Francesco Saverio de Zelada (27 August 1717, in Rome – 19 December 1801, in Rome) was a

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 ...

of the Roman Catholic Church, born of a Spanish family, who served in the

Papal Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes us ...

and in the

diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. He was educated at the University of La Sapienza, gaining degrees in both canon and civil law. He was ordained on 23 October 1740. Zelada was appointed titular Archbishop of Petra on 23 December 1766, and cardinal priest in the consistory of 19 April 1773. Appointed by means of a papal brief of

Pope Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV (; ; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in September 1774. At the time of his elec ...

, he was the principal negotiator for the

and composer of the brief ''

Dominus ac Redemptor ''Dominus ac Redemptor'' (''Lord and Redeemer'') is the papal brief promulgated on 21 July 1773 by which Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus. The Society was restored in 1814 by Pius VII. Background The Jesuits had been expelled ...

'' of 8 June 1773, that suppressed the Society of Jesus. On 2 October, the ''Diario di Roma'' reported he had been given a Meissen group representing the death of St.

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

, confiscated from the Jesuits. Already Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (1783–84), his career culminated in his appointment by

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (; ), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. Th ...

, 1789–1796, in which post he was entrusted with difficult negotiations with the French Revolutionary state, which included his conclusion of peace in 1793. With the French occupation of Rome, Cardinal Zelada retired to

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. Following Pius' death, Zelada participated in the Papal conclave of 1800 that elected

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

. Librarian of the Holy Roman Church from 15 December 1779 until his death, Cardinal Zelada was not known for his religious fervor. Rather he was a great collector of books, of coins and medals and other works of art, and of scientific machines. He had a telescope installed in his house near Il Gesù, and transferred it to his residence as Cardinal-Librarian. He installed an observatory at 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 ...

. After his death his printed books went to the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library (, ), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City, and is the city-state's national library. It was formally established in 1475, alth ...

, while his manuscripts - already sent to Spain for safe keeping - went to the capitular library of Toledo.Röttgen 1970:65, quoting Vian Nello, "un piccolo fondo sulla rivoluzione francese", ''Studium", (July – August 1965:7f). His collection of anatomical models he bequeathed to the Ospedale di Santo Spirito. He is buried in the church of

San Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti (rione of Rome), Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge o ...

, Rome.

Notes

References

External links

Salvador Miranda, Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Francesco Saverio de Zelada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zelada, Francesco Saverio de 18th-century Italian cardinals 1717 births 1801 deaths Cardinal Secretaries of State Major Penitentiaries of the Apostolic Penitentiary