Filippo Maria Monti (or Cardinal de Monti) (23 March 1675 – 17 January 1754) was a Cardinal in the

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 ...

, elevated by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

on 9 September 1743. After his death, his large library became the nucleus of the library of the

Academy of Sciences of Bologna Institute The Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna (''Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna'') is an academic society in Bologna, Italy, that was founded in 1690 and prospered in the Age of Enlightenment. Today it is closely associated ...

, later transferred to the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

Early years

Filippo Maria Monti was born 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 ...

on 23 March 1675, son of Ferdinando Monti and Camilla Moscardini. His father was of mercantile origins, but had obtained the title of Marquis. In 1719 Filippo's brother Francesco was made a Senator of Bologna. Filippo attended the "El Porto" college for nobility, then studied the law before going to Rome in the service of Cardinal

Enrico Noris Henry Noris (; 29 August 1631 – 23 February 1704) was an Italian Church historian, theologian and cardinal. Biography Noris was born at Verona, and was baptized with the name Hieronymus (Girolamo). His ancestors were Irish. His father, Al ...

. In 1709 he was dispatched to

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 ...

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

to iron out causes of tension with that state caused by the

War of the 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 E ...

(1701–1714), particularly the Imperial occupation of the Papal possession of

Comacchio Comacchio (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, from the provincial capital Ferrara. It was founded about two thousand years ago; across its history it was first governed by the Exarchate of Ravenna, ...

Priest and Cardinal

Monti was made a domestic priest in 1710, and in 1715 was made a canon of the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is ...

and was ordained a priest. In 1730 he was named Secretary of the consistorial

Congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

, and on 18 February 1736 was promoted to Secretary of

Propaganda Fide The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregati ...

. He was elevated to Cardinal on 9 September 1743 in the Consistory of 1743, installed Cardinal-Priest of

Sant'Agnese fuori le mura The church of Saint Agnes Outside the Walls () is a Titular church, titular churches of Rome, church, a minor basilica in Rome, on a site sloping down from the Via Nomentana, which runs north-east out of the city, still under its ancient name. W ...

on 23 September 1743, and appointed Cardinal-Priest of

Santo Stefano Rotondo The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill (, ) is an ancient basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the church is Hungary's "national church" in Rome, dedicated to both Saint Stephen, ...

on 10 April 1747. He died on 17 January 1754.

Collection

Monti began to collect books in the 1720s, some on religious or historical subjects but including many modern literary and scientific works. By the time of his death his library contained 11,000 volumes, mostly printed, including texts on theology, philosophy, canon law and literature. In accordance with the Pope's suggestion, Cardinal Monti bequeathed his entire library to the

. He also gave the Institute a collection of 400 paintings which included portraits of major scientific figures. The library was formally opened in 1756.

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Monti, Filippo Maria 1675 births 1754 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals