Torlonia
Encyclopedia
The princes Torlonia are an Italian noble family from Rome
, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican
.
region of France
to become a very rich businessman and banker in Rome.
Marino was born with the French name of Marin Torlonias, the son of Antoine Torlonias, a merchant and laborer. Marin's great-uncle was the parish priest of Augerolles
, who procured for him a position as aide to an influential abbot
. Marin eventually settled in Rome, where he became a cloth merchant and money lender near the Piazza Trinità dei Monti. This became the foundation of the family bank established by his son, Giovanni Torlonia
.
Giovanni, in return for his able administration of the Vatican finances, was created duke of Bracciano and count of Pisciarelli by Pope Pius VI
in 1794. In 1803, Pius VII
made him marquess of Romavecchia e Turrita and the first prince of Civitella Cesi. He was made, among other titles, a Roman Patrician in 1809, with confirmation from the Pope on January 19, 1813, and the duke of Poli e Guadagnolo in 1820. He was the builder of the Villa Torlonia
in Rome, among other Palazzo Torlonia
villas. He married Anna Maria Chiaveri née Schulteiss, a widow who came from a family of southern German merchants from the city of Donaueschingen
.
Leopoldo Torlonia
, a grandson of Giovanni, was the Mayor of Rome from May 1882 to May 1887.
In 1907, his great-grandson, Marino Torlonia
succeeded to the title as 4th prínce of Civitella-Cesi, a title he inherited from his older brother, Augusto, in 1926. The title had been passed to Augusto from their paternal great-uncle, Alessandro, younger brother of Augusto's and Marino's grandfather, Giulio. Marino married the rich American Mary Elsie Moore
; they were the parents of Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, who married the Infanta Beatriz of Spain
, the daughter of King Alfonso XIII
— and of Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi
, the wife of American tennis player Francis Xavier Shields and grandmother of the American actress Brooke Shields
.
In Rome, the Torlonia properties comprise: Palazzo Torlonia-Giraud in Via della Conciliazione
(rione
of Borgo
), Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
in Via Condotti
, near the Spanish Steps
, Palazzo Torlonia in Via della Lungara (rione
of Trastevere
) and Villa Torlonia (Villa Albani) outside Porta Salaria
. They also owned the now demolished Palazzo Torlonia-Bolognetti near Piazza Venezia
.
The Torlonia family is one of the few Italian aristocratic families to have survived the reconstruction of the Papal Court
in 1969 by the motu proprio
Pontificalis Domus
. Today the only hereditary honours still in use at the Vatican are that of hereditary Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne
. This honour is today held by Alessandro Torlonia and Marcantonio Colonna, Prince and Duke of Paliano. The Torlonia family was appointed in 1958 (its title dates from 1854 also), in succession to the Prince Orsini
, who had been Prince Assistant
from circa 1735 to 1958.
Rome
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...
, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
History
The first influential member of the Torlonia family was Marino Torlonia (Tourlonias; 1725 – March 21, 1785), who rose from humble origins in the AuvergneAuvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to become a very rich businessman and banker in Rome.
Marino was born with the French name of Marin Torlonias, the son of Antoine Torlonias, a merchant and laborer. Marin's great-uncle was the parish priest of Augerolles
Augerolles
Augerolles is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-The Church:The church in Augerolles, a momument classé, was altered throughout the 11th to 14th centuries that resulted in a combination of Romanesque and Gothic style. At 35 meters tall, the old bell tower was...
, who procured for him a position as aide to an influential abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
. Marin eventually settled in Rome, where he became a cloth merchant and money lender near the Piazza Trinità dei Monti. This became the foundation of the family bank established by his son, Giovanni Torlonia
Giovanni Torlonia, 1st Prince di Civitella-Cesi
Giovanni Raimondo Torlonia , son of Marino Torlonia and Marie Cambray, was a Franco-Italian noble of the Torlonia family....
.
Giovanni, in return for his able administration of the Vatican finances, was created duke of Bracciano and count of Pisciarelli by Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was Pope from 1775 to 1799.-Early years:Braschi was born in Cesena...
in 1794. In 1803, Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
made him marquess of Romavecchia e Turrita and the first prince of Civitella Cesi. He was made, among other titles, a Roman Patrician in 1809, with confirmation from the Pope on January 19, 1813, and the duke of Poli e Guadagnolo in 1820. He was the builder of the Villa Torlonia
Villa Torlonia (Rome)
Villa Torlonia is a villa and surrounding gardens in Rome, Italy, formerly belonging to the Torlonia family. It is entered from via Nomentana....
in Rome, among other Palazzo Torlonia
Palazzo Torlonia
Palazzo Torlonia is a 16th century Early Renaissance town house in Via della Conciliazione, Rome, central Italy...
villas. He married Anna Maria Chiaveri née Schulteiss, a widow who came from a family of southern German merchants from the city of Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar Kreis. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube ....
.
Leopoldo Torlonia
Leopoldo Torlonia
Leopoldo Torlonia was an Italian nobleman and politician, who was Mayor of Rome from May 1882 to May 1887.He was the third duke of Poli and of Guadagnolo....
, a grandson of Giovanni, was the Mayor of Rome from May 1882 to May 1887.
