Gaspare Mattei
Encyclopedia
Gaspare Mattei was an Italian cardinal of the house of Mattei.
, the eldest son of Mario Mattei, duke of Paganica and Prudenzia Cenci; he was a relative of Pope Paul V
. He was educated at the Archgymnasium of Rome. He fell in love with a young lady and as the eldest son his parents hoped he would marry her, but instead he became a papal prelate under Paul V, then referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace. He then became governor of San Severino (December 29, 1621), commissary apostolic in Forlì (1629), vice-legate in Urbino (February 14, 1632), governor of Perugia (January 29, 1636) and finally commissary general of Romagna. Despite not having received holy orders he was elected titular archbishop of Atena on 5 September 1639 and then became nuncio
to Austria (1639–43).
He was elected cardinal priest in the consistory of July 13, 1643, with the titular church of S. Pancrazio. He was part of the Papal conclave of 1644
, electing Pope Innocent X
, but left the September 10, 1644 conclave due to illness. He opted for the title of Santa Cecilia on September 28, 1648 and on his death in Rome, he was buried there.
Life
Mattei was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the eldest son of Mario Mattei, duke of Paganica and Prudenzia Cenci; he was a relative of Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
. He was educated at the Archgymnasium of Rome. He fell in love with a young lady and as the eldest son his parents hoped he would marry her, but instead he became a papal prelate under Paul V, then referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace. He then became governor of San Severino (December 29, 1621), commissary apostolic in Forlì (1629), vice-legate in Urbino (February 14, 1632), governor of Perugia (January 29, 1636) and finally commissary general of Romagna. Despite not having received holy orders he was elected titular archbishop of Atena on 5 September 1639 and then became nuncio
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to Austria (1639–43).
He was elected cardinal priest in the consistory of July 13, 1643, with the titular church of S. Pancrazio. He was part of the Papal conclave of 1644
Papal conclave, 1644
The papal conclave of 1644 was the papal conclave of Cardinals called on the death of Pope Urban VIII. It lasted from 9 August to 15 September 1644 and eventually chose Giovanni Battista Pamphili, who took office as Pope Innocent X.- Urban's influence :...
, electing Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X , born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj , was Pope from 1644 to 1655. Born in Rome of a family from Gubbio in Umbria who had come to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Innocent IX, he graduated from the Collegio Romano and followed a conventional cursus honorum, following his uncle...
, but left the September 10, 1644 conclave due to illness. He opted for the title of Santa Cecilia on September 28, 1648 and on his death in Rome, he was buried there.