Luis Antonio Belluga y Moncada (30 November 1662 – 22 February 1743) was a prominent

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

churchman Churchman typically refers to a member of the clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching the ...

and statesman during the 18th century.

Biography

Born in

Motril Motril () is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The main settlement is located a few kilometers inland, separated from the Port of Motril by the Guadalfeo delta. Mo ...

Province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

, he was ordained at the age of 14. He served as a

lector Lector is Latin for one who reads, whether aloud or not. In modern languages it takes various forms, as either a development or a loan, such as , , and . It has various specialized uses. Academic The title ''lector'' may be applied to lecturers ...

at the Cathedral of Córdoba,

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

at the

Cathedral of Zamora The Cathedral of Zamora is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in Zamora, Spain, Zamora, in Castile and León, Spain, located above the right bank of the Duero It remains surrounded by its old walls and gates. Built between 1151 and 1174, ...

, and professor in the Colegio de Santiago in

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. He supported

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

and the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

during the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...

, and was named by Philip

bishop of Cartagena The Diocese of Cartagena () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cartagena in the ecclesiastical province of Granada in Spain.viceroy of Valencia This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Valencia from 1520 to 1707. *1520 : Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Count of Melito *1523 : Germaine of Foix and Johann of Brandenburg-Ansbach *1526 : Germaine of Foix and Ferdinand of Aragon, Duque ...

and

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

where he won the Battle of Murcia.

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X (; ; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death on 22 July 1676. Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, born in Rome in ...

named him cardinal on 29 November 1719. He served as

Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church. The title is based on an Italian word for chamberlain, a word no longer used in secular contexts. The position existed from a ...

(1728–1729), and as a crown-cardinal (circa 1732). He undertook major

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

and revitalization schemes in Murcia and in

Vega Baja del Segura Vega Baja del Segura (; Mapa temàtic comarcal de la Comunitat Valenciana, serie CV350. Institut Cartogràfic Valencià. 2022, Col·leccions AutonòmiquesPDF/ref> ), simply known locally and regionally as Vega Baja (in Spanish), is a ''comarca'' ...

, where he initiated the colonization of uncultivated lands, founded new towns, established a

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

for theologians, drained

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, and built hospices and hospitals. In 1736, he provided support to the Capuchin

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Francesco Orazio della Penna when the latter sought help for his mission in Tibet.

Legacy

A street is named after him in his hometown of Motril, where there is also a statue. The Plaza del Cardenal Belluga in Murcia is named after him. The

Cathedral of Murcia The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia (Spanish: ''Iglesia Catedral de Santa María en Murcia''), commonly called the Cathedral of Murcia, is a Catholic church in the city of Murcia, Spain. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

, the episcopal palace of the

Diocese of Cartagena The Diocese of Cartagena () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cartagena, Spain, Cartagena in the ecclesiastical province of Archdiocese of Granada, Granada in Spain.Rafael Moneo José Rafael Moneo Vallés (born 9 May 1937) is a Spanish architect. He won the Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1996, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2003, and La Biennale's Golden Lion in 2021. Biography Born in Tudela, Spain, Moneo studi ...

) are found on this square.

Notes

Resources

(es) Díaz Gómez, J.A. (2017), Luis Antonio Belluga: trayectoria de un cardenal oratoriano y su vinculación a la Chiesa Nuova, ''Annales Oratorii'' 15: 121-154.
* (es
Díaz Gómez, J.A. (2016), Arte y mecenazgo en las fundaciones pías del cardenal Belluga bajo los reales auspicios de Felipe V. La irrenunciable herencia filipense, en M.M. Albero Muñoz y M. Pérez Sánchez (eds.), ''Las artes de un espacio y un tiempo: el setecientos borbónico:'' 57-75. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española.
* (es
Linage Conde, A. (1978), Una biografía inédita del cardenal Belluga, por el obispo de Ceuta Martín Barcia (1746), ''Murgetana'' 52: 113-134.
* (es
López-Guadalupe Muñoz, J.J. (2004), El mecenazgo artístico del Cardenal Belluga: la Capilla de la Virgen de los Dolores en la Iglesia Mayor de Motril, ''Imafronte'' 17: 81-112.
* (es) Vilar Ramírez, J.B. (2001), ''El cardenal Luis Belluga''. Granada: Comares. {{DEFAULTSORT:Belluga y Moncada, Luis de 1662 births 1743 deaths People from Motril Bishops of Cartagena 18th-century Spanish cardinals Ambassadors of Spain to the Holy See