Cesare Monti
Encyclopedia
Cesare Monti was an Italian
Catholic
Cardinal
who served as Patriarch of Antioch
and Archbishop of Milan.
the partrician family of Princivalle Monti and Anna Landriani. He was a relative of Cardinal Federico Borromeo
. It was under his tutelage that he was first educated until he went to Rome
seeking an ecclesiastic career where he was ordained and obtained a doctorate
in law
.
of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signatura
of Justice and of Grace and prelate
of the Sacred Consulta
. He also became a consultor to the Universal Inquisition
under Francesco Barberini
and later its assessor. He was appointed nuncio
to Naples
in 1627 and then nuncio
extraordinaire to Spain in 1628. His aim was to negotiate peace in Italy with King Philip IV of Spain
; Papal relations with whom had been strained by the War of the Mantuan Succession
. Monti successfully achieved his mission.
In 1629 he was appointed Patriarch of Antioch
; a position he held until 1633. Though he retained his titular patriarchy he was named Archbishop of Milan in 1632. He remained nuncio to Spain for much of this period.
In 1629, Pope Urban VIII
elevated Monti to cardinal in pectore
and his elevation was published in 1633 at which time he resigned as Patriarch. He was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Traspontina
in 1634.
In 1644 he participated in the Papal conclave
which elected Pope Innocent X
.
. However, cathedral administrators and the Milanese people did not follow his desire, "wanting to have in their cathedral the beloved archbishop".
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...
who served as Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
and Archbishop of Milan.
Early life
Monti was born in 1593 in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
the partrician family of Princivalle Monti and Anna Landriani. He was a relative of Cardinal Federico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo was an Italian ecclesiastic, cardinal and archbishop of Milan.-Biography:Federico Borromeo was born in Milan as the second son of Giulio Cesare Borromeo, Count of Arona, and Margherita Trivulzio...
. It was under his tutelage that he was first educated until he went 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...
seeking an ecclesiastic career where he was ordained and obtained a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
Ecclesiastic career
Once in Rome, Monti became a referendaryReferendary
Referendary is the English form or rendering of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organisations.-Secular:...
of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signatura
Apostolic Signatura
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church...
of Justice and of Grace and prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Sacred Consulta
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
. He also became a consultor to the Universal Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
under 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 later its assessor. He was appointed nuncio
Nuncio
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 Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1627 and then nuncio
Nuncio
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...
extraordinaire to Spain in 1628. His aim was to negotiate peace in Italy with King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
; Papal relations with whom had been strained by the War of the Mantuan Succession
War of the Mantuan Succession
The War of the Mantuan Succession was a peripheral part of the Thirty Years' War. Its casus belli was the extinction of the direct male line of the House of Gonzaga in December 1627. Brothers Francesco IV , Ferdinando and Vincenzo II , the last three dukes of Gonzaga, had all died leaving no...
. Monti successfully achieved his mission.
In 1629 he was appointed Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
; a position he held until 1633. Though he retained his titular patriarchy he was named Archbishop of Milan in 1632. He remained nuncio to Spain for much of this period.
In 1629, Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
elevated Monti to cardinal in pectore
In pectore
In pectore is a term used in the Catholic Church to refer to appointments to the College of Cardinals by the Pope when the name of the newly appointed cardinal is not publicly revealed...
and his elevation was published in 1633 at which time he resigned as Patriarch. He was appointed Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Traspontina
Santa Maria in Traspontina
Santa Maria in Traspontina is a Carmelite church in Rome, Italy.The shrine lies on the Via della Conciliazione, the main road of the Rione Borgo....
in 1634.
In 1644 he participated in the Papal conclave
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 :...
which elected 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...
.
Death and burial
Monti died on 16 August 1650. He was exposed in the metropolitan Cathedral of Milan and buried in front of the altar of Beatissima Vergine "dell'Albero", in that cathedral though he had expressed a desire to be buried at the Sanctuary of the Divine Maternity of Mary in Trezzo sull'AddaTrezzo sull'Adda
Trezzo sull'Adda is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 30 km northeast of Milan on the Adda River.The Naviglio Martesana canal starts from the Adda in Trezzo's territory....
. However, cathedral administrators and the Milanese people did not follow his desire, "wanting to have in their cathedral the beloved archbishop".