Cardinal Giovanni Dolfin, often Italianized as Delfin or Delfino (Venice, 15 December 1545 - Venice, 25 November 1622), was an Italian politician and

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 was one of several cardinals from his family by this name. He is the uncle of Cardinal Giovanni Delfino (iuniore).

Biography

Having obtained he degree of '' Doctor in utroque jure'' at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

, Giovanni Delfino seemed to want to embrace the ecclesiastical state, but was instead initiated into a political and diplomatic career; after having exercised some minor offices 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 ...

, in 1577 he was appointed podestà and captain of

Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...

. Between 1582 and 1595 he was sent as ambassador of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

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 ...

. When he returned eight years later, he was appointed ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, a post he held from 1595 to 1598. On 23 June 1598, Delfino was elected

Procurator of San Marco The office of Procurator of Saint Mark ( Venetian: Procurador de San Marco) was one of the few lifetime appointments in the government of the Venetian Republic and was considered second only to that of the doge in prestige. Da Mosto, ''L'Archivio d ...

. On 18 April 1599, he officially represented Venice at the wedding of

Philip III of Spain Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...

and Margaret of Austria; and in 1600 at those of

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and

Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...

. Returning to his homeland he also occupied the post of one of the ''

Riformatori dello studio di Padova The Riformatori dello studio di Padova, also Riformatori allo studio di Padova, () were the three officials of the Republic of Venice, Venetian Republic responsible for overseeing education and culture. Created in 1517, initially to reopen the Univ ...

''. In 1603, the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Vicenza was vacant, due to the death of the incumbent,

Michele Priuli Michele Priuli (died 1603) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Vicenza (1579–1603) ''(in Latin)'' and Apostolic Nuncio to Florence (1589–1591). Biography Michele Priuli was born in Venice, Italy. On 3 August 1579, he w ...

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

decided to assign the diocese to Delfin, to whom he was bound by ties of sympathy and mutual respect, despite the fact that Delfin was not a priest and Venetian law did not allow ecclesiastical offices to be held by persons who had resided at the court of Rome. On 27 December 1603, 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 Cardinal

Alfonso Visconti Alfonso Visconti (15521608) was an Italian Catholic cardinal and diplomat. Life Alfonso Visconti was born in Milan in 1552. He was the son of Count Annibale, a member of the ''Saliceto'' branch of the noble family of Visconti, and of Lucia Saul ...

Bishop of Spoleto The Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Historically, it was the Diocese of Spoleto. Elevated to the status of an archdiocese since 1821, it is a metropolis ( ...

, with

Tommaso Contarini Tommaso is an Italian given name. It has also been used as a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name A * Tommaso Acquaviva d'Aragona (1600–1672), Roman Catholic prelate * Tommaso Aldrovandini (1653–1736), Italian painter of ...

Archbishop of Candia The Diocese of Crete () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located on the island of Crete in the ecclesiastical province of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos in Greece. History Roman Catholic presence on the island of Crete dates ...

, and

Leonardo Mocenigo Leonardo Mocenigo (died 1623) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Ceneda (1599–1623).

Bishop of Ceneda The Diocese of Vittorio Veneto () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy, with its see in Vittorio Veneto. It was historically known as Diocese of Ceneda, the name being changed in 1939.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 ...

. Delfino resigned the diocese of Vicenza, after he became a cardinal, in favor of his brother Dionisio Delfini. The exchange was approved by

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 ...

on 19 June 1606.

Cardinalate

Bishop Giovanni Delfino was named a cardinal-priest by

on 9 June 1604. He was 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 San Matteo in Merulana on 24 November 1604, which he exchanged for

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

on 1 June 1605. He opted for the titular church of San Gerolamo degli Illirici on 23 June 1621, and then for

San Carlo ai Catinari San Carlo ai Catinari, also called Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari ("Saints Blaise and Charles at the Bowl-Makers"), is an early-Baroque style church in Rome, Italy. It is located on Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, 117 just off the corner of Via Arenu ...

on 28 August 1622. He served a term as Chamberlain (Camerlengo) of the College of Cardinals from 7 January 1619 to 13 January 1620. He died in Venice on 25 November 1622, at the age of 77.Riccardi, p. 209. Gauchat, pp. 7, note 13.

Episcopal succession

While bishop and cardinal, he was the

principal consecrator 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 Churches, ...

of:

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delfino, Giovanni 1545 births 1622 deaths Republic of Venice clergy 17th-century Italian cardinals Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice Ambassadors to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth House of Dolfin 16th-century Venetian people 17th-century Venetian people Procurators of Saint Mark Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to Spain Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to France Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to the Holy See

Biography

Cardinalate

Episcopal succession

See also

References

Sources