Ignazio Visconti

Ignazio Visconti

Ignazio Visconti (born July 31, 1682 in Milan , † May 4, 1755 in Rome ) was the 16th general of the Societas Jesu .

Life

Visconti came from the noble family of the same name from Lombardy. At the age of 20, he joined the Societas Jesu on November 13, 1702 . After successfully completing his studies, he was appointed to the college in Milan . There he taught the subjects of rhetoric, philosophy, exegesis and scholasticism.

The 15th general of the order, Franz Retz , appointed Visconti as vicar general . After Retz's death on November 19, 1750, the General Assembly of the Order on July 4 of the following year elected Ignazio Visconti as his successor.

His term of office was marked by many crises: Father Antoine de La Valette had driven several trading houses to ruin through mismanagement and illegal business. In 1753 Visconti called him back to the mother house in Rome to clear up the scandal. But hindered by false testimonies and ignorant guarantors, the whole thing petered out and the culprit remained unmolested. The order could no longer bear La Valette's enormous debts and Visconti was ultimately exposed to criticism that he would also have been an accomplice or at least an accomplice. In addition, during this difficult time, Sebastiao José de Carvalho , who later became the Marquês de Pombal, tried to systematically destroy the order.

Visconti's tenure also included the Treaty of Madrid of January 13, 1750, with which Spain and Portugal resolved territorial disputes in South America.

Ignazio Visconti died on May 4, 1755 in Rome at the age of 73. Luigi Centurioni was his successor .

predecessor	Office	successor
Franz Retz	Superior General of the Society of Jesus 1751 - 1755	Luigi Centurioni