Antonio Bichi

Antonio Bichi

Antonio Bichi (born March 30, 1614 in Siena , † February 21, 1691 in Osimo ) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Church and Bishop of Osimo .

Life

He was the son of Firmano Bichi and his wife Onorata Mignanelli, a half-sister of the future Pope Alexander VII , Cardinal Fabio Chigi. Other cardinals from the same family were Metello Bichi , Alessandro Bichi , Carlo Bichi and Vincenzo Bichi . Antonio Bichi studied at the University of Siena , where he later taught as a professor of law . Cardinal Chigi, his uncle, called him to Rome as Uditore , from where he accompanied the cardinal to an extraordinary nunciature in Cologne . Then Antonio Bichi Internuntius was in Burgundy to oblige Duke Charles of Lorraine to obey the Pope. From 1642 to 1652 he was Internuntius in Flanders.

Antonio Bichi was appointed Bishop of Montalcino on December 11, 1652 . He was ordained bishop on December 8, 1652 in the church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome by Cardinal Niccolò Albergati-Ludovisi , co- consecrators were Ranuzio Scotti , former bishop of Borgo San Donnino , and Filippo Casoni , bishop of Borgo San Donnino. On March 6, 1656 he was transferred to the bishopric of Osimo.

Pope Alexander VII elevated Antonio Bichi to cardinal in the consistory of April 9, 1657 in pectore , this was publicly announced in the consistory of November 10, 1659. Antonio Bichi received the cardinal's hat and Sant'Agostino as the titular church on December 1st of the same year. From April 17, 1662 to 1667 he was legate in Urbino. As a cardinal he took part in the conclave of 1667 , which Pope Clement IX. chose. On November 14, 1667 he opted for the titular church of Santa Maria degli Angeli . Antonio Bichi was a participant in the conclave 1669-1670 , from which Clement X emerged as Pope. He also took part in the conclave of 1676 , when Innocent XI. was elected Pope. On March 3, 1687 he opted for the cardinal class of the cardinal bishops and for the suburbicarian diocese of Palestrina , but still held the bishopric of Osimo. He was also present at the 1689 conclave when Alexander VIII was elected Pope.

As the responsible local bishop, he was entrusted with the initiation of the beatification process for Joseph von Copertino , who died in Osimo , which was completed in 1753.

At the conclave in 1691 Antonio Bichi was unable to attend, he still died during the see is vacant and has been in the cathedral buried Osimo.

literature

• Gaspare De Caro:  Bichi, Antonio. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 10:  Biagio-Boccaccio. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1968, pp. 340-344.

Web links

• Bichi, Antonio. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed December 8, 2018.
• Entry on Antonio Bichi on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on December 8, 2018.

predecessor	Office	successor
Lorenzo Raggi	Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina 1687–1691	Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni
Lodovico Betti	Bishop of Osimo 1656–1691	Opizio Pallavicini