Aldobrandini
Encyclopedia
The Aldobrandini are an Italian noble family from Florence
, with close ties to the Vatican. Its Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name Pope Clement VIII
. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili
. Additionally, they were also linked to marriage alliances with the Farnese (Ranuccio I, duke of Parma, had married Margherita Aldobrandini
) and Borghese
(since Olimpia Aldobrandini
married Paolo Borghese
).
The family also lends its name to the Villa Aldobrandini
on the Quirinal Hill
. The Aldobrandini family, having reached the height of its powers when Ippolito Aldobrandini became Pope Clement VIII
(1592-1605), began the building of the villa. In 1600 Clement VIII acquired the Orti Vitelli on the Quirinal hill and in 1601 donated the property to his nephew Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini. The old buildings of the Vitelli Family were demolished and construction began on the new villa and adjacent garden. The villa was never the family seat as the Aldobrandini family owned even more splendid residences elsewhere in Rome. The villa on the Quirinal hill served essentially for ceremonial functions.
More famous was the Villa Aldobrandini
in Frascati
. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to Rome
, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini
, Pope Clement VIII's nephew over a pre-existing edifice built by the Vatican prelate Alessandro Rufini in 1550. The villa, aligned with the cathedral down its axial avenue that is continued through the town as Viale Catone, was rebuilt in the current form by Giacomo della Porta
from 1598 to 1602, and then completed by Carlo Maderno
and Giovanni Fontana
. The villa has an imposing 17th -century facade and some other interesting architectural and environmental features, such as the double gallery order on the rear facade, the spiral-shaped flights, the large exedra of the Water Theatre and the magnificent park. Inside there are paintings of Mannerist and Baroque
artists such as the Zuccari
brothers, Cavalier D'Arpino and Domenichino. Outside there is a monumental gate by Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (early 18th century).
The Doria
, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families have become united through marriage and descent under the simplified surname Doria Pamphilj (which is now extinct since the death of Princess Orietta Doria Pamphlij in 2000). The Aldobrandini family palazzo and its collections of works of art and furnishings is now the Doria Pamphilj Gallery
in Rome.
The family name lives on, however, via a branch of the Borghese family, descended from the marriage of Olimpia Aldobrandini with Prince Paolo Borghese in the 17th century. This line is descended from Don Camillo Borghese, Prince Aldobrandini (1816-1902), who in turn was the younger brother of the then Prince Borghese and head of that family. Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini married into the Rothschild family
.
The princely family is currently represented by Prince Camillo Aldobrandini (b. 1945), whose heir is Don Clemente Aldobrandini (b. 1982).
Other notable members of the Aldobrandini family are:
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, with close ties to the Vatican. Its Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili
Pamphili
The Pamphili are one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Roman Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries ....
. Additionally, they were also linked to marriage alliances with the Farnese (Ranuccio I, duke of Parma, had married Margherita Aldobrandini
Margherita Aldobrandini
Margherita Aldobrandini was a Duchess consort of Parma. She was the regent of Parma 1626-1628.-Life:...
) and Borghese
Borghese
Borghese is the surname of a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century holding offices under the commune. The head of the family, Marcantonio, moved to Rome in the 16th century and there,...
(since Olimpia Aldobrandini
Olimpia Aldobrandini
Olimpia Aldobrandini was a member of the Aldobrandini family of Rome, and the sole heiress to the family fortune.-Biography:...
married Paolo Borghese
Paolo Borghese (1622-1646)
Paolo Borghese was an Italian nobleman of the Borghese family. He was the son of Marcantonio II Borghese and his wife Camilla Orsini.Paolo was the first husband of Olimpia Aldobrandini, whom he married in 1638...
).
The family also lends its name to the Villa Aldobrandini
Villa Aldobrandini
The Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati, Italy, property of the Aldobrandini family. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to Rome, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, Pope Clement VIII's nephew over a pre-existing edifice...
on the Quirinal Hill
Quirinal Hill
The Quirinal Hill is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian Head of State, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has come to stand for the Italian President.- History :It was...
. The Aldobrandini family, having reached the height of its powers when Ippolito Aldobrandini became Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
(1592-1605), began the building of the villa. In 1600 Clement VIII acquired the Orti Vitelli on the Quirinal hill and in 1601 donated the property to his nephew Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini. The old buildings of the Vitelli Family were demolished and construction began on the new villa and adjacent garden. The villa was never the family seat as the Aldobrandini family owned even more splendid residences elsewhere in Rome. The villa on the Quirinal hill served essentially for ceremonial functions.
More famous was the Villa Aldobrandini
Villa Aldobrandini
The Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati, Italy, property of the Aldobrandini family. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to Rome, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, Pope Clement VIII's nephew over a pre-existing edifice...
in Frascati
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini
Pietro Aldobrandini
Pietro Aldobrandini was an Italian Cardinal and patron of the arts.He was made a cardinal in 1593 by his uncle, Pope Clement VIII. He took over the duchy of Ferrara in 1598 when it fell to the Papal States...
