Stefano Borgia
Encyclopedia
The Most Rev. Dr. Stefano Cardinal
Borgia (3 December 1731–1804) was a senior Italian prelate
, theologian, antiquarian and historian.
Cardinal
Borgia belonged to a well known family of Velletri
, where he was born, and was a distant relative of the House of Borgia. His early education was controlled by his uncle Alessandro
(1682–1764), Archbishop of Fermo
. From his youth, Stefano Borgia manifested an aptitude for historical research and a taste for relics of ancient civilizations, a line in which he succeeded so well that, at the age of nineteen, he was received into the Academy of Cortona
. He founded a museum in Velletri, in which, during his whole life, he gathered coins and manuscripts, especially Copt
ic, and which may be considered as his major undertaking and achievement. Such was his passion for antiquities that he is known to have sold his jewels and precious earthenware in order to secure the coveted treasures and have the description of them printed. Borgia placed his scientific collection at the disposal of scholars, regardless of creed and country, and giving them encouragement and support. Paolino da San Bartolomeo, Adler
, Zoega
, Heeren
, and many others were among his enthusiastic friends.
Borgia was not left, however, entirely to his chosen field of activity, but was called to fill several important political positions. Benedict XIV appointed him Governor of Benevento
. In 1770 he was made secretary of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide
, an office of which he took advantage to acquire antiquities by the help of the missionaries—a help which proved always forthcoming. He was made a cardinal in 1789. In the period of the French invasion Borgia was given charge of Rome by Pius VI (1797–98). After the proclamation of the Republic, he was arrested (1798), but quickly released, whereupon he immediately resumed his studies and work of collecting; soon afterwards he joined Pius VI in Valence, Drôme
, and endeavoured to have this pontiff send to Asia and Africa a body of missionaries who would preach the Gospel
and gather various monuments.
Cardinal Borgia was a participant in the Papal conclave, 1800
, which elected Pope Pius VII
. Borgia helped him in the reorganization of the Papal States
. In 1801 he was made Rector
of the Collegium Romanum, and he was in the retinue of Pius VII when this pontiff went to France to crown the new emperor Napoleon. Having arrived in Lyon
s, Cardinal Borgia was taken ill and died. After his death his collection of Coptic manuscripts was divided: the non-Biblical manuscripts were taken to Naples
and placed in the Biblioteca Borbonica, now the Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III; and the Biblical manuscripts, except for a few which were taken to Naples by mistake, given to the Congregation de Propaganda Fide, together with the collection of coins and monuments forming the Museo Borgiano.
At the turn of the Twentieth century the manuscripts of the Museo Borgiano were transferred to the Vatican Library
, where they are to be found today. Before the partition of the manuscripts was made the scholar and convert, Jörgen Zoega
, wrote a complete and accurate description of them in his posthumous work Catologus Codicum Copticorum manu scriptorum qui in Museo Borgiano Velitris adservantur (Rome, 1810). Borgia also published several works bearing especially on historical topics: Monumento di papa Giovanni XVI (Rome, 1750); Breve istoria dell antica città di Benevento (ibid., 1763–69); Vaticana confessio B. Petri chronoligcis testimoniis illustrata (ibid., 1776); De Cruce Vaticanâ (ibid., 1779); De Cruce Veliternâ (ibid., 1780; Istoria del dominio temporale della Sede Apostolica nelle Due-Sicilie (ibid., 1788).
The Codex Borgia
, discovered by Alexander von Humboldt
, is named after him.
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...
Borgia (3 December 1731–1804) was a senior Italian 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...
, theologian, antiquarian and historian.
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...
Borgia belonged to a well known family of Velletri
Velletri
Velletri is an Italian town of 53,298 inhabitants. It is a comune in the province of Rome, on the Alban Hills, in Lazio - Italy. It is bounded by other communes of Rocca di Papa, Lariano, Cisterna di Latina, Artena, Aprilia, Nemi, Genzano di Roma, Lanuvio...
, where he was born, and was a distant relative of the House of Borgia. His early education was controlled by his uncle Alessandro
Alessandro Borgia
Alessandro Borgia was an Italian bishop and archbishop.-Life:From a patrician family of Velletri which was only distantly related to the better known house of Borgia, he was the son of Clemente Erminio Borgia...
