Federico Borromeo
Federico Borromeo (born August 16, 1564 in Milan , † September 22, 1631 in Milan) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church . He belonged to the Italian noble family of Borromeo . The cousin of Cardinal Carlo Borromeo , canonized in 1610, was given a literary memorial by Alessandro Manzoni in his historical novel I promessi sposi .
Live and act
At the age of 23, Federico Borromeo received the red hat from Pope Sixtus V in the consistory of December 1587 , in order to be appointed cardinal deacon with the titular church of Santa Maria in Domnica in January 1588 . A year later he moved to Santi Cosma e Damiano , in March 1589 to Sant'Agata de 'Goti and from 1591 to 1593 he held the titular diaconia of San Nicola in Carcere . Pope Clement VIII accepted Borromeo in 1593 into the class of cardinal priests and in September assigned him to Santa Maria degli Angeli as the titular church . Only now was he ordained a priest on December 7, 1593.
In April 1595, the same pontiff raised him to Archbishop of Milan and personally ordained Borromeo on June 11th. Federico Borromeo seriously considered turning down the appointment because he felt he was not living up to his famous cousin's example. His mother had always named Cardinal Carlo Borromeo as a role model for the adolescent boy. While Carlo Borromeo was hands-on, Federico Borromeo was more reserved. After his cousin made it possible for him to study with the reform bishop Gabriele Paleotti in Bologna , Federico even wanted to become a monk and completely withdraw from worldly life. However, this was not in the interests of his family, who could well imagine the spiritual status for him. However, he should take a position that enabled him to continue to promote the Count family of Borromeo. Carlo Borromeo therefore ensured that Federico received an education that corresponded more to a career in the secular clergy .
In the College of Cardinals , he was among the reform-minded cardinals. He participated intensively in the cultural, artistic and scientific life in Rome. As Archbishop of Milan he founded the Biblioteca Ambrosiana , to which an artists' academy and a collection of paintings that can still be viewed today were attached. As a bishop promoting the arts , he was a novelty. Apart from the popes, who began collecting the present-day Vatican Museums as early as 1506 , such art sponsorship was mainly practiced by secular princes. In accordance with his cardinal status, Federico Borromeo attached great importance to the fact that religion was at the center of all art.
Manzoni describes - based on sources from the 17th century - Borromeo's attitude towards the Milanese plague epidemic of 1630 as that of an enlightened humanist.
See also
Text editions and translations
- Kenneth S. Rothwell, Pamela M. Jones (Eds.): Federico Borromeo: Sacred Painting. Museum. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 2010, ISBN 978-0-674-04758-7 (Latin text and English translation of De pictura sacra and Musaeum )
literature
- Pablo Crivelli: Federico Borromeo. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . January 7, 2003 , accessed February 27, 2020 . 2004.
- Edgardo Franzosini: Sotto il nome del Cardinale. Adelphi, Milano 2013.
- Paolo Prodi: Borromeo, Federico. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 13: Borremans – Brancazolo. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1971, pp. 33-42.
- Julia Zunckel: The difficult legacy of San Carlos or: the over-fulfillment of the norm. The Milan Cardinal Archbishop Federico Borromeo 1564–1631. In: Arne Karsten (ed.): The hunt for the red hat. Cardinal careers in baroque Rome. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, ISBN 3-525-36277-3 , pp. 69-87 (available online)
Web links
- Works by and about Federico Borromeo in the German Digital Library
- Publications by and about Federico Borromeo in the Helveticat catalog of the Swiss National Library
- Federico Borromeo. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website, English)
- Entry on Federico Borromeo on catholic-hierarchy.org
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Gaspare Visconti |
Archbishop of Milan 1595–1631 |
Cesare Monti |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Borromeo, Federico |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Borromeo, Francesco Federico; Borromeo, Federigo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1564 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Milan |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 22, 1631 |
| Place of death | Milan |