Giovanni Battista de Luca
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Battista de Luca (1614–1683) was an Italian
jurist and Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
.
, Basilicata
, in 1614 of humble parentage. He took up the study of law at Naples in 1635. After graduation, he practiced law as an advocate in Naples
for five years. An attack of pulmonary tuberculosis
caused him to return to his native place, where he took up the bishop's vicariate.
In 1645 De Luca went to Rome
, where he soon won a high reputation for his legal ability and became one of Italy's pre-eminent advocates. As a close collaborator of the reform-minded pope Innocent XI, who acceded to the Holy See in 1676, he exerted influence over the organisation of the Roman Curia
, but stirred up much enmity and jealousy among the conservative leaders of the Church, notably Innocent's secretary Agostino Favoriti. This caused his influence to wane over time. At an advanced age he became a priest and was made first referendary Utriusque Signaturae, then auditor of the Sacred Palace by Innocent, who finally in 1681 raised De Luca to the cardinalate. He died at Rome, on 5 February, 1683.
His complete works were published under the title "Theatrum veritatis et justitiae (19 volumes, 1669-77; 12 volumes, Cologne, 1689-99); a comprehensive legal encyclopedia that became one of the most significant authorities of the late ius commune and was reprinted regularly up until the middle of the 18th century. De Luca also advocated the use of the Italian language
in scientific publications and authored numerous works in Italian providing a comprehensive picture of the legal and institutional framework of his time.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
jurist and 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...
of the Roman Catholic Church
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...
.
Biography
De Luca was born at VenosaVenosa
Venosa is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, Rapolla and Spinazzola....
, Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, in 1614 of humble parentage. He took up the study of law at Naples in 1635. After graduation, he practiced law as an advocate in 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...
for five years. An attack of pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
caused him to return to his native place, where he took up the bishop's vicariate.
In 1645 De Luca 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...
, where he soon won a high reputation for his legal ability and became one of Italy's pre-eminent advocates. As a close collaborator of the reform-minded pope Innocent XI, who acceded to the Holy See in 1676, he exerted influence over the organisation of the Roman Curia
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...
, but stirred up much enmity and jealousy among the conservative leaders of the Church, notably Innocent's secretary Agostino Favoriti. This caused his influence to wane over time. At an advanced age he became a priest and was made first referendary Utriusque Signaturae, then auditor of the Sacred Palace by Innocent, who finally in 1681 raised De Luca to the cardinalate. He died at Rome, on 5 February, 1683.
Works
De Luca's writings, which are eminently practical in character, are most important for proper understanding of the jurisprudence of the Roman Curia and especially of the Rota Romana in his time. They include his "Relatio Curiae Romanae" (Cologne, 1683), "Sacrae Rotae decisiones" (Lyons, 1700) and "Annotationes praticae ad S. Conciluim Tridentinum" (Cologne, 1684).His complete works were published under the title "Theatrum veritatis et justitiae (19 volumes, 1669-77; 12 volumes, Cologne, 1689-99); a comprehensive legal encyclopedia that became one of the most significant authorities of the late ius commune and was reprinted regularly up until the middle of the 18th century. De Luca also advocated the use of the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in scientific publications and authored numerous works in Italian providing a comprehensive picture of the legal and institutional framework of his time.