Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with his cousin Camillo AstalliCamillo AstalliCamillo Astalli was an Italian cardinal, elevated on 19 September 1650 by Pope Innocent X, who simultaneously adopted him into the Pamphili family and appointed him Cardinal-Nephew...
, later adopted by Pope Innocent X as Camillo Astalli-Pamphili.
Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili (21 February 1622 - 26 July 1666) was an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
and later nobleman of the 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 ....
family. His name is often spelled with the final long i orthography; Pamphilj.
Early life
Pamphili was born in Naples on 21 February 1622. His uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili, was papal nuncioNuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
and his father, Pamphilio Pamphili, had moved there with his wife Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini
Olimpia Maidalchini , also spelled Olympia and known as Donna Olimpia, was the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X .- Early life :...
. As a young man Pamphili studied humanistic topics such as poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and when his uncle was transferred and became nuncio to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Pamphili went with him.
When Pamphili's father died, his mother became "suspiciously" close to her brother-in-law, Giovanni Battista, and did everything she could to promote his career and build her fortunes. After a series of clever moves at the Papal conclave of 1644
Papal conclave, 1644
The papal conclave of 1644 was the papal conclave of Cardinals called on the death of Pope Urban VIII. It lasted from 9 August to 15 September 1644 and eventually chose Giovanni Battista Pamphili, who took office as Pope Innocent X.- Urban's influence :...
(some say engineered by Olympia Maidalchini), Giovanni Battista Pamphili was elected to the papal throne as Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
. The improvement in the family's fortunes was great news for Camillo Pamphili who, having also come 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...
, had decided on an ecclesiastic career.
The news was a blow to Pamphili's mother who had already arranged a marriage for him to Lucrezia Barberini
Lucrezia Barberini
Lucrezia Barberini was an Italian noblewoman and, by marriage, Duchess of Modena. Born into the Barberini family, she was the last wife of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena.-Biography:...
, daughter of Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals Francesco Barberini and Antonio Barberini...
and Anna Colonna
Anna Colonna
Anna Colonna was an Italian noblewoman of the Colonna and Barberini families and Princess of Paliano-Biography:Colonna was born in 1601; the daughter of Filippo Colonna, Prince of Paliano and Lucrezia Tomacelli, dei signori di Galatro, and was thus Princess of Paliano.On 14 October 1627, at age...
. The move was designed to further improve her fortunes by mending the rift between the 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 ....
and the Barberini
Barberini
The Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII...
which had developed after Pope Innocent's election (he had the Barberini investigated for squandering papal fortunes during the First War of Castro
Wars of Castro
The Wars of Castro is a term referring to a series of events in the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro , which eventually resulted in the city's destruction on 2 September 1649...
). To retain control over the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
she needed the support of Lucrezia's powerful uncles, Francesco Barberini
Francesco Barberini (seniore)
Francesco Barberini was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII , he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced by his uncle...
and Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini was an Italian Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts and a prominent member of the House of Barberini. As one of the cardinal-nephews of Pope Urban VIII and a supporter of France, he played a significant role at a number of the papal...
.
As soon as his uncle was elected pope in September 1644, Pamphili was appointed General of the Papal Army. This post was usually assigned to the lay-nephew of the Pope, but shortly afterwards Camillo Pamphili expressed his wish to become Cardinal-Nephew
Cardinal-nephew
A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
.
Ecclesiastic career
On 14 November of that year, despite the protestations of his mother, Pamphili was elevated to Cardinal as a Cardinal-NephewCardinal-nephew
A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
and was made Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica. Though he was described as a happy young man, pleasant to friends and staff, contemporary records of his cardinalate suggest he lost interest in his new-found piety fairly quickly; leading a lazy life, sometimes not rising from bed until 7:00 pm.
Resignation, marriage and later life
Pamphili's enthusiasm was dampened by his interest the various young women of Rome. He still quickly developed a particular interest in a young noblewoman who had been in attendance (to issue her best wishes) at the Palazzo Pamphili the day after his uncle's coronationPapal Coronation
A papal coronation was the ceremony of the placing of the Papal Tiara on a newly elected pope. The first recorded papal coronation was that of Pope Celestine II in 1143. Soon after his coronation in 1963, Pope Paul VI abandoned the practice of wearing the tiara. His successors have chosen not to...
