Giulio Cesare Sacchetti (1586 – 28 June 1663) 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
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 was twice included in the French Court's list of acceptable candidates for the Papacy, in 1644 and 1655.
Early life
Sacchetti was born in 1586, the second surviving son of Giovanni Battista Sacchetti and Francesca Altoviti, both
Florentine patricians who had moved to Rome in the late sixteenth century. Giulio was the uncle of Cardinal
Urbano Sacchetti.
Sacchetti's father was a trading partner of the
Barberini
The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...
family of
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 ...
and the two families became close.
[''Pope Alexander the Seventh and the College of Cardinals'' by ]John Bargrave
John Bargrave (1610 – 11 May 1680), was an English people, English author and collector and a canon (priest), canon of Canterbury Cathedral.''Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness'' by Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995
E ...
, edited by James Craigie Robertson
James Craigie Robertson (1813 – 9 July 1882) was a Scottish Anglican churchman, canon of Canterbury Cathedral, and author of a ''History of the Christian Church''.
Life
Robertson was born at Aberdeen, where his father was a merchant; his mothe ...
(reprint; 2009) Sacchetti's elder brother,
Marcello Sacchetti, became papal treasurer to Pope Urban VIII and a prominent patron of the arts until his death in 1629.Marcello Sacchetti, was made depositary general and secret treasurer of the Apostolic Chamber in 1623 thanks to his relationship with Maffeo Barberini, who had just become Pope Urban VIII.
Sacchetti was educated at the
University of Perugia
The University of Perugia ( Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public university in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale.
The offi ...
and the
University of Pisa
The University of Pisa (, UniPi) is a public university, public research university in Pisa, Italy. Founded in 1343, it is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Together with Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced S ...
. On 10 December 1623, he was consecrated bishop by
Agustín Spínola Basadone
Agustín is a Spanish given name and sometimes a surname. It is related to Augustín.
People with the name include:
Given name
* Agustín Adorni (born 1990), Argentine footballer
* Agustín Allione (born 1994), Argentine footballer
* Agu ...
,
Bishop of Tortosa
The bishop of Tortosa is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa in Catalonia, Spain. , with
Ottavio Accoramboni
Ottavio Accoramboni (1549 – 23 May 1625) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Urbino (1621–1623), Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal (1614–1620), and Bishop of Fossombrone (1579–1610).
Biography
Ottavio Accoramboni was bor ...
,
Archbishop Emeritus of Urbino, and
Diego Merino,
Bishop of Montepeloso The Diocese of Montepeloso (also Diocese of Irsina) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Montis Pelusii'') was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Montepeloso in the province of Matera in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It was united with the ...
, serving as co-consecrators, and elected
Bishop of Gravina.
Elevation to cardinal
Sacchetti was papal nuncio to Madrid from 1624 to 1626. His service in the Spanish Nunciature and ties to the new pope ensured his becoming a cardinal only two years after his consecration. He was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Urban VIII on 19 January 1626, and named Cardinal-Priest of
Santa Susanna
The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian () is a Roman Catholic, Catholic parish church, parish and Cistercian conventual church located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, Italy. There has been a titular church associated to its site as ...
. He was appointed papal legate to Ferrara from 1627 to 1631, and to
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 ...
from 1637 until 1640.
He held a number of senior positions within the
Roman 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 use ...
, including Prefect of the ''Sacred Congregation of Religious Immunity'', the ''Sacred Congregation of Rites'' and the ''Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Justice''. From 1641 to 1642 he served a term as
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 ...
.
In 1652 he was appointed
Cardinal Bishop of Frascati
The Diocese of Frascati (Lat.: ''Tusculana'') is a Latin suburbicarian see of the Diocese of Rome and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, based at Frascati, near Rome. The bishop of Frascati is a Cardinal Bishop; from the Latin name of the ...
, a position he held until 1655 when he was appointed
Cardinal Bishop of Sabina
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 ...
.
He was appointed to the special council assembled to fight the
plague in the papal states and was Prefect of the
Tridentine Council
The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most im ...
from 1661 until his death.
Papal conclaves
Sacchetti was presented by
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts a ...
, at the instruction of
Cardinal Mazarin
Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...
, the French first minister, as the French nomination for the
papacy
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
at the
papal conclave of 1644. So certain of victory was Sacchetti's brother Matteo, that he threw open the doors of his cellar and began giving away wine in celebration shouting, "Viva Papa Sacchetti!" (''Long live Pope Sacchetti!'').
[ Contemporary ]John Bargrave
John Bargrave (1610 – 11 May 1680), was an English people, English author and collector and a canon (priest), canon of Canterbury Cathedral.''Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness'' by Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995
E ...
suggested Matteo's certainty stemmed from the fact that the Barberini (two of whom were cardinals and nephews of the previous Pope Urban VIII) had started referring to him as ''Your Eminence''; a title reserved for cardinals, suggesting his brother's elevation to the papacy (and thus his own to the cardinalate) was imminent.
However, Sacchetti was not a popular choice with the people of Rome who were afraid he would pursue Barberini policies and practices if elected. To this end they devised a rhyming ditty expressing: 'Don't make Sacchetti pope or Rome will fall to pieces'. Spain, fearing he would be pro-French, vetoed
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...
his nomination via its representative Cardinal Gil de Albornoz
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 ...
. The conclave instead elected Giovanni Battista Pamphili, who took the papal throne as 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 ...
. Mazarin attempted to use the French veto against Pamphili, who apparently favoured the Spanish, but it arrived too late.
Despite his close association with the Barberini, who suffered under Innocent X, Giulio Sacchetti's career continued to flourish.
When Innocent X died, Sacchetti was again presented as the French candidate at the papal conclave of 1655 but when it became apparent that he did not have a majority, he asked Mazarin to give his support to Fabio Chigi, who was duly elected and took the name of Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667.
He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and he held various di ...
.[''Ave Papa/Ave Papabile: the Sacchetti family, their art patronage, and political aspirations'' by Lilian H. Zirpolo (2005), 99, note 8]
Death and burial
Sacchetti died 28 June 1663 in Rome and was buried at the Florentine church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
The Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini ("Saint John of the Florentines") is a minor basilica and a titular church in the Ponte (rione of Rome), Ponte ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy.
Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the protector ...
in Rome.
Episcopal succession
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sacchetti, Giulio Cesare
1586 births
1663 deaths
17th-century Italian cardinals
Cardinals created by Pope Urban VIII