Tiberio Crispo (31 January 1498 – 10 October 1566), the son of Giovanni Battista Crispo and Silvia Ruffini, who, after her husband's death, was the mistress of Alessandro Farnese. It was believed that Tiberio was an illegitimate son of Farnese, who became

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

. He was certainly a natural brother of Costanza Farnese (born ca. 1500) and Ranuccio Farnese (died 1529), the two undisputed legitimate children of Paul III, were born before his election as pope in 1534.

Biography

Tiberio Crispo began his career as a Canon and Prebendary of the Vatican Basilica. On 11 April 1543 Pope Paul III granted him the right of making his own will. He was also ''cubicularius secretus''. From June 1542 to April 1545 Crispo was the

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum ...

. He was appointed Bishop of Sessa Aurunca in Campania, in the province of Caserta in the Kingdom of Naples, on 6 July 1543, though he resigned the post in the next year in favor Bartolommeo Albano, who was appointed on 7 June 1544. Tiberio Crispo was raised to the

cardinalate The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appo ...

on 19 December 1544 by Paul III. He was assigned the deaconry of S. Agata de' Goti from 1545 to 1551. On 20 November 1551 he was promoted to the Order of Cardinal Priests, but he was allowed to continue to hold the deaconry of S. Agata as though it were a ''titulus'', '' pro illa vice'' (on that one occasion) until 1562. On 18 May 1562 he was promoted Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere. He was appointed Administrator of the Diocese of

Sessa Aurunca Sessa Aurunca is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy. It is located on the south west slope of the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina, by rail west north west of Caserta and east of Formia. It is situated o ...

(1565 – 27 June 1566) during the vacancy caused by the death of Bishop Galeazzo Florimonte. As

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, or to some part of the Catholic ...

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...

, Crispo was a "driving force behind the architectural renewal of the city". For example, in 1547 Crispo commissioned

Galeazzo Alessi Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...

for the construction of

Santa Maria del Popolo it, Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo , image = 20140803 Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo Rome 0191.jpg , caption = The church from Piazza del Popolo , coordinates = , image_size ...

to replace a church demolished by the construction of the Via Nuova. He also commissioned a palace in

Bolsena Bolsena is a town and '' comune'' of Italy, in the province of Viterbo in northern Lazio on the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena. It is 10 km (6 mi) north-north west of Montefiascone and 36 km (22 mi) north-west of Viterbo. ...

that bears his name, '' Palazzo di Tiberio Crispo'' (also known as the ''Palazzo Crispo Marsciano'' or ''Palazzo Rondanini alla Rotonda''), which was designed by

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger 250px, A model of the Apostolic Palace, which was the main project of Bramante during Sangallo's apprenticeship. 250px, The church of Santa Maria di Loreto near the 250px">The 250px, 250px, View of St. Patrick's Well in Orvieto. Antonio da ...

circa 1543; after the death of Sangallo in 1546,

Raffaello da Montelupo Raffaello da Montelupo (c. 1504/1505 – c. 1566/1567), born Raffaele Sinibaldi, was a sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and an apprentice of Michelangelo. He was the son of another Italian sculptor, Baccio da Montelupo. Both f ...

was called in to finish the palace, which remained incomplete, however, after the deaths of both Crispo and Raffaello in 1566. Historical research indicates that Crispo also likely owned the "'' Palazzo Nobile''" in Rome, a palace originally commissioned for Thomas Cardinal Wolsey circa 1507 before passing to the

Aldobrandini The House of Aldobrandini is an Italian noble family originally from Florence, where in the Middle Ages they held the most important municipal offices. Now the Aldobrandini are resident in Rome, with close ties to the Vatican. History Thei ...

family; Crispo likely commissioned the 400 square metres of frescos in the palace which celebrate the life of Paul III.Guido Di Capua.
"The Conservative Restoration Project for the Property on the First Floor of the 'Palazzo Nobile' at 48 Piazza Rondanini in Rome"
. After the death of Paul III, Crispo participated in the conclaves of 1549-1550 (administrator of

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...

at the time), April 1555 (administrator of Sessa Arunca and Amalfi at the time), May 1555,

1559 Year 1559 ( MDLIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 15 – Elizabeth I of England is crowned, in Westminster Abbey. * February 27 ...

, 1565-1566 (

bishop of Sabina A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop i ...

at the time). Research related to the life and patronage of Crispo is ongoing in historical archives in Rome (States Archives,

Vatican Secret Archives , seal = Seal of the Vatican Secret Archives.svg , seal_width = 200 , seal_caption = Former seal of the Vatican Apostolic Archive , logo = , formed = , jurisdiction = , headquarters = Cortile del Belvedere, Vatican City , coordinates ...

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

) and

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

(States Archives of Foligno, Historical Diocesan Archives of Perugia, States Archives of Perugia).Antonio Pinelli.
Art and politics: public and private celebrations. Case studies, tipologies and comparisons.
" ''Ricerca Italiana''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crispo, Toberio 1498 births 1566 deaths 16th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Sabina Cardinal-nephews Bishops in Campania People from the Province of Caserta 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops