to Cardinal Mazarin who were brought to France to marry advantageously. Along with two of their female Martinozzi ...
; wife of Colonna's nephew
Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and a confidant of Colonna's brother, Cardinal
Girolamo Colonna
Girolamo Colonna (23 March 1604 – 4 September 1666) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and member of the noble Colonna family.
Biography
Colonna was born at Orsogna into the Colonna family and his extended family included m ...
. Mazarin had also served as infantry captain under Colonna's father, Filippo Colonna.
Colonna who had remained in Rome in order to protect the possessions of the family made a passionate appeal (in person) to the Pope, urging him not to strip the Barberini of their assets. The Pope agreed and, though he paid some debts out of the Barberini estate, left the Barberini alone.

Colonna joined her husband and children in Paris in 1646
,but upon arrival Colonna discovered that her only surviving daughter, Lucrezia had been placed in a convent. Despite Colonna stating that she wanted to have her daughter living with her,her daughter was to remain in the convent.
While in Paris, Colonna had developed a close friendship with
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...
,
Regent of France
A regent is a person selected to act as head of state (ruling or not) because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. The following is a list of regents throughout history.
Regents in extant monarchies
Those who held a regency b ...
(wife of former King
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
). Colonna's husband passed away in 1647 from phthisis , Anne urged Colonna to stay in France but Colonna chose return to Rome.
Return to Rome
In 1653, with the assistance of
Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj, Princess of San Martino (26 May 1591 – 27 September 1657), (also spelled Pamphili and known as Olimpia Pamphili), was the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X (Pamphili). She was perceived by her contemporaries as havin ...
(who was keen to curry favour with Colonna's cardinal brothers-in-law), she arranged the marriage of her 22-year-old son
Maffeo Barberini
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
to Maidalchini's 12-year-old granddaughter (Pope Innocent's grand-niece),
Olimpia Giustiniani. The marriage resolved many problems at once, reconciling the Barberini and Pamphili families; allowing the remaining Barberini exiles to return to Rome and ensuring the continuation of the Barberini family line.
Having returned to Rome, Colonna also planned to build a convent and chapel in honour of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
,
Regina Coeli
"Regina caeli" (; Queen of Heaven) is a musical antiphon addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is used in the liturgy of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church during the Easter season, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. During this seas ...
. To fund the project she appealed to her eldest son, Cardinal
Carlo Barberini, for access to part her
dowry
A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
, which had been substantial and had included the
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
of
Palestrina
Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; , ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Prenestina. It is built upon ...
, which provided a substantive basis for the hereditary Barberini principality. However, her son declined her request and she was forced to seek funds from her brother, Girolamo. In 1653, Lucrezia's brother was married to Pope Innocent's grand-niece,
Olimpia Giustiniani. The marriage resolved many problems at once, reconciling the Barberini and Pamphili families; allowing the remaining Barberini exiles to return to Rome.
Now restored to favor, Colonna also wanted to arrange her daughter Lucrezia's marriage, a matter which she expected to have a say in, but was told by her brother-in-law
Cardinal Antonio Barberini that she would have no say in whom her daughter married. Her mother dejected then retired to Regina Coeli, where she would have the company of her sister Vittoria who had been made prioress of the convent.
Soon after this Lucrezia was married to the twice widowed
Francesco I d´Este, Duke of Modena.
Death
Colonna died in 1658 and was buried at the grounds of the convent.
Family
Colonna and Barberini had five children:
*
Lucrezia Barberini
Lucrezia Barberini (24 October 1628 – 24 August 1699) was an Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman and, by marriage, Duchess of Modena. Born into the Barberini family, she was the third wife of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena.
Biography ...
(1628–1699) who married
Francesco I d'Este
Francesco I d'Este (6 September 1610 – 14 October 1658) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1629 until his death. The eldest son of Alfonso III d'Este, he became reigning duke after his father's abdication.
Biography
Born on 6 September 1610, ...
and became
Duchess of Modena
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
.
*Camilla Barberini (1629–1631) who died in infancy
*
Carlo Barberini (1630–1704) who became a
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
*
Maffeo Barberini
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
(1631–1685) future
Prince of Palestrina
*Niccolò Maria Barberini (1635–1699) became a
Carmelite
The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
monk
References and notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Anna
1601 births
1658 deaths
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654)
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...
Barberini family
17th-century Italian women
17th-century Italian nobility
Princesses of Taranto