Giovanni Stefano Ferrero (1474–1510) (called the Cardinal of Bologna) 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 ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

and

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Biography

Giovanni Stefano Ferrero was born in

Biella Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the Province of Biella, province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of ...

on 5 May 1474, the son of Sebastiano Ferrero and Tomena Avogadro. The Ferrero family was allied with the

Acciaioli family The Acciaioli family, also spelled Acciaiuoli, Accioly, Aciole, Acciajuoli or Acioli was an important Italian noble family from Florence, whose members were the ruling Dukes of Athens. History Family name is also written Acciaioli, Acciainoli, ...

, one of the most prominent families in the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flor ...

. Gianstefano Ferrero's younger brother

Bonifacio Ferrero Bonifacio Ferrero (1476–1543) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Bonifacio Ferrero was born in Biella in 1476, the son of Sebastiano Ferraro and Tomena Avogadro. He was the younger brother of Cardinal Gianstefano Fe ...

also became a cardinal. Ferrero studied

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

. He then moved to

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 became an

Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

of the

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 ...

. He next became a protonotary apostolic. At the insistence of Blanche of Montferrat (

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for her son

Charles II, Duke of Savoy Charles II or Charles John Amadeus (''Carlo Giovanni Amedeo'' in Italian) (23 June 1489, Turin, Piedmont – 16 April 1496), was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat (1472–1519) was the actual ruler a ...

), Ferrero was named

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

on 24 April 1493. He succeeded as Bishop of Vercelli on 16 July 1499, occupying the see until 21 January 1502. He occupied the see again from 31 October 1503 until 5 November 1509, when he exchanged it with his brother

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

made him a

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. Ca ...

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 ...

'' 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 28 September 1500. He was transferred to the see of Bologna on 24 January 1502; he occupied this see until his death. His creation as cardinal was published on 28 June 1502 and the same day he received the

red hat Red Hat, Inc. (formerly Red Hat Software, Inc.) is an American software company that provides open source software products to enterprises and is a subsidiary of IBM. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North ...

and the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

of San Vitale. He participated in both the papal conclave of September 1503 that elected

Pope Pius III Pope Pius III (, ; 9 May 1439 – 18 October 1503), born Francesco Todeschini, then Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 September 1503 to his death. At just twenty-six day ...

and the papal conclave of October 1503 that elected

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

. On 22 December 1505 he exchanged his ''titulus'' for

Santi Sergio e Bacco Santi Sergio e Bacco (Катедральний храм Святих мучеників Сергія і Вакха та Жировицької ікони Пресвятої Богородиці (Katedralnyi khram Sviatykh muchenykіv Serhіia і Va ...

, a deaconry raised ''pro illa vice'' to the status of ''titulus''. He was

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 ...

from January 1506 until 1507. On 5 November 1509 he exchanged his bishopric with his brother Bonifacio, becoming

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the see of Ivrea; he subsequently occupied this see until his death. He died in Rome on 5 October 1510. He was initially buried in the

Basilica di San Clemente The Basilica of Saint Clement () is a Latin Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: (1) the present basilica built just before ...

. His remains were later transferred to Biella and buried in the church of San Sebastiano, a church of the

Canons Regular of the Lateran The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL, Canonici Regulares Lateranenses), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international congregation of canons regular, comprisin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrero, Giovanni Stefano 1474 births 1510 deaths 16th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Alexander VI 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Ivrea Bishops of Bologna Bishops appointed by Pope Alexander VI University of Padua alumni Acciaioli family People from Biella Burials at San Clemente al Laterano