Gregory Barbarigo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo (16 September 1625 – 18 June 1697) 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 ...
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 is venerated as a
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
of the
Roman 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 ...
. He served as the
Bishop of Bergamo The Diocese of Bergamo (; ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan.Bishop of Padua The Diocese of Padua (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Veneto, northern Italy. It was erected in the 3rd century.frontrunner ''FrontRunner'' is a Commuter rail in North America, commuter railway operated by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) that runs along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from Ogden Central station in central Weber County, Utah, ...
in both the
1689 Events Notable events during this year include: * Coup, war, and legislation in England and its territories. ** The overthrow of Catholic king James of England, Ireland, and Scotland in the Glorious Revolution. ** The latter realms ente ...
and
1691 Events January–March * January 6 – King William III of England, who rules Scotland and Ireland as well as being the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, departs from Margate to tend to the affairs of the Netherlands. * January 14 – ...
papal 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 ...
s as he had distinguished himself for his diplomatic and scholastic service. He became noted as a scholar for his distinguished learning and as an able pastor for his careful attention to pastoral initiatives and frequent parish visitations. Barbarigo's beatification was celebrated in 1761 under
Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; ; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. ...
, while
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
canonized the late cardinal in 1960; the latter pope held Barbarigo as a great role model and fostered a devotion to him since the pope had hailed from
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
. His liturgical feast is on 17 June in the
General Roman Calendar of 1960 This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as approved on 25 July 1960 by Pope John XXIII's '' motu proprio'' '' Rubricarum instructum'' and promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites the following day, 26 July 1960, by t ...
. On the General Roman Calendar of 1969, it is observed on 18 June.


Life


Childhood and education

Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo was born on 16 September 1625 in
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 ...
as the eldest of four children to the nobles Giovanni Francesco Barbarigo (a senator) and Lucrezia Leoni (d. 19 March 1631 - plague). His father brought a cousin - Franchesina Lippomani - to look after the children after the death of his wife. His sister was Elena and his two brothers were Pietro and Antonio. He was a relative of the cardinal
Marcantonio Barbarigo Marcantonio Barbarigo (6 March 1640 – 26 May 1706) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the founder of the Pontifical Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini and also founded both the Religious Teachers Filippini o ...
and the uncle of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Barbarigo. He was also a relation of Cardinal Angelo Barbarigo. His ancestors included the two Venetian doges Marco Barbarigo and
Agostino Barbarigo Agostino Barbarigo (3 June 1419 – 20 September 1501) was Doge of Venice from 1486 until his death in 1501. While he was Doge, the imposing Clock Tower in the Piazza San Marco with its archway through which the street known as the Merceria le ...
. His father instructed him in philosophical studies and in mathematics while preceptors taught him
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
; he also received the rudiments of music. In 1643 he accompanied as secretary the Venetian ambassador Aloise Contarini to
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
for the negotiations to prepare for the
Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...
which was signed on 24 October 1648.Agasso, Domenico. "San Gregorio Giovanni Barbarigo", Santi e Beati, February 1, 2001
/ref> There he became acquainted with Archbishop Fabio Chigi (the future
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 ...
) - the nuncio to
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and a participant in the negotiations. He then went to
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
and
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
and then to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In July 1648 he returned to Venice and continued his studies in
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
.''The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature''
(James Strong and John McClintock, eds.) Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880.
In 1650 he was elected as a member of the Collegio dei Savi and initiated his political career which he did not find to be good for him. In the winter in 1653 he went 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, ...
to ask the advice of Cardinal Chigi who recommended that he not retire as a hermit but follow the ecclesiastical career and begin obtaining a doctorate in law.


Priesthood and Bishop of Bergamo

Barbarigo obtained a doctorate in "utroque iure" both
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 ...
and civil law on 25 September 1655 and received his
ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood on 21 December 1655 from the Cardinal
Patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice (; ) is the ordinary of the Patriarchate of Venice. The bishop is one of only four patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The other three are the Patriarch of Lisbon, the Patriarch of the East Indies an ...
Gianfrancesco Morosini. He left for Rome in late February 1656 for Chigi - now Pope Alexander VII - initiated him into the papal service. He was named a domestic prelate of His Holiness and on 21 April 1656 was appointed as the Referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace. On 9 June 1665 he was given a canonicate in the cathedral chapter of Padua without the requirement of residence and in 1656 - at the request of the pope - he organized the assistance to the Romans in the Trastevere area who had been stricken with the plague. He oversaw the care of the mothers and their children and the funerals of the deceased in this work. He nursed the sick, buried to dead, and comforted those frightened and in mourning. On 9 July 1657 the pope appointed him as
Bishop of Bergamo The Diocese of Bergamo (; ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan.episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
as such on 29 July 1657 from Marcantonio Bragadin. But before he accepted the post he decided to celebrate a
Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
to discern the will of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
when he felt the concrete call to take on the see during the Mass. Barbarigo took possession of his new episcopal see on 2 September through his procurators Rodolfo Roncalli the archdeacon and the vice-capitular Giovanni Battista Lavezzali while he himself arrived there on 27 March 1658. He inspected each of the 279 parishes of the diocese.


