Antonio Banchieri (19 May 1667 - 16 September 1733) was an Italian cardinal.

Life

Born in

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a ty ...

, he belonged to the Banchieri noble family and was the son of Niccolò,

gonfaloniere The Gonfalonier (in Italian: ''Gonfaloniere'') was the holder of a highly prestigious communal office in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from ''gonfalone'' (in English, gonfalon), the t ...

and knight of Santo Stefano, and his wife lady Caterina Rospigliosi. His uncles were cardinals

Giacomo Oddi Giacomo Oddi (11 November 1679 - 2 May 1770) was an Italian archbishop and cardinal. Biography He was born to a local aristocratic family in Perugia and was ordained a priest on 30 May 1723. He was appointed titular archbishop of Laodicea in ...

and Giovanni Francesco Banchieri. On his mother's side he was a great-grandson of

pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...

and nephew of cardinals Giacomo Rospigliosi and Felice Rospigliosi. He began his studies at the Collegio Tolomei in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

in 1679, before moving to the Seminario Romano in Rome, graduating as a doctor utroque iure on 10 July 1692. During the pontificate of

pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo 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 ...

he was made participating apostolic protonotary on 27 June 1692 and then referandario to the

Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

on 16 July 1692, a role he held until 1725. He also became relatore to the Sacra Congregazione della Sacra Consulta and then consultore to the

Sacred Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the ...

. He became ruling secretary to the Sacra Congregazione della Propaganda Fide in the absence of secretary Agostino Fabroni in July 1702 and consistorial advocate and vice-legate to

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

from 23 December 1702 to 8 August 1706. In 1706 the pope intended to make him

apostolic nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; 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 ...

to France, but Banchieri declined the role since it would require him to be ordained a priest. He was made secretary to the Sacra Congregazione della Propaganda Fide in May 1706 and then assessor of the Suprema Sacra congregazione della Romana and the Universal Inquisition in August 1707. He was secretary to the Sacra consulta from 3 October 1712 to 1724, then a member of the Special Congregation which discussed the "Riflessioni morali sul Nuovo Testamento" (''Moral Reflections on the New Testament'') by the

Jansenist Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by th ...

Pasquier Quesnel Pasquier Quesnel, CO (14 July 1634 – 2 December 1719) was a French Jansenist theologian. Life Quesnel was born in Paris, and, after graduating from the Sorbonne with distinction in 1653, he joined the French Oratory in 1657. There he soon ...

.. He also served as governor of Rome and vice-

camerlengo Camerlengo (plural: ''camerlenghi'', Italian for " chamberlain") is an Italian title of medieval origin. It derives from the late Latin ''camarlingus'', in turn coming through the Frankish ''kamerling'', from the Latin ''camerarius'' which meant ...

from 30 September 1724 to 30 April 1728. He was made a cardinal

in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wi ...

in the consistory of 9 December 1726 - his appointment was made public in the consistory of 30 April 1728 and he received his cardinal's biretta and the titulus of San Nicola in Carcere on 10 May that year. He took part in the 1730 conclave which elected

pope Clement XII Pope Clement XII ( la, Clemens XII; it, Clemente XII; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the ...

, who made Banchieri Secretary of State and prefect of the Sacra Consulta on 15 July 1730, roles he held until his death. In 1730 he became a member of the "De nonnullis" Congregation, in which he clashed with cardinal

Niccolò Coscia Niccolò Coscia (1681 – 8 February 1755) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He was born at Pietradefusi, near Avellino. In 1725 he was appointed as Cardinal of Santa Maria in Domnica by Pope Benedict XIII, whose secretary he had been wh ...

. He was also later made prefect of the

Holy House of Loreto The Basilica della Santa Casa ( en, Basilica of the Holy House) is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marches, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pi ...

, of the city of

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and '' comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest ...

and of the

Comtat Venaissin The Comtat Venaissin (; Provençal: , Mistralian norm: , classical norm: ; 'County of Venaissin'), often called the for short, was a part of the Papal States (1274‒1791) in what is now the region of France. The entire region was an enclav ...

. He had an apoplexic fit in July 1733 and was critically ill for a time, before recovering. This did force him to retire to his home in Pistoia on 29 August that year, where he died only a fortnight later. His body lay in state for public veneration before being buried in Santissimo Nome di Gesù church in Pistoia.

References

External links

*http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpalllo.html * {{DEFAULTSORT:Banchieri, Antonio 1667 births 1733 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals People from Pistoia