In 1907, his great-grandson, Marino Torlonia
Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi
Marino Torlonia , the 4th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, duke of Poli and Guadagnolo, was an Italian nobleman.-Biography:...
succeeded to the title as 4th prínce of Civitella-Cesi, a title he inherited from his older brother, Augusto, in 1926. The title had been passed to Augusto from their paternal great-uncle, Alessandro, younger brother of Augusto's and Marino's grandfather, Giulio. Marino married the rich American Mary Elsie Moore
Mary Elsie Moore
Mary Elsie Moore was an American heiress who married and divorced Italian prince Don Marino Torlonia, 4th prince of Civitella-Cesi.-Early life and education:...
; they were the parents of Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, who married the Infanta Beatriz of Spain
Infanta Beatriz of Spain
The Infanta Beatriz of Spain was a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg and paternal aunt of the current King Juan Carlos I.-Early life:Infanta Beatriz was born at La Granja, San Ildefonso near...
, the daughter of King Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
— and of Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi
Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi
Marina Torlonia, Princesa di Civitelli-Cesi was an Italian-American socialite and aristocrat best known as the paternal grandmother of the actress and model Brooke Shields.-Family:...
, the wife of American tennis player Francis Xavier Shields and grandmother of the American actress Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
.
In Rome, the Torlonia properties comprise: Palazzo Torlonia-Giraud in Via della Conciliazione
Via della Conciliazione
Via della Conciliazione is a street in the Rione of Borgo within Rome, Italy. Roughly 500 m in length, it connects Saint Peter's Square to the Castel Sant'Angelo on the western bank of the Tiber River. The road was constructed between 1936 and 1950, and it is the primary access route to the...
(rione
Rione
Rione is the name given to a ward in several Italian cities, the best-known of which is Rome. Unlike a quartiere, a rione is usually an official administrative subdivision...
of Borgo
Borgo (rione of Rome)
Borgo , is the 14th historic district of Rome, Italy. It lies on the west bank of the Tiber, and has a trapezoidal shape. Its coat of arms shows a lion , lying in front of three mounts and a star...
), Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia
Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia is a palace in Rome, central Italy, the current home of the Torlonia family.The palace was built in 1660 by Giovanni Antonio De Rossi for the marquis Francisco Nuñez-Sánchez. In 1806 the palace was acquired by prince Lucien Bonaparte, brother of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte...
in Via Condotti
Via Condotti
Via Condotti is a busy and fashionable street of Rome, Italy. In Roman times it was one of the streets that crossed the ancient Via Flaminia and enabled people who transversed the Tiber to reach the Pincio hill. It begins at the foot of the Spanish steps and is named after conduits or channels...
, near the Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe...
, Palazzo Torlonia in Via della Lungara (rione
Rione
Rione is the name given to a ward in several Italian cities, the best-known of which is Rome. Unlike a quartiere, a rione is usually an official administrative subdivision...
of Trastevere
Trastevere
Trastevere is rione XIII of Rome, on the west bank of the Tiber, south of Vatican City. Its name comes from the Latin trans Tiberim, meaning literally "beyond the Tiber". The correct pronunciation is "tras-TEH-ve-ray", with the accent on the second syllable. Its logo is a golden head of a lion on a...
) and Villa Torlonia (Villa Albani) outside Porta Salaria
Porta Salaria
Porta Salaria was a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy, demolished in 1921.-History:Porta Salaria was part of the Aurelian Walls built by emperor Aurelian in the 3rd century, including pre-existing constructions in order to hasten the works. Under it passed the Via Salaria nova, which joined...
. They also owned the now demolished Palazzo Torlonia-Bolognetti near Piazza Venezia
Piazza Venezia
The Piazza Venezia is a piazza in central Rome, Italy. It takes its name from Cardinal Venezia who built the adjacent Palazzo Venezia, the former embassy of the city of the Republic of Venice....
.
The Torlonia family is one of the few Italian aristocratic families to have survived the reconstruction of the Papal Court
Papal court
The Papal Household or Pontifical Household , called until 1968 the Papal Court , consists of dignitaries who assist the Pope in carrying out particular ceremonies of either a religious or a civil character....
in 1969 by the motu proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....
Pontificalis Domus
Pontificalis Domus
The apostolic letter motu proprio Pontificalis Domus was issued by Pope Paul VI on March 28, 1968, in the fifth year of his pontificate. Its purpose was the reorganization of the Papal Household, which had been known as the Papal Court before the promulgation of the letter.-Introduction:Paul VI...
. Today the only hereditary honours still in use at the Vatican are that of hereditary Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne
Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne
The Princes Assistant to the Pontifical Throne are hereditary offices of the Roman Curia. They date from the early sixteenth century, and survived the reform of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household in 1968...
. This honour is today held by Alessandro Torlonia and Marcantonio Colonna, Prince and Duke of Paliano. The Torlonia family was appointed in 1958 (its title dates from 1854 also), in succession to the Prince Orsini
Orsini family
Orsini: the origin of learning.We love Mrs. Orsini forever! ~8F Social Studies 2011The Orsini family is an Italian noble family; it was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and renaissance Rome...
, who had been Prince Assistant
Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne
The Princes Assistant to the Pontifical Throne are hereditary offices of the Roman Curia. They date from the early sixteenth century, and survived the reform of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household in 1968...
from circa 1735 to 1958.