Giovanni Antonio Volpe
Giovanni Antonio Volpe , also Volpi , (born December 30, 1513 in Como ; † August 28, 1588 ibid) was an Italian Roman Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Como and Apostolic Nuncio in Switzerland .
Life
Volpe came from a family of the Comasker nobility; his father was a lawyer. He completed humanistic and legal studies in Padua , which he completed with a doctorate in both rights . He went to Rome , where he worked for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese around 1547 . In 1559 Pope Paul IV appointed him Bishop of Como. He received the episcopal ordination on July 16, 1559 by the Bishop of Nocera Inferiore Giulio Giovio . On March 25, 1560, Pope Pius IV appointed him on the recommendation of St. Karl Borromeo as nuncio for Switzerland; the office he exercised until his resignation in 1579 in addition to his bishopric.
Volpe's nunciature fell at the time of the most violent Reformation and Counter-Reformation disputes in the Confederation , which were on the verge of civil war , such as the “ Tschudi War ” for the denomination of the Canton of Glarus (1560–1564). Volpe successfully prevented a further escalation. At the same time he campaigned for alliances between the Catholic cantons with Savoy and with Pope Pius IV and for the participation of Swiss representatives in the Council of Trent , which was convened again in 1562 after a ten-year break. Volpe's mediation overcame the resistance of the Constance cathedral chapter and the Catholic Confederates against the appointment of Markus Sittikus von Hohenems as Bishop of Constance .
In 1586, Volpe donated a precious silver reliquary container , the Urna Volpi , to his episcopal church in Como to hold the most important relics of the Cathedral of Mary , including the hair of the Mother of God and a hairpin of St. Mary Magdalene . The house-shaped shrine is decorated with relief scenes from the life of Mary and with the coat of arms of Volpe.
literature
- Urban Fink: Giovanni Antonio Volpe. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . September 24, 2012 , accessed December 7, 2019 .
- Karl Fry: Nunzius Giovanni Antonio Volpe and the Council negotiations with the III leagues . In: Journal for Swiss Church History 26, 1932, pp. 34–58 ( digitized version )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Date of death according to the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland ; catholic-hierarchy.org states August 30th.
- ↑ È tempo di aprire lo scrigno di Como , laprovinciadicomo.it, September 2, 2015
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Bernardino della Croce |
Bishop of Como 1559–1588 |
Feliciano Ninguarda |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Volpe, Giovanni Antonio |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Volpi, Giovanni Antonio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian Roman Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Como and Apostolic Nuncio in Switzerland |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 30, 1513 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Como |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 1588 |
| Place of death | Como |