, Pope Clement VIII's nephew over a pre-existing edifice built by the Vatican prelate Alessandro Rufini in 1550. The villa, aligned with the cathedral down its axial avenue that is continued through the town as Viale Catone, was rebuilt in the current form by Giacomo della Porta
Giacomo della Porta
Giacomo della Porta was an Italian architect and sculptor, who worked on many important buildings in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica. He was born at Porlezza, Lombardy and died in Rome.-Biography:...
from 1598 to 1602, and then completed by Carlo Maderno
Carlo Maderno
Carlo Maderno was a Swiss-Italian architect, born in Ticino, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle were of key importance in the evolution of the Italian Baroque...
and Giovanni Fontana
Giovanni Fontana (Dominican)
Giovanni Fontana was a Dominican friar and late-Mannerist architect, as well as brother of Domenico Fontana.-External links:*...
. The villa has an imposing 17th -century facade and some other interesting architectural and environmental features, such as the double gallery order on the rear facade, the spiral-shaped flights, the large exedra of the Water Theatre and the magnificent park. Inside there are paintings of Mannerist and Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
artists such as the Zuccari
Zuccari
Zuccari or Zuccaro may refer to:* the surname of a family of notable Italian painters living in the 16th century:** Ottaviano Zuccari and his sons** Taddeo Zuccari and** Federico Zuccari...
brothers, Cavalier D'Arpino and Domenichino. Outside there is a monumental gate by Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (early 18th century).
The Doria
Doria
Doria, originally de Auria , meaning "the sons of Auria", and then de Oria or d'Oria, is the name of an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the Republic of Genoa and in Italy, from the 12th century to the 16th century.-Origins:According to legend, a...
, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families have become united through marriage and descent under the simplified surname Doria Pamphilj (which is now extinct since the death of Princess Orietta Doria Pamphlij in 2000). The Aldobrandini family palazzo and its collections of works of art and furnishings is now the Doria Pamphilj Gallery
Doria Pamphilj Gallery
The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a large art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy. It is situated between the Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entrance is on the Via del Corso...
in Rome.
The family name lives on, however, via a branch of the Borghese family, descended from the marriage of Olimpia Aldobrandini with Prince Paolo Borghese in the 17th century. This line is descended from Don Camillo Borghese, Prince Aldobrandini (1816-1902), who in turn was the younger brother of the then Prince Borghese and head of that family. Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini married into the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
.
The princely family is currently represented by Prince Camillo Aldobrandini (b. 1945), whose heir is Don Clemente Aldobrandini (b. 1982).
Other notable members of the Aldobrandini family are:
- Alessandro Cardinal Aldobrandini (1667-1734), raised to the cardinalate 1730.
- Bonifazio Bevilacqua AldobrandiniBonifazio Bevilacqua AldobrandiniBonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini was an Italian Cardinal. He was the uncle of Pope Gregory XIV.-Biography:In 1601, Pope Clement VIII associated Count Luigi Bevilacqua and his two brothers, Conte Bonifazio IV and Conte Alfonso II , with his own family granting them use of his family’s...
- Ippolito Cardinal Adobrandini junior
- Silvestro Cardinal AldobrandiniSilvestro AldobrandiniSilvestro Aldobrandini was a Florentine jurisconsult and the father of Pope Clement VIII.Silvestro Aldobrandini is depicted in a chapel named after Sixtus V in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.-References:...
- Cinzio Passeri Cardinal AldobrandiniCinzio Passeri AldobrandiniCinzio Personeni Albobrandini was an Italian cardinal. In some documents he is known as Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini because, after settling in Romagna, the family varied its name according to the place from which they had moved - his father Aurelio Personeni was born in Cà Personeni and later...
, a nephew of Clement VIII, raised to the cardinalate 1593. - Pietro Cardinal AldobrandiniPietro AldobrandiniPietro Aldobrandini was an Italian Cardinal and patron of the arts.He was made a cardinal in 1593 by his uncle, Pope Clement VIII. He took over the duchy of Ferrara in 1598 when it fell to the Papal States...
(1571-1621), raised to the cardinalate 1593 by Clement VIII.
Sources
- Original 1922 Almanach de Gotha (edited by Justice Perthes) entry for the Borghese family (of which the Aldobrandini are a branch - see bottom of p288), link to the original universally-recognised genealogical reference document, with details of family honours
See also
- Palazzo ChigiPalazzo ChigiThe Palazzo Chigi is a palace or noble residence in Rome, overlooking the Piazza Colonna and the Via del Corso. It was begun in 1562 by Giacomo della Porta and completed by Carlo Maderno in 1580 for the Aldobrandini family. In 1659 it was purchased by the Chigi family. It was then remodelled by...
- Villa AldobrandiniVilla AldobrandiniThe Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati, Italy, property of the Aldobrandini family. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to Rome, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, Pope Clement VIII's nephew over a pre-existing edifice...
- RaphaelRaphaelRaffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
's Aldobrandini MadonnaAldobrandini MadonnaThe Aldobrandini Madonna is a painting from about 1509-1510 oil by the Italian renaissance artist Raphael. The picture is of the Virgin Mother, Christ child and infant John the Baptist, one of many paintings by Raphael with this trio... - The Aldobrandini Wedding, a celebrated Roman bas-relief