Agazio di Somma (1591 – 1 October 1671) was a Roman Catholic prelate and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

writer who served as Bishop of Catanzaro (1664–1671) ''(in Latin)'' and

Bishop of Cariati e Cerenzia The Italian Catholic diocese of Cariati, in Calabria, existed until 1979. In that year it was united into the archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati. The diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Santa Severina, and then of the archdiocese of Reggio Ca ...

(1659–1664). ''(in Latin)''

Biography

Agazio di Somma was born in Simeri,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1591. On 13 January 1659, he was appointed during the papacy of

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...

. On 26 January 1659, he was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

bishop by

Marcantonio Franciotti Marco Antonio Franciotti (1592 – 8 February 1666) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Bishop of Lucca. Early life Franciotti was born in 1592 in Lucca, Tuscany, the son of Curzio Franciotti. He was educated at the University of Bologna ...

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Santa Maria della Pace Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona. The building lies in rione Ponte. History The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 1482 ...

. On 28 April 1664, he was appointed during the papacy of Pope Alexander VII as Bishop of Catanzaro. He served as Bishop of Catanzaro until his death on 1 October 1671. ''(in Latin)''

Works

Agazio di Somma was a prolific writer. He published a chronicle of earthquakes in Calabria during 1638-1641, titled ''Istorico racconto de' terremoti della Calabria dal 1638 al 1641'' (Naples, 1641) and an Italian life of saint

Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...

, translated into French by

André Félibien André Félibien (May 161911 June 1695), ''sieur des Avaux et de Javercy'', was a French chronicler of the arts and official court historian to Louis XIV of France. Biography Félibien was born at Chartres. At the age of fourteen he went to Pari ...

in 1672. In a discourse before the

Accademia degli Umoristi The Accademia degli Umoristi (Academy of the Humorists) was a learned society of intellectuals, mainly noblemen, that significantly influenced the cultural life of 17th century Rome. It was briefly revived in the first half of the eighteenth cent ...

, he proclaimed that

Giambattista Marino Giovanni Battista was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th-18th centuries. It refers to "John the Baptist" in English, the French equivalent is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, Gia ...

's ''Adone'' surpassed its model,

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

's ''

Jerusalem Delivered ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade i ...

''. Ironically, two of Marino's staunchest disciples, Girolamo Preti and Antonio Bruni, were the first to denounce the possibility that the ''Adone'' might rank superior to the ''Gerusalemme''. The episode annoyed Marino and embittered him against his friends.

List of works

* Agazio di Somma, ''I due primi canti dell'America, Poema heroico'', Rome: Bartolomeo Zannetti, 1624. * * Agazio di Somma, ''L'arte del viver felice, ovvero Le tre giornate di oro''. Messina : Giacomo Mattei, 1649