Stefano Pignatelli
Encyclopedia
Stefano Pignatelli was an Italian cardinal
.
Despite the name, he was not a member of the well-known Neapolitan noble family. His father was a potter. He completed his studies in law at the University of Perugia
, where he became an intimate friend of the future cardinal Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese, and was asked to accompany Borghese when he was called to Rome upon the election of his uncle as Pope Paul V
. His closeness to Borghese eventually led to himself being created a cardinal in the consistory
of 11 January 1621 with the title of Santa Maria in Via
.
According to Cardella, the envy of the papal court made some cardinals and ambassadors on two occasions accuse him before the pope of having improper influence over Scipione Borghese (perhaps of a sexual nature), and asked for him to be excluded. In both cases, he was cleared of the accusations.
Pignatelli demonstrated himself worthy of the episcopal purple, however, and participated in the conclaves of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV
; and in the conclave of 1623, which elected Pope Urban VIII
. He was a particular patron of the arts - commissioning pictures by Guercino and music for the lute and guitar by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger.
He died of an acute fever in 1623, and was buried in Rome, in the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
.
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...
.
Despite the name, he was not a member of the well-known Neapolitan noble family. His father was a potter. He completed his studies in law at the University of Perugia
University of Perugia
University of Perugia is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale....
, where he became an intimate friend of the future cardinal Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese, and was asked to accompany Borghese when he was called to Rome upon the election of his uncle as Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
. His closeness to Borghese eventually led to himself being created a cardinal in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 11 January 1621 with the title of Santa Maria in Via
Santa Maria in Via
Santa Maria in Via is a basilica church in Rome. The church was already built in the 9th century, but was rebuilt in occasion of a miracle to host an icon.A church or a chapel was present in the same place in the 9th century...
.
According to Cardella, the envy of the papal court made some cardinals and ambassadors on two occasions accuse him before the pope of having improper influence over Scipione Borghese (perhaps of a sexual nature), and asked for him to be excluded. In both cases, he was cleared of the accusations.
Pignatelli demonstrated himself worthy of the episcopal purple, however, and participated in the conclaves of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV , born Alessandro Ludovisi, was pope from 1621, succeeding Paul V on 9 February 1621...
; and in the conclave of 1623, which elected 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...
. He was a particular patron of the arts - commissioning pictures by Guercino and music for the lute and guitar by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger.
He died of an acute fever in 1623, and was buried in Rome, in the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva is a titular minor basilica and one of the most important churches of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. The church, located in the Piazza della Minerva in the Campus Martius region, is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. It houses...
.