Girolamo Rusticucci (1537 – 14 June 1603) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

and

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. He was personal secretary to Cardinal Michele Ghislieri, later Pope Pius V, who made Rusticucci a cardinal. He occupied numerous important positions, including

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

to France and Spain, Camerlengo (treasurer) and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, and

Vicar General of Rome Cardinal vicar () is a title commonly given to the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome for the portion of the diocese within Italy (i.e. excluding the portion within Vatican City). The official title, as given in the ''Annuario Pontificio'', is ...

. He built a palace near Saint Peter's Square in Rome, located on a new piazza that was named after the cardinal.

Biography

Girolamo Rusticucci was born in Cartoceto in 1537, the son of Ludovico Rusticucci, a famous

jurisconsult A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a legal practitione ...

, and his wife Diamante Leonardi. As a young man, he studied

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and oratory. Rusticucci traveled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1557, entering the

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of Cardinal Michele Ghislieri, who later became

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V, OP (; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an ...

, as the cardinal's personal secretary. When the cardinal became pope, he made Rusticucci a protonotary apostolic. Also, when Cardinal Michele Bonelli, Pope Pius V's

cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew (; ; ; ; )Signorotto and Visceglia, 2002, p. 114. Modern French scholarly literature uses the term "cardinal-neveu'". was a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal elevated by a pope who was that cardinal's relative. The practice of c ...

, was absent, the pope put Rusticucci in charge of managing most of the church's affairs. Pope Pius V made him a

cardinal priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

of 17 May 1570. He received the

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and the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

Santa Susanna The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian () is a Roman Catholic, Catholic parish church, parish and Cistercian conventual church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site as ...

on 9 June 1570. On 16 June 1570 he was elected

Bishop of Senigallia The Diocese of Senigallia () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the Marche, Italy. It has existed since the sixth century. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo. He was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

as a bishop in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

by Cardinal Marcantonio Maffei with Francesco Rusticucci,

Bishop of Fano The Diocese of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola () is a Latin Church, Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, created in 1986, when the historical Diocese of Fano was united to the Diocese of Cagli e Pergola and the Diocese of Fossombrone. I ...

, and Giuseppe Pamphilj, Bishop of Segni, serving as co-consecrators. As a bishop, he promoted educating his

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

along the lines provided by the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

. He resigned the government of the diocese sometime before 29 November 1577. Pope Pius V then named him

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and the

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to promote war against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He participated in the papal conclave of 1572 that elected

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

, and in the papal conclave of 1585 that elected

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V (; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where h ...

. He served as

from 1588 to 1603. He was also a participant in the papal conclave of September 1590 that elected

Pope Urban VII Pope Urban VII (; ; 4 August 1521 – 27 September 1590), born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was head of the Catholic Church, and ruler of the Papal States from 15 to 27 September 1590. His papacy was the shortest recognized in history. Castagn ...

; the papal conclave of October–December 1590 that elected

Pope Gregory XIV Pope Gregory XIV (; ; 11 February 1535 – 16 October 1591), born Niccolò Sfondrato or Sfondrati, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 December 1590 to his death, in October 1591. Early career Niccolò S ...

; and the papal conclave of 1591 that elected Pope Innocent IX. He became Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals on 8 January 1590 and was confirmed in the post on 14 February 1592. He participated in the papal conclave of 1592 that elected

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

. The new pope confirmed him as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, and he held that position from 14 February 1592 to 1593. On 18 August 1597 he opted for the titular church of

Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere () or Our Lady in Trastevere is a titulus (Roman Catholic), titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and wall structure of the ...

. Soon thereafter, he became the cardinal

protopriest The Protopriest of the College of Cardinals (, and, rare, ) in the College of Cardinals, is the first Cardinal-Priest in the order of precedence, hence directly after the Cardinal-bishops. This title is always attached to the most senior Cardi ...

. He opted for the order of

cardinal bishop A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...

s on 30 March 1598, taking the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano. He opted for the Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina on 21 February 1600 and then for the Suburbicarian Diocese of Porto e Santa Rufina on 19 February 1603. He was the Vice-

Dean of the 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 ...

. He died in Rome on 14 June 1603. He was buried in Santa Susanna.

Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni

In 1584 Rusticucci, after having bought a lesser palace and several houses at the west end of Via Alessandrina in Borgo, gave to

Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian"Domenico Fontana."
''

Palazzo Rusticucci-Accoramboni.Gigli (1992) p. 86 The work was finished by Fontana`s nephew,

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno or Maderna (1556 – 31 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, Switzerland, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sant ...

.Gigli (1992) p. 88 After the work for the erection of Saint Peter's Square, the palace occupied the north side of a new piazza, Piazza Rusticucci, which was named after the cardinal.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusticucci, Girolamo 1537 births 1603 deaths Cardinal-nephews Cardinals created by Pope Pius V 16th-century Italian cardinals 17th-century Italian cardinals Bishops appointed by Pope Pius V 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-bishops of Sabina Cardinal-bishops of Porto