Giulio Gabrielli (1601 – 13 August 1677) was an
Italian Catholic
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 ...
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 ...
. He is sometimes referred to as Giulio Gabrielli the Elder to distinguish him from
Giulio Gabrielli the Younger.
Early life
Gabrielli was born 1601 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, ...
, the son of Antonio Gabrielli and Prudenzia Lancellotta,
of the
noble Gabrielli family and relatives of
Pope Clement X. He went into the service of the Church as a
Referendary
Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe.
Pre-modern history
The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byza ...
of the ''Tribunals of the
Apostolic Signatura of Justice and of Grace''. He was a cleric (and later dean) of the
Apostolic Chamber
The Apostolic Camera (), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church and in ...
. On 27 Apr 1642, he was
consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
bishop by
Antonio Marcello Barberini (seniore),
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. ...
of
San Pietro in Vincoli, with
Faustus Poli,
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of ''Amasea'', and
Celso Zani.
Bishop Emeritus of Città della Pieve, serving as
co-consecrators
A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop.
The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...
.
Cardinalate
Gabrielli was elevated to Cardinal by
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 ...
in December 1641
and in February 1642 was made Cardinal-Priest of
Santa Maria Nova and was elected
Bishop of Ascoli Piceno. He was
consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
by Cardinal
Antonio Marcello Barberini. Later that year, he opted for the
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.
Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
ry of
Sant'Agata dei Goti. His 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 his promotions within the Church were more related to Pope Urban's wish to sell his position to a higher bidder, rather than on merit or service
[''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 (London: Camden Society 1867; reprint; 2009) (Bargrave died in 1680) and that as a result, Gabrielli lived a respected but fairly meagre life. What wealth he did amass, Bargrave ascribed to his
frugality.
In 1643, Gabrielli was appointed co-
legate in
Urbino
Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...
(together with Cardinal
Francesco Barberini), a position he held until 1646. He participated in the
Papal conclave of 1644 but left early due to illness. The conclave elected
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 ...
.
He participated in the
conclave of 1655 that elected
Pope 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 d ...
and opted for the deaconry of
Santa Maria in Via Lata later that year. In March of the following year, he became Cardinal-Priest of
Santa Prisca.
In 1667, he participated in the
conclave
A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
Concerns around ...
which elected
Pope Clement IX
Pope Clement IX (; ; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669.
Giulio Rospigliosi was born into the noble Ro ...
and was appointed Cardinal-Priest of
Santa Prassede
The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (, ), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titulus (Roman Catholic), titular church and minor basilica located near the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, on Via di Santa Prassede, Mont ...
. Less than six months later, he was made Cardinal-Priest of
San Lorenzo in Lucina. In 1668, he was appointed Cardinal-
Bishop of Sabina but, retained the administration of Ascoli Piceno until later that year.
Later life
Gabrielli served in a number of Church administrative roles during the period best described as his semi-
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
, including administrator of the
Diocese of Rieti and Governor General of
Fermo. He also participated in the conclaves of
1669-1670, which elected
Pope Clement X, and
1676
Events
January–March
* January 29 – Feodor III of Russia, Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia.
* January 31 – Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, the oldest institution of higher education in Central America, is f ...
, which elected
Pope Innocent XI
Pope Innocent XI (; ; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689.
Political and religious tensions with ...
.
He died on 31 August 1677 from malaria; he was buried in the Gabrielli chapel of
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Santa Maria sopra Minerva is one of the major Church (building), churches of the Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominicans) in Rome, Italy. The church's name derives from the fact that the first Christian church structure on the site was b ...
.
See also
GoodReads website, ''Annotated transcription of the Testament and Codicil (1677) of Cardinal Giulio Gabrielli, complete version from the State Archives of Rome.''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabrielli, Giulio
1604 births
1677 deaths
17th-century Italian cardinals
Cardinals created by Pope Urban VIII
Clergy from Rome