Cardinalate

He was a successful bishop and his fame spread through the ranks so much to the point that his old friend Alexander VII elevated him to the cardinalate on 5 April 1660 at the
Quirinale Palace The Quirinal Palace ( ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the main official residence of the President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporziano, an estate on the outs ...
. He was made the Cardinal-Priest of San Tommaso in Parione on 21 June 1660 but later opted to become the Cardinal-Priest of San Marco on 13 September 1677. In 1664 he was made
Bishop of Padua The Diocese of Padua (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Veneto, northern Italy. It was erected in the 3rd century.Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archdiocese of Milan, Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal in 156 ...
. His procurator the Archpriest Galeazzo Mussato took possession of the see on Barbarigo's behalf on 24 April before the cardinal entered the see on 22 June. He was a strong supporter of the work of the
Council of Trent 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 ...
. He made the seminaries of Padua and of Bergamo larger and added an archive and printing press in Padua. He celebrated a
diocesan synod In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the b ...
from 1–3 September 1683 and wrote the "Regulae Studiorum" in 1690 for ecclesial studies. He also visited all 320 parishes in his diocese. The cardinal soon learned in 1678 that
Elena Cornaro Piscopia Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (, ; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (, ), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academ ...
was pursuing a theological course and he refused this on the basis that she was a woman. But he allowed for her to obtain a philosophical degree which she did. In his role as a cardinal he participated in his first
papal 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 ...
in 1667 and also attended those in 1676 and that of 1689 when he emerged as a potential contender though falling short of the votes needed to become pope. The same was said for 1691 which saw him emerge as a greater threat to other contenders. He did not attend the 1669-70 conclave. The election of
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 ...
in 1676 saw the pope ask Barbarigo to remain in Rome until 1679 as his counselor and entrusted Rome's education to him and the reunification of the Eastern Churches. One of his episcopal acts was to consecrate as a bishop
Niels Stensen Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nikolaos, after Sain ...
on 19 September 1677 and he also ordained the convert Thomas Nicholson a priest in Padua. In the 1689 conclave his candidature received little support from his compatriots with Cardinal Flavio Chigi not supporting his candidature. Cardinal Francesco Maria de' Medici had put his name forth as per an elaborate ruse with the intent of never having Barbarigo elected. Medici's aim was to indeed have a Venetian elected but decided to settle on Pietro Vito Ottoboni who was elected as
Pope Alexander VIII Pope Alexander VIII (; 22 April 1610 – 1 February 1691), born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 1689 to his death in February 1691. He is the most recent pope to take the ...
. But the 1691 conclave shifted Barbarigo's status as a potential contender for he gained greater ground and almost succeeded in becoming pope. Cardinal d'Estrées included him in his list of potential candidates in light of the impending death of Alexander VIII while Cardinal Leandro Colloredo decided to throw his support behind Barbarigo. Even Chigi - who had blocked his candidature back in 1689 - thought well to advocate Barbarigo's name. But the French were not all that enthralled with Barbarigo since he was considered a leading 'creature' of Alexander VII who had not been too lenient with the French. Cardinals
Pietro Ottoboni Pope Alexander VIII (; 22 April 1610 – 1 February 1691), born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 1689 to his death in February 1691. He is the most recent pope to take the ...
and Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri were opposed to his candidature and in the end was elected Antonio Pignatelli as
Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...
. Cardinal Barbarigo fostered catechetical instruction and he travelled to each village in his diocese in order to teach and to preach to the people. His compassion to the poor was well known for he gave his household goods and his clothes to the poor for their comfort. He even sold his bed on one occasion to help them. Barbarigo died after a brief illness on 18 June 1697 in Padua where he was interred in the diocesan cathedral.


Veneration

Bishop Barbarigo was distinguished by his piety and heroic patience and miracles quickly bore witness to his sanctity. His holiness was observed in his life enough to the point that the faithful started to press the competent ecclesial authorities to launch the process for sainthood with the informative phase of the investigation ending on 11 July 1716; the formal introduction to the cause came under
Pope Innocent XIII Pope Innocent XIII (; ; 13 May 1655 – 7 March 1724), born as Michelangelo dei Conti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 May 1721 to his death in March 1724. He remains the most recent pope to take the ...
on 3 July 1723. His remains were exhumed on 25 May 1725 and allegedly found to be incorrupt with his nephew Bishop Giovanni Francesco Barbarigo leading the exhumation initiative. However, the report of the examining physicians was actually equivocal. While medical professionalism prevented them form saying the body was incorrupt, popular opinion and ecclesiastical expectations were otherwise. The report stated that the condition of the body was "wondrous" which fell short of miraculous, a distinction largely lost upon those interested.Bouley, Bradford. ''Pious Postmortems: Anatomy, Sanctity, and the Catholic Church in Early Modern Europe'', University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017, p. 85.
/ref>
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 ...
beatified Barbarigo on 20 September 1751. The future
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
, while still only a priest, signed a petition in 1911 addressed to
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...
requesting Barbarigo's cause go forward for the late cardinal to become a saint; Pius X did so on 28 February 1912 when he issued the decree to resume the cause. John XXIII is said to have felt a close kinship with the late cardinal and was also said to have manifested a lifelong devotion to him and his work as a model and so included him in the
General Roman Calendar of 1960 This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as approved on 25 July 1960 by Pope John XXIII's '' motu proprio'' '' Rubricarum instructum'' and promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Rites the following day, 26 July 1960, by t ...
while assigning 17 June as the liturgical feast since 18 June was assigned to another. But the 1969 revision to the calendar saw the removal of his name which left his feast to a celebration in local calendars. His liturgical feast remains affixed at present to 18 June. The Church of San Gregorio Barbarigo alle Tre Fontane in Rome is dedicated to him.


References


External links


Hagiography Circle

St. Catholic Online


{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbarigo, Gregorio 1625 births 1697 deaths Gregorio Bishops of Bergamo Bishops of Padua 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Alexander VII Italian Roman Catholic saints 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Republic of Venice 17th-century Italian jurists Beatifications by Pope Clement XIII Canonizations by Pope John XXIII