(1682–1764), Archbishop of Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
. From his youth, Stefano Borgia manifested an aptitude for historical research and a taste for relics of ancient civilizations, a line in which he succeeded so well that, at the age of nineteen, he was received into the Academy of Cortona
Cortona
Cortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.-History:...
. He founded a museum in Velletri, in which, during his whole life, he gathered coins and manuscripts, especially Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic, and which may be considered as his major undertaking and achievement. Such was his passion for antiquities that he is known to have sold his jewels and precious earthenware in order to secure the coveted treasures and have the description of them printed. Borgia placed his scientific collection at the disposal of scholars, regardless of creed and country, and giving them encouragement and support. Paolino da San Bartolomeo, Adler
Jacob Georg Christian Adler
Jakob Georg Christian Adler was a German Generalsuperintendent for Holstein and Schleswig, Orientalist, Syriac language professor at the University of Copenhagen, Lutheran theologian, Oberkonsistorialrat, book writer, religious educator, coin collector and head of the...
, Zoega
Jörgen Zoega
Jørgen Zoëga was a Danish archaeologist and numismatist; born at Daler near Tønder, near the west coast of northern Schleswig.-Biography:...
, Heeren
Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren
Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren was a German historian.He was born at Arbergen, near Bremen. He studied philosophy, theology and history at the University of Göttingen, and then travelled in France, Italy and the Netherlands...
, and many others were among his enthusiastic friends.
Borgia was not left, however, entirely to his chosen field of activity, but was called to fill several important political positions. Benedict XIV appointed him Governor of Benevento
Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
. In 1770 he was made secretary of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
, an office of which he took advantage to acquire antiquities by the help of the missionaries—a help which proved always forthcoming. He was made a cardinal in 1789. In the period of the French invasion Borgia was given charge of Rome by Pius VI (1797–98). After the proclamation of the Republic, he was arrested (1798), but quickly released, whereupon he immediately resumed his studies and work of collecting; soon afterwards he joined Pius VI in Valence, Drôme
Valence, Drôme
Valence is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Drôme department, situated on the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon on the railway to Marseilles.Its inhabitants are called Valentinois...
, and endeavoured to have this pontiff send to Asia and Africa a body of missionaries who would preach the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and gather various monuments.
Cardinal Borgia was a participant in the Papal conclave, 1800
Papal conclave, 1800
The Papal conclave of 1799–1800 followed the death of Pope Pius VI on 29 August 1799 and led to the selection as pope of Giorgio Barnaba Luigi Chiaramonti, who took the name Pius VII, on 14 March 1800. This conclave, the last conclave to take place outside Rome, was held in Venice...
, which elected Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
. Borgia helped him in the reorganization of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. In 1801 he was made Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Collegium Romanum, and he was in the retinue of Pius VII when this pontiff went to France to crown the new emperor Napoleon. Having arrived in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
s, Cardinal Borgia was taken ill and died. After his death his collection of Coptic manuscripts was divided: the non-Biblical manuscripts were taken 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...
and placed in the Biblioteca Borbonica, now the Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III; and the Biblical manuscripts, except for a few which were taken to Naples by mistake, given to the Congregation de Propaganda Fide, together with the collection of coins and monuments forming the Museo Borgiano.
At the turn of the Twentieth century the manuscripts of the Museo Borgiano were transferred to the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
, where they are to be found today. Before the partition of the manuscripts was made the scholar and convert, Jörgen Zoega
Jörgen Zoega
Jørgen Zoëga was a Danish archaeologist and numismatist; born at Daler near Tønder, near the west coast of northern Schleswig.-Biography:...
, wrote a complete and accurate description of them in his posthumous work Catologus Codicum Copticorum manu scriptorum qui in Museo Borgiano Velitris adservantur (Rome, 1810). Borgia also published several works bearing especially on historical topics: Monumento di papa Giovanni XVI (Rome, 1750); Breve istoria dell antica città di Benevento (ibid., 1763–69); Vaticana confessio B. Petri chronoligcis testimoniis illustrata (ibid., 1776); De Cruce Vaticanâ (ibid., 1779); De Cruce Veliternâ (ibid., 1780; Istoria del dominio temporale della Sede Apostolica nelle Due-Sicilie (ibid., 1788).
The Codex Borgia
Codex Borgia
The Codex Borgia is a Mesoamerican ritual and divinatory manuscript. It is generally believed to have been written before the Spanish conquest of Mexico, somewhere within what is now today southern or western Puebla...
, discovered by Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
, is named after him.