Antonio Saverio Gentili
Antonio Saverio Gentili (born February 9, 1681 in Rome , † March 13, 1753 ibid) was an Italian Curia Cardinal of the Roman Church .
Life
Origin and early years
He was the second child of the nobleman Nicola Ottaviano Gentili and his wife Teresa Durso (or Ursi). His name is also given as Antonius Xaverius de Gentilibus , the first name also appears only as Saverio. Another cardinal from the same family was Luca Rodolfucci de Gentili , who was created cardinal in 1378.
Antonio Saverio Gentili completed his studies at the Roman University of La Sapienza , where he obtained the academic degree of Doctor iuris utriusque on April 2, 1699 . He organized roundtables for young doctors in his house, at which legal questions as well as church conditions were discussed. On March 12, 1705 he became a trainee lawyer at the courts of the Apostolic Signature and in October 1712 auditor (judge) there. He later worked as an Abbreviator and as an employee of the Apostolic Chamber . He was ordained a priest on January 1, 1727.
Episcopate
On March 17, 1727 Antonio Saverio Gentili was appointed titular archbishop of Petra in Palestine . The episcopal ordination donated to him on March 23 of the same year in Rome Pope Benedict XIII. ; Co- consecrators were Archbishop Giovanni Battista Braschi , former Bishop of Sarsina , and Curia Bishop Nicolas-Xavier Santamarie . On March 23, 1727 Antonio Saverio Gentili was appointed Papal Assistant to the Throne . Antonio Saverio Gentili became Secretary of the Council Congregation in April 1728 and five months later, in September 1728, Secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and Regulars , at the same time he received a canonical at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore . From 1731 to 1740 he was the Datar of His Holiness .
Cardinalate
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Ritratto_di_rappresentanza_con_Padre_d%27Evora%2C_i_cardinali_Gentili%2C_Corsini%2C_Passeri_%28c._1730%29_-_Agostino_Masucci_%28Biblioteca_Nazionale_Vittorio_Emanuele_II%2C_Roma%29.png/220px-thumbnail.png)
In the consistory of September 24, 1731 Pope Clement XII created. him cardinal priest , the red hat and the titular church of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio were awarded to him on November 19 of the same year. From October 1736 he was Pro- Prefect of the Council Congregation and from March 20, 1737 its Prefect, a position he held until his death. Together with the cardinals Neri Maria Corsini and Marcello Passari , he managed to negotiate a concordat with the Kingdom of Portugal .
After the death of Clemens XII. he took part in the 1740 conclave , which elected Benedict XIV as Pope. From January 22, 1742 to January 28, 1743 Antonio Saverio Gentili was chamberlain of the Holy College of Cardinals . On April 10, 1747, he opted for the cardinal class of the cardinal bishops and the suburbicarian diocese of Palestrina . He visited the diocese of Palestrina and established foundations for the poor as well as for the cathedral there .
Antonio Saverio Gentili died on March 13, 1753 around 5 a.m. after a stroke and was buried in the Roman church of San Venanzio dei Camerinesi .
Services
Antonio Saverio Gentili developed an extensive pastoral activity . In 1728 he consecrated the parish church of San Niccolò in Arcione and its three altars, which is reminiscent of a plaque in the church. In his titular church, Santo Stefano Rotondo , the relics of the martyrs Primus and Felicianus were found and, with a solemn ceremony by the entire College of Cardinals and the prelates of Rome, were locked in an altar that Cardinal Gentili had erected.
In 1741 Antonio Saverio Gentili was appointed Apostolic Visitator of the Hospital Santo Spirito in Sassia. He managed to raise a million scudi in donations to pay off the hospital's debts. He expanded the hospital to accommodate more patients and visited the sick day and night to administer the sacraments .
literature
- Dario Busolini: GENTILI, Antonio Saverio. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 53: Gelati – Ghisalberti. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1999.
Web links
- Gentili, Antonio Saverio. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed December 26, 2018.
- Entry on Antonio Saverio Gentili on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on December 26, 2018.
- Entry in the REQUIEM project
- Portrait of Gentilis as Cardinal Bishop owned by the Diocese of Rieti on the cultural property page of the CEI .
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
Vincenzo Petra |
Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina 1747–1753 |
Giuseppe Spinelli |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Gentili, Antonio Saverio |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gentilibus, Antonius Xaverius de; Gentili, Saverio |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian Cardinal Curia of the Roman Church |
DATE OF BIRTH | February 9, 1681 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Rome |
DATE OF DEATH | March 13, 1753 |
Place of death | Rome |