. Olimpia Aldobrandini
Olimpia Aldobrandini
Olimpia Aldobrandini was a member of the Aldobrandini family of Rome, and the sole heiress to the family fortune.-Biography:...
was clever, beautiful, trendy and a grand-niece (by marriage, and later sole heir) of Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
. Aldobrandini, though, was married to powerful nobleman Paolo Borghese and Pamphili, again according to his contemporaries, was not the type to begin an illicit affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
. But when Borghese died in 1646, Pamphili made his intentions clear. The two families were already close; Aldobrandini's uncle, Niccolò Ludovisi
Niccolò Ludovisi
Niccolò I Ludovisi was Prince of Piombino from 1634 until his death.-Family:He was the son of Orazio Ludovisi, patrician of Bologna and commander-in-chief of the Papal Army , and Lavinia Albergati. He was the nephew of later-Cardinal Niccolò Albergati-Ludovisi...
(her mother's brother), had married Camillo's sister, Costanza.
Nonetheless, Olympia Maidalchini had finally become used to the idea of Pamphili as Cardinal and was not impressed when he announced his decision to renounce his cardinalate to marry Aldobrandini. He resigned on 21 January 1647 and a few weeks later (10 February 1647) the two were married. His cousin, Francesco Maidalchini
Francesco Maidalchini
Francesco Maidalchini was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.-Early life:Maidalchini was born 12 April 1631 in Viterbo, the son of Andrea Maidalchini and Pacifica Feliziani...
, was appointed as Cardinal-Newphew.
Aldobrandini's dowry included a collection of paintings (including masterpieces removed from the Duke of Ferrara's "Camerino d’Alabastro"), villas in Montemagnanapoli and 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...
, the great Albodrandini estates in Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
on the Corso
Via del Corso
The Via del Corso , commonly known as the Corso, is a main street in the historical centre of Rome. It is remarkable for being absolutely straight in an area characterized by narrow meandering alleys and small piazzas...
in 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...
and the Palazzo Aldobrandini. These estates and property thus passed to the 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 ....
family and became the nucleus for the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.
Acquisition of the estates, scattered throughout the countryside around 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...
, was particular fortuitous; the newly-weds would soon be in need of somewhere to live outside the city. So furious was Olympia's rage that she banished them from Rome and the Palazzo Pamphili and they did not return until her death ten years later in 1657.
But Pamphili and Aldobrandini were not concerned and set about expanding their family. They had five children including Giovan Battista Pamphili, Benedetto Pamphili
Benedetto Pamphili
Benedetto Pamphili was an Italian cardinal, patron of the arts, composer and librettist.-Life:...
and Anna Pamphili who married the Genoese
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
nobleman Giovanni Andrea III Doria Landi
Doria-Pamphili-Landi
Doria-Pamphili-Landi is a princely Roman family of Genoese extraction. Legend has that the origins of the Doria family go back to the early 11th century, but the authentic pedigree is traced to Ansaldo d'Oria, consul of Genoa in the 12th century...
in 1671. When the Roman branch of the Pamphlili family ended in 1760, it was Anna and Giovanni who inherited the palazzo in Rome. Benedetto Pamphili
Benedetto Pamphili
Benedetto Pamphili was an Italian cardinal, patron of the arts, composer and librettist.-Life:...
was allowed to come to Rome and became a cardinal, also appointed by Innocent X.
When he did finally return to Rome, Pamphili commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
to build the 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...
Church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
The Church of Saint Andrew's at the Quirinal is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, built for of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill....
(in 1658). The church was not completed until 1670, after Pamphili's death.
Pamphili died at his Palazzo Pamphili on the via Lata, Rome, on 26 July 1666.
Portraits
- Marble bust by Alessandro AlgardiAlessandro AlgardiAlessandro Algardi was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was the major rival of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.-Early years:...
(Hermitage MuseumHermitage MuseumThe State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
) - Painting by Giusto Sustermans (Palazzo PittiPalazzo PittiThe Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
)