Gregory XIV.

Gregory XIV.

Coat of arms of Pope Gregory XIV (modern tracing)

Gregory XIV (born February 11, 1535 in Somma Lombardo , † October 16, 1591 in Rome ), real name Niccolò Sfondrati , was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1590 to 1591 .

Life

After the early death of his mother, Niccolò's father, Francesco Sfondrati , became a clergyman in 1538, cardinal in 1544 and bishop of Cremona in 1550 , where he died unexpectedly that same year. After basic training in Milan , Niccolò Sfondrati first deepened his humanistic studies in Florence and from 1550 attended the University of Padua , where he received his doctorate in utroque iure in 1555 .

Just fourteen years old, he followed his father as commander abbot of the Olivetan monastery of San Calocero in Civate near Lecco ; he also received a pension from his father from the income of the diocese of Cremona. After graduating, he worked as a reformer in his abbey. During this time his connection with Carlo Borromeo , with whom he was apparently also related, began. In 1560 Niccolò Sfondrati became Bishop of Cremona. Cardinal Federico Cesi had already ceded the diocese to him in 1557, but Pope Paul IV refused the dispensation for episcopal ordination, which was necessary due to the lack of canonical age and which was only granted by Pius IV . Sfondrati took part in the Council of Trent until 1563 . After returning to Cremona, he worked closely with Carlo Borromeo. In the spirit of the Council of Trent he initiated reforms in Cremona, but met with some strong resistance from his clergy. On December 12, 1583 he was the Pope of the calendar reform Gregory XIII. appointed cardinal with the titular church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere , to whom the choice of name commemorates.

The conclave elected him on December 5, 1590 after two months of deliberations as the new pope, after he had already been considered a candidate for the papal throne in the election of Urban VII . Cardinal Sfondrati probably owed his election as Pope to the fact that he was rather unknown in Rome and therefore had few enemies. During his pontificate he appointed five new cardinals, including his nephew Paolo Emilio Sfondrati and Cardinal Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona . As a cardinal depository, Paolo Emilio was supposed to support the personally pious Gregory XIV in the performance of government affairs, but used his post primarily to expand his own power.

With his bull Cogit nos on March 21, 1591 he forbade bets relating to the election of a pope, the duration of a pontificate or the appointment of new cardinals. He threatened offenders with excommunication . At the beginning of 1591, Gregory created new guidelines to bind bishops more closely to the residence obligation. He died of kidney stones after just under a year of pontificate .

literature

• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Gregor XIV. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 325
• Entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia , Robert Appleton Company, New York 1913.
• Agostino Borromeo :  Gregorio XIV, papa. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 59:  Graziano – Grossi Gondi. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2002.
• Agostino Borromeo: Gregorio XIV . In: Massimo Bray (ed.): Enciclopedia dei Papi , Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Volume 3 (Innocenzo VIII - Giovanni Paolo II), Rome 2000

Web links

Commons : Gregory XIV.  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Gregor XIV. In the personal register of the Germania Sacra online

predecessor	Office	successor
Urban VII.	Pope 1590–1591	Innocent IX.