Alessandro Verde (27 March 1865 – 29 March 1958) was an Italian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Cardinal and Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Early life

He was born in

Sant'Antimo Sant'Antimo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 13 km north of Naples. Geography The municipality is located at 67 m above sea level and is 16 km from the ce ...

, and educated at the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

Aversa Aversa () is a city and '' comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical ...

, where he was ordained. Later, he continued his studies at the

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

of "S. Apollinare", where he received

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

s in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

in 1890 and a doctorate ''utroque iuris'' (in both canon and civil law) 1893. He worked in the Roman Curia after his studies and worked in the

Diocese of Rome The Diocese of Rome ( la, Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana; it, Diocesi di Roma) is the ecclesiastical district under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Churc ...

. He served as a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

of civil law at the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum "S. Apollinare" from 1896 until 1897. He was created Privy chamberlain of His Holiness on 1897. He worked as an assessor of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an adminis ...

from 1897. He was elevated to the level of Domestic prelate of His Holiness on 16 January 1902. He was appointed Secretary of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

on 26 June 1915.

Cardinal

He was created

Cardinal-Deacon 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 ...

S. Maria in Cosmedin The Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin or ''de Schola Graeca'') is a minor basilica church in Rome, Italy. It is located in the rione of Ripa. History According to Byzantine historian Andrew Ekonomo ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 14 December 1925 by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fr ...

. He opted for the order of cardinal priests and his deaconry was elevated ''

pro hac vice In the legal field, ''pro hac vice'' () is a practice in common law jurisdictions whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction. Although ''pro ...

'' in 1935. He participated in the conclave of 1939 that elected Pope Pius XII. He was appointed Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. When Verde died, he was both the oldest living cardinal and the Cardinal protoprete as the longest-serving member of the college (which is actually a relatively rare occurrence). He died in 1958 two days after his 93rd birthday and is buried in his family's tomb in Sant'Antimo.

Sources

Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verde, Alessandro 1865 births 1958 deaths People from the Province of Naples 20th-century Italian cardinals Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni