Magister sacri hospitii

The Magister Sacri Hospitii ( Latin : Master of the Holy Hospice ) was one of the oldest and highest offices in the Holy See . It was always occupied by a layman from the Roman nobility . In addition to accommodating and caring for the Pope's guests, he was also responsible for protecting himself and his residence. After the return of the Popes from Avignon , the Magister Sacri Hospitii increasingly lost the obligations he had fulfilled on the Lateran ; Instead, he took on more and more purely ceremonial tasks, in particular the reception of monarchs and heads of state in the Damasus courtyard of the Apostolic Palace . It was his job to open the door of the carriage (in later times of the automobile) with which the state visit arrived and to escort the distinguished guest to the Pope, the Cardinal Secretary of State and through St. Peter's Basilica .

The last Magister Sacri Hospitii was Principe Don Alessandro Ruspoli .

On these occasions he had to offer his arm to a female sovereign or the wife of a head of state. As the last female guest, Evita Perón was shown through the Vatican on June 26, 1947 on the arm of Magister Sacri Hospitii, Principe Don Alessandro Ruspoli.