Orazio Maffei (1580–1609) was a
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 ...
cardinal. Born in Rome but belonging to the Mirandola branch of the Maffei, he was the son of Mario Maffei and Plautilla Fabi. Two of his father's brothers had been cardinals, Bernardino (1514–1553) and Marcantonio (1521–1583).
Biography
He studied at the University of Perugia, where he obtained a doctorate. Pope Paul V appointed him a cleric of the Apostolic Camera.
Maffei was named a cardinal by Pope Paul on 11 September 1606, and assigned the deaconry of San Giorgio in velabro on 9 October. On 7 February 1607, he was promoted cardinal-priest, and assigned 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 Ss. Marcellino e Pietro.
He was appointed
archbishop of Chieti
The Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto (; ; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church which received that name in 1986, when the two separate dioceses, which had been governed by one and the same bishop, were united in one diocese. The diocese ...
by Pope Paul on 3 September 1607. On 16 Sep 1607, 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
Marcello Lante della Rovere
Marcello Lante della Rovere (1561 – 19 April 1652) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal appointed Dean and Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals.
__TOC__
Family and early life
Lante was born 1561, the son of Ludovico Lante of the ''Dukes Della ...
,
Bishop of Todi
The Italian Catholic diocese of Todi existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Orvieto-Todi. , with Bishop
Metello Bichi
Metello Bichi (1541–1619) was a Roman Catholic cardinal.
Biography
On 18 Feb 1596, he was consecrated bishop by Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, Archbishop of Florence, with Matteo Sanminiato, Archbishop of Chieti, and Cristóbal Robuster y ...
,
of Sovana, and
Girolamo di Porzia Girolamo may refer to:
* Girolamo (given name)
* Girolamo (surname)
See also
* San Girolamo (disambiguation) San Girolamo may refer to:
* San Girolamo, Italian for Saint Jerome
Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of S ...
,
Bishop of Adria
The Diocese of Adria-Rovigo () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the Triveneto. It has existed under this name since 1986. It is a Latin suffragan to the Patriarchate of Venice.[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 ...]
.
[ ]
Having been archbishop of Chieti for less than a year, he found himself in trouble with
Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...
, due to accusations which included violation of his vow of chastity with a woman of the diocese. He was summoned to Rome, where he died on 11 January 1609, at the age of twenty-nine. He was buried in the family tomb in the church 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 ...
in Rome.
Francesco Maria Guazzo (Guaccius) dedicated the first edition (1608) of his book, ''Compendium maleficarum'', to Cardinal Orazio Maffei, the Protector of the Ambrosian Order, of which Guazzo was a member.
[Francesco Maria Guazzo]
''Compendium maleficarum''
(Milan: Heredes Augustino Tradati 1608), dedicatory preface.
References
Bibliography
*Ceretti, F. (1896). "Famiglia Maffei (Ramo Mirandola–Piemonte)," , in
''Giornale araldico, genealogico, diplomatico italiano''Vol. 24 (Bari: R. Accademia Araldica Italiana 1896), pp. 48-74, esp. pp. 52-54.
*
*Zanetov, P. (2005). "Il cardinale Orazio Maffei e la loggia del palazzo alla Dataria," , in: Bruno Toscano (ed.)
''Arte e immagine del papato Borghese (1605-1621)'' (San Casciano: Libro Company Italia 2005), pp. 201-208.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maffei, Orazio
1580 births
1609 deaths
17th-century Italian cardinals
17th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops