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Alessandro Damasceni Peretti di Montalto (1571 – 2 June 1623) was an Italian 
As a cardinal, Peretti lived an extravagant lifestyle in which he indulged his taste for music and lavish theatrical productions staged in his residence, the Cancelleria palace. He retained several musicians in his service and encouraged the art of monody or solo song.
His
Biographical Dictionary of the Cardinals of the Roman catholic Church:
San Andrea della Valle {{DEFAULTSORT:Peretti di Montalto, Alessandro 1571 births 1623 deaths People from the Province of Ascoli Piceno 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-nephews
Alessandro Damasceni Peretti di Montalto (1571 – 2 June 1623) was an Italian Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
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 ...
. He received the title from his great-uncle Felice Piergentile after the latter was 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 ...
on 24 April 1585, in the consistory on 13 May, and was installed as Cardinal Deacon
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 ...
of San Girolamo dei Croati on 14 June 1585; the cardinal was then fourteen years old. The Republic of Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
inscribed him in the ''Libro d'Oro
The ''Libro d'Oro'' (''The Golden Book''), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the ''Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà It ...
'' as a patrician of Venice that same year. Though he was made the permanent governor 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 huma ...
the following year, and was often the papal legate in Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, he was not made a bishop until 1620, when he became Cardinal-Bishop of Albano
The Diocese of Albano () is a Latin suburbicarian see of the Diocese of Rome in Italy, comprising seven towns in the Province of Rome. Albano Laziale is situated on the Appian Way some from Rome.
Since 1966, it has both a titular bishop and ...
. He served also as Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church
Chancellor is an ecclesiastical title used by several quite distinct officials of some Christian churches. In some churches, the chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters.
Catholic Church
In the Catholic ...
(1589–1623) and Cardinal Protector of the Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385.
Background
The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
(named on 19 September 1589 by King Sigismund III) and of the several religious orders.
Alessandro Peretti was born at Montalto delle Marche, the son of Fabio Damasceni and Maria Felice Mignucci Peretti, who was a niece of the pope on her mother's side. Like his great-uncle before him, Alessandro Peretti was also known as Cardinal di Montalto. His primary works as a great patron were the Villa Lante
Villa Lante is a Mannerism, Mannerist garden of surprise in Bagnaia, Viterbo, Bagnaia, Viterbo, central Italy, attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola.
Villa Lante did not become well known until it passed to Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rov ...
at Bagnaia, where he contributed to the gardens a casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
matching the earlier one, and the church (though not the facade) of Sant'Andrea della Valle
Sant'Andrea della Valle is a titular church and minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the seat of the general curia of the Theatines and is located on the Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection ...
in Rome, (begun in 1591), where 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 ...
constructed at the Cardinal's personal expense the second-largest dome in Rome, 1608 to 1621.
As a cardinal, Peretti lived an extravagant lifestyle in which he indulged his taste for music and lavish theatrical productions staged in his residence, the Cancelleria palace. He retained several musicians in his service and encouraged the art of monody or solo song.
His portrait bust
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human body, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. The bust is generally a portr ...
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...
is at the Hamburg Kunsthalle. Surviving books from Cardinal Alessandro's library reflect pride in his relationship to the Pope through elaborate armorials and his perfect taste.
Cardinal Montalto was in turn the uncle of Cardinal Francesco Peretti di Montalto (1597‑1655), raised to the purple in 1641.
References
Sources
* James Chater, "Music and Patronage in Rome: the Case of Cardinal Montalto", ''Studi musicali'', xvi (1987), 179–227 * Hill, John Walter, ''Roman Monody, Cantata, and Opera from the Circles around Cardinal Montalto''. Two volumes. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1997External links
Biographical Dictionary of the Cardinals of the Roman catholic Church:
San Andrea della Valle {{DEFAULTSORT:Peretti di Montalto, Alessandro 1571 births 1623 deaths People from the Province of Ascoli Piceno 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-nephews