Francesco Pignatelli (6 February 1652 – 15 December 1734) was an Italian

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 ...

from the

House of Pignatelli The House of Pignatelli is the name an old and prominent Neapolitan family of Italian nobility, clergy, men of arts and sciences, whose members occupied significant positions in 18th and 19th century. The family has been regionally prominent since ...

Early life

Pignatelli was born on 6 February 1652 at

Senise Senise is a town in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, southern Italy. It is near Monte Cotugno Lake, one of the largest artificial basins in Europe. Twin towns * Busto Garolfo Busto Garolfo ( Lombard: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in t ...

, in the

Province of Potenza The province of Potenza (; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza. Geography It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are 100 ''comuni'' (singular: ''com ...

. He was the youngest son of

Giulio Pignatelli, 2nd Prince of Noia Giulio Pignatelli, 2nd Prince of Noia, 4th Marquess of Cerchiara (17 March 1587 – 10 March 1658) was an Italian aristocrat. Early life He was born in Naples on 17 March 1587 into the House of Pignatelli, one of the most aristocratic families of ...

, and his fourth wife, Beatrice Carafa (1610–1679). Among his siblings was elder brother,

Niccolò Pignatelli, 8th Duke of Monteleone Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion". There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole (name), ...

Career

In 1665, at the age of 13, Pignatelli entered the order of

Theatines The Theatines, officially named the Congregation of Clerics Regular (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men founded by Archbishop Gian Pietro Carafa on 14 September 1524. Foundation The order wa ...

. On 27 September 1684, after being nominated by King Charles II of Spain, he was elected

Archbishop of Taranto The Archdiocese of Taranto () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, on a bay in the Gulf of Taranto.nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to Poland, where he attempted to work on the schism between Catholics and ''Ruthenians'' (Ukrainians and Polish).Nuova enciclopedia italiana
page 432. On 19 February 1703 he was transferred to the metropolitan

see of Naples The Archdiocese of Naples (; ); ) is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an Arc ...

and occupied it until his death. Although he was fifth cousin of

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...

(1691–1700), he was created cardinal only by his successor

Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

on 17 December 1703. As cardinal he was awarded the titular priest for the church of

Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano is a Roman catholic parish and titular church in Rome on the Via Merulana. One of the oldest churches in Rome, it is dedicated to Saints Marcellinus and Peter, 4th century Roman martyrs, whose relics wer ...

(11 February 1704 – 26 April 1719),

bishop of Sabina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

(26 April 1719 – 12 June 1724),

bishop of Frascati The Diocese of Frascati (Lat.: ''Tusculana'') is a Latin suburbicarian see of the Diocese of Rome and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, based at Frascati, near Rome. The bishop of Frascati is a Cardinal Bishop; from the Latin name of th ...

(12 June 1724 – 19 November 1725) and

bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

(from 19 November 1725 until his death). In the

papal conclave, 1721 The 1721 papal conclave was called upon the death of Pope Clement XI. It began on 31 March 1721 and ended on 8 May that year with the election of Cardinal Michelangelo dei Conti as Pope Innocent XIII. Divisions in the College of Cardinals The ...

Spain vetoed his election to the pontificate. He became

Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals The dean of the College of Cardinals () presides over the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, serving as ('first among equals'). The position was established in the 12th century. He always holds the rank of a cardinal bishop and is as ...

in June 1726 but declined the promotion to the suburbicarian

see of Ostia e Velletri The Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia is an ecclesiastical territory located within the Metropolitan City of Rome in Italy. It is one of the seven suburbicarian dioceses. The incumbent bishop is Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. For cen ...

(proper of the dean) and retained the see of Porto e S. Rufina.

Personal life

He died at

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

on 15 December 1734.

Notes

References

External links

Diocesituscolana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pignatelli, Francesco People from the Province of Potenza 18th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Frascati Cardinal-bishops of Porto Cardinal-bishops of Sabina Archbishops of Naples Deans of the College of Cardinals 1652 births 1734 deaths Apostolic nuncios to Poland Theatines

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

Theatine bishops