Ciriaco Rocci (August 8, 1582 – September 25, 1651) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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 Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and papal

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; 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 organization. A nuncio is ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

Life

Rocci was born on 8 August 1582 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and studied law before entering the service of the church. In 1628 he was appointed

Latin Archbishop of Patras The Latin Archbishopric of Patras was the see of Patras in the period in which its incumbents belonged to the Latin Church. This period began in 1205 with the installation in the see of a Catholic archbishop following the Fourth Crusade. The Lat ...

, consecrated

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

on 2 July 1628 by Cardinal Giulio Cesare Sacchetti and sent to Switzerland by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

as an Apostolic Nuncio. In 1629 he returned to

and was elevated to cardinal ''

in pectore (Latin for 'in the breast/heart') is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals without a public ...

''. That same year, Rocci came into possession of one part of the

Villa Muti Villa Muti is a villa in Frascati, Italy, now in the communal territory of Grottaferrata. History Initial construction on the site was started in 1579 by Ludovico Cerasoli.Wells, Clara L. The Alban Hills: Vol. I. Frascati'. Barbera, 1878. 117. ...

which had been divided upon the death of his uncle (on his mother's side) Cardinal Pompeo Arrigoni. His elevation to cardinal was not revealed until 1633, prior to which he was appointed as nuncio to Holy Roman Empire. After revelation of his cardinalate, he returned to Rome and was appointed Cardinal-Priest of San Salvatore in Lauro. He served as

Cardinal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Cathol ...

(the governor of the province) of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

between 1637 and 1640. He participated in the Papal conclave of 1644 which elected

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X (6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death, in January 1655. Born in Rome of a family fro ...

and between 1646 and 1647 he was appointed

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 ...

. Rocci died in Rome on 25 September 1651.

Episcopal succession

References

External links

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocci, Ciriaco 1582 births 1651 deaths 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Urban VIII Apostolic nuncios to Switzerland Apostolic nuncios to the Holy Roman Empire Latin archbishops of Patras