Cosma Orsini (died 1481) (called Cardinal Orsini) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Biography

Cosma Orsini was born in Rome in the 1420s, the son of Gentile Migliorati of Fermo, and his wife Elena Orsini, who was the daughter of Carlo Orsini Lord of Pacentro, Lamentana, Fornello, Scrofano, Selci, Campagnano and Trevignano and Paola Gironima Orsini. His last name should have been Migliorati, but he used his mother's surname, Orsini. He was a grand-nephew of Pope Innocent VII (Migliorati). His mother was sister of Cardinal

Latino Orsini Latino Orsini (1411 – 11 August 1477) was an Italian Cardinal. Of the Roman branch of the Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renai ...

and Archbishop Giovanni Orsini. Giovanni was a councilor of Ferdinando I King of Naples. By 1474, he had obtained a doctorate in Canon Law, and was a Protonotary Apostolic and Canon of the Vatican Basilica. Orsini was a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He became Abbot ''nullius'' of the Benedictine Farfa Abbey on 8 August 1477, upon the resignation of Giovanni Orsini, his mother's brother. On 1 April 1478, he was appointed

Archbishop of Trani The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie ( la, Archidioecesis Tranensis-Barolensis-Vigiliensis (-Nazarensis)) is a Latin rite archbishopric in the administrative province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the southeastern Italian regi ...

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

, in succession to his uncle Giovanni — a post he occupied until his death. He retained the monastery of Farfa ''in commendam''. In the consistory of 15 May 1480,

made him a cardinal priest. He received the titular church of

S. Sisto The Basilica of San Sisto Vecchio (in Via Appia) is one of the over sixty minor basilicas among the churches of Rome, and a titular church since 600 AD. As such, it is connected to the title of a Cardinal priest, currently Antoine Kambanda. Bas ...

, and, on 3 June 1480, he received the

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in the Vatican Palace. On that same day, he opted for the titular church of

Santi Nereo e Achilleo Santi Nereo ed Achilleo is a fourth-century basilica church in Rome, Italy, located in via delle Terme di Caracalla in the rione Celio facing the main entrance to the Baths of Caracalla. It has been the titular church of Cardinal Celestino Aós ...

. Ludwig Pastor interprets the Consistory of 15 May 1480 as one that "further promoted the worldliness and pomp of the Sacred College.... With hardly an exception those raised to the purple were of high birth." On Wednesday 12 September 1471, Pope Sixtus decided to take a vacation from the heat and persistent pestilences, and so travelled north some twenty miles to the lakeside town of Bracciano, which belonged to Virginio Orsini. Cardinal Cosma Orsini of Ss. Nereo ed Achilleo was with him, despite a severe case of the gout, to protect the family interests. On 1 October Sixtus decided to visit the alum mines at Tolfa, and then on 2 October he proceeded to Civitavecchia, where he wanted to see the fleet under the command of Cardinal Paolo Fregosi. After wandering around Tuscany, the Pope returned to Rome on 17 October. Cardinal Cosma remained at Bracciano. Cardinal Cosmo died of "furiosa apoplexia" in

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake ( Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Cast ...

on 21 November 1481. On the next day his body was carried to the Abbey of Farfa, where he was buried.Eubel, p. 44, no. 448.

References

Bibliography

* Christine Shaw, ''The Political Role of the Orsini Family from Sixtus IV to Clement VII: Barons and Factions in the Papal States'' (Roma: Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medio Evo, 2007). * Lorenzo Cardella, ''Memorie storiche de' Cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa'' Tomo secondo (Roma: Pagliarini 1793). {{DEFAULTSORT:Orsini, Cosma 1481 deaths Cosma 15th-century Italian cardinals Year of birth unknown Italian Benedictines Benedictine abbots Italian abbots 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops in Apulia Archbishops of Trani