Federico Caccia (13 April 1635 – 14 January 1699) was an Italian diplomat, 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 1693 to 1699.

Early life

Caccia was born on 10 June 1635 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 ...

to a noble family from

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...

. Orphaned early in childhood, he studied under the Jesuits in the College of Brera in Milan and later he was admitted at the

Collegio Borromeo ''For the former Borromeo College in the United States see Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology#Borromeo College'' The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. ...

. He earned a

doctorate in utroque iure A doctor of both laws, from the Latin ''doctor utriusque juris'', or ''juris utriusque doctor'', or ''doctor juris utriusque'' ("doctor of both laws") (abbreviations include: JUD, IUD, DUJ, JUDr., DUI, DJU, Dr.iur.utr., Dr.jur.utr., DIU, UJD a ...

at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

and took up a career as lawyer in Milan. In 1667 he moved to Rome where, as lawyer, he gained assignments in the Roman Curia. He was also

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

for four years of the Archgimnasium of Rome. His works as lawyer are mostly lost. In view of more demanding services, 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 ...

of Laodicea in Phrygia on 2 January 1693 and 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 4 January 1693 by Cardinal

Galeazzo Marescotti Galeazzo Marescotti (1 October 1627 – 3 July 1726) was an Italian cardinal. Biography He was born in Vignanello, Italy. His father was named Sforza Marescotti and his mother was Vittoria Ruspoli, both born to prominent aristocratic famil ...

in Rome with Prospero Bottini,

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 ...

of ''Myra'', and Stefano Giuseppe Menatti,

Titular Bishop 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 ...

of ''Cyrene'', serving as co-consecrators. The day after he left Rome as Nuncio to the Kingdom of Spain, where he succeeded to gain the confidence of Charles II.

Archbishop of Milan

On 13 April 1693 Federico Caccia was appointed

, however he entered

only on 11 December 1696 due to his ongoing diplomatic services and to a term of about six months in Rome. On 12 December 1695 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 ...

Santa Pudenziana Santa Pudenziana is a church of Rome, a basilica built in the 4th century and dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, sister of Praxedes and daughter of Pudens (mentioned by Paul the Apostle in ''2 Timothy'', 4: 21). It is one of the national churches in ...

. As Archbishop of Milan he convened all the vicars of the diocese of Milan on 16 March 1697, and made a pastoral visit to the valley of

Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

. He was able to keep such good relations with the Spanish government that he was appointed by Charles II of Spain as temporary governor of the Duchy of Milan in 1697. He is remembered for his love for the paupers to whom he left by will all his properties. Federico Caccia died in Milan on 14 January 1699 and his remains were buried in the North transept of the

Cathedral of Milan Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombar ...

. While bishop, he was the principal consecrator of

Francisco Manuel de Zúñiga Sotomayor y Mendoza Francisco Manuel de Zúñiga Sotomayor y Mendoza, O.S.A. (1646–1712) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo (1695–1712). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Francisco Manuel de Zúñiga Sotomayor y Mendoza was born in San ...

Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo The Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo ( la, Dioecesis Civitatensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Spain, located in the city of Ciudad Rodrigo in the ecclesiastical province of Valladolid.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caccia, Federico 1635 births 1699 deaths Diplomats from Milan 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Archbishops of Milan 17th-century Italian cardinals Apostolic Nuncios to Spain Burials at Milan Cathedral