Piero de Bonzi (also ''Pierre''; 15 April 1631 - 11 July 1703) was an Italian-French

Roman Catholic cardinal 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 ...

. His last name is also listed as Bonsi.

Biography

left, Coat of arms of Pierre de Bonzy - Staircase of the palace of the Archbishops of Narbonne COA Cardinal Pierre de Bonzi

Born in Florence, he was the son of Francesco Bonzi, senator of Florence, and Cristina Riari. He was also grand-nephew of Cardinal Jean de Bonsi. He was educated by his uncle Clément Bonzi,

bishop of Béziers 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 ...

, who made him join the ecclesiastical state and he became Resident of

Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was Grand Duchy of Tuscany, grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de' Medici and Archduchess Maria Mad ...

in the French court. Later he was appointed

commendatory abbot A commendatory abbot () is an ecclesiastic, or sometimes a layman, who holds an abbey ''in commendam'', drawing its revenues but not exercising any authority over its inner monastic discipline. If a commendatory abbot is an ecclesiastic, however, ...

of several

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

s in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Piere de Bonzi was elected

on 7 June 1660, the 5th member of the family to become bishop of that see. Later he became French ambassador in different countries in Europe. On 28 September 1671 he was promoted to the metropolitan see of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. In 1672 Bonzi was created

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 ...

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X (; ; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death on 22 July 1676. Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, born in Rome in ...

, and transferred to the metropolitan see of

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

two years later. He participated in the Papal conclaves of 1676, 1689 and 1691. He opted for the title of Sant'Onofrio on 19 October 1676. Then he was transferred to the title of S. Pietro in Vincoli and later opted for the title of

Sant'Eusebio Sant'Eusebio is a titular church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-century martyr, and built in the Esquilino rione. One of the oldest churches in Rome, it is a titular church and the station church for the Friday after the f ...

. From about 1693, he suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

and because of poor health did not participate in the Papal conclave of 1700. He died on 11 July 1703 of an

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

, in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonzi, Piere De 1631 births 1703 deaths Clergy from Florence 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France Bishops of Béziers Archbishops of Narbonne Archbishops of Toulouse 17th-century Italian cardinals Italian emigrants to France 17th-century French diplomats