Chiarissimo Falconieri Mellini (25 September 1794 – 22 August 1859) was a
Catholic Cardinal and
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
Early life and priesthood
Mellini was born on 25 September 1794 in Rome, the son of ''Marquis Alessandro Falconieri Mellini'' and ''Marianna Lante Montefeltro della Rovere'', of the dukes of
Bomarzo
Bomarzo is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo (Lazio, Central Italy), in the lower valley of the Tiber. It is located east-northeast of Viterbo and north-northwest of Rome.
History
The city's current name is a derivation of ...
. He was a relative of Cardinals
Lelio Falconieri (1643) and
Alessandro Falconieri (1724). His great-great-grandfather was Duke
Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere.
He was educated at the ''Collegio Tolomei'' in
Siena
Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
, the
Collegio Romano
The Roman College (, ) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school through university level and moved to seve ...
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 the
La Sapienza University
The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...
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, ...
where he received a doctorate in
utroque iuris (both civil and canon law) in 1824. Mellini was ordained on 19 September 1818 and was named an Auditor of the
Sacred Roman Rota
The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...
.
Episcopate and cardinalate
He was elected
Archbishop of Ravenna and was consecrated in 1826 by
Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII (; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in February 1829. ...
.
Mellini was elevated to
cardinal-priest
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. ...
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
*Consistor ...
of 12 February 1838. He participated in the
Papal Conclave of 1846 which elected
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
and was made Secretary of Memorials in 1857. Mellini was appointed
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1859.
Death
Mellini died on 22 August 1859 at
Ravenna
Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
and was exposed and buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Ravenna.
Florida International University - Falconieri
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See also
*Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
*College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
*Catholic Church
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 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellini, Clarissimo Falconieri
1794 births
1859 deaths
Archbishops of Ravenna
Cardinals created by Pope Gregory XVI