Carlo III Gaetano Stampa (1667–1742) was an Italian cardinal and

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

from 1737 to 1742.

Early life

Carlo Gaetano Stampa was born on 1 November 1667 in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Cristiano

Stampa Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. History Stampa is first mentioned after 1354 as ''Stamppa'' and was named so in honor of the Stampa fami ...

and Giustina of the

House of Borromeo ), type= Noble family, country=, estates= Rocca d'Angera Palazzo Borromeo, Milan Castel of Peschiera BorromeoBorromean Islands Villa Borromeo, Arcore, titles=* Prince of Angera * Marquess of Romagnano * Count of Arona * Count of Peschiera * Lor ...

. He was cousin to Giuseppe Archinto, Federico Visconti and nephiew of Federigo and

Saint Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat a ...

. Carlo Gaetano entered in the clerical state in his youth, he studied in Rome at the

Pontifical Roman Seminary , type = Major seminary , established = , founder = Pope Pius IV , parent = Diocese of Rome , religious_affiliation = Catholic Church , rector = Gabriele Fara ...

and on 10 July 1698 he earned a doctorate in utroque iure at the University of Pavia. He took up a career as lawyer in Milan. In 1703 he moved to Rome where he entered in the administration of the Papal States: in 1705 he became

referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byzan ...

of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature, on 10 December 1706 he was appointed Vice- legate of Romagna, a position he kept until 1709. Later he was governor of Spoleto and from 1714 to 1717 he was governor of Ancona, where he won a victory over the pirates. In 1716 he was appointed

Inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literall ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, but he never moved to such island. Carlo Gaetano was ordained

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on 31 October 1717 and he was appointed

Titular archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...

on 6 December 1717, being consecrated

bishop 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 is c ...

on 23 Jan 1718 by Cardinal Ferdinando d'Adda in Rome. From 1718 to 1720 he served as

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 the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and from 1720 to 1735 he served in the delicate position of Nuncio to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. In 1735 he returned to Rome because on 12 December 1734 Pope Clement XII had appointed him Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops.

Archbishop of Milan

On 6 May 1737 Carlo Gaetano Stampa was appointed

, however he entered in

in private form only in July 1738 and he made his formal entry in the town on 10 May 1739. On 23 February 1739 he was appointed

Cardinal Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio. He participated to the Papal conclave of 1740, which lasted from February to August. As Archbishop of Milan he followed the pastoral approach of his predecessor, stressing the role and the morality of the clergy. Due to his cardiac problems, he could make a pastoral visit only to the town of

Abbiategrasso Abbiategrasso, formerly written Abbiate Grasso. (local lmo, Biegrass ; lmo, label= Milanese, Biaa ), is a ''comune'' and town in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy, situated in the Po valley approximately from Milan and ...

, but he convened all the vicars of the diocese on Milan on 7 June 1742. He died suddenly in Milan on 23 December 1742. His funeral service was held on 21 January 1743 and his remains were buried in the North transept of the Cathedral of Milan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stampa, Carlo Gaetano 1667 births 1742 deaths 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Archbishops of Milan 18th-century Italian cardinals Burials at Milan Cathedral Apostolic Nuncios to Tuscany Apostolic Nuncios to the Republic of Venice