Flavio Chigi (cardinal, 1631)

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Cardinal Flavio Chigi, portrait by Jacob Ferdinand Voet in the Palazzo Chigi, Ariccia

Flavio Chigi (born May 10, 1631 in Siena , † September 13, 1693 in Rome ) was a Curia Cardinal of the Catholic Church , most recently as Cardinal Bishop of the suburbicarian dioceses of Albano and Porto and Santa Rufina . To distinguish between two later cardinals of the same name, he is also called Flavio Chigi seniore or Flavio I. Chigi .

Live and act

The son of Mario Chigi and Berenice della Ciaia studied philosophy and law , he received his doctorate iuris utriusque . He was ordained priest in 1656. In the consistory of April 9, 1657, he was appointed cardinal by his uncle, Pope Alexander VII , and took on the role of papal cardinal nephew, who had to manage the family business in the Papal States . As a cardinal he was first cardinal priest of Santa Maria del Popolo (1657–1686).

On March 18, 1686 he was appointed Cardinal Bishop of Albano . He was ordained bishop on March 24 of the same year in the monastery of San Sisto in Rome Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni , Prefect of the Congregation Propaganda Fide and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church; Co-consecrators were Archbishop Francesco Casati and the Bishop of Valva e Sulmona Gregorio Carducci . In 1689 he moved to the suburbicarian bishopric of Porto and Santa Rufina .

Flavio Chigi also held the following offices of the Curia : 1659–1681 librarian of the Vatican Library , July – November 1661 Prefect of the Apostolic Signature , 1661–1693 Prefect of the Curia, 1673–1674 Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals .

Palazzo Odescalchi in Rome (right)

Between 1659 and 1662, with money from the papal casket, he bought the towns of Campagnano di Roma , Cesano, Formello and Sacrofano, north of Rome, from the heavily indebted Dukes of Bracciano from the Orsini family , whereupon the Pope elevated this area to the Principality of Campagnano. In 1680 he had the Villa Cetinale built. He also had the palace, known today as Palazzo Odescalchi , built in Piazza SS. Apostoli by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and housed his extensive collection of antiquities in it, which was sold to August the Strong , King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, in 1728 today forms the main part of the collection of the Albertinum in Dresden .

The cardinal had a gallery of Roman beauties ( Stanza delle Belle ) set up in the Chigi family seat, the Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia - among those portrayed were Maria Mancini and her sister Ortensia , two former mistresses of Louis XIV ; Maria Mancini was meanwhile a Princess Colonna and the lover Flavio Chigis.

He took part in the 1689 conclave , which Pope Alexander VIII elected, and in the 1691 conclave , from the Innocent XII. emerged as Pope.

He was buried in the Chigi family chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo .

literature

  • Enrico Stumpo:  Chigi, Flavio. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 24:  Cerreto – Chini. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1980, pp. 747-751.
  • Francesco Petrucci: Il Palazzo Chigi di Ariccia , printed by: Arte grafica, Ariccia (official guide, Italian).

Web links

Commons : Flavio Chigi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Francesco Petrucci: Il Palazzo Chigi di Ariccia (official guide, Italian), p. 14
predecessor Office successor
Pietro Vito Ottoboni Cardinal Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina
1689–1693 		Giacomo Franzoni
Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni Cardinal Bishop of Albano
1686–1689 		Emmanuel Théodose de la Tour d'Auvergne
personal data
SURNAME Chigi, Flavio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chigi, Flavio seniore
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian Cardinal Curia
DATE OF BIRTH May 10, 1631
PLACE OF BIRTH Siena
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 1693
Place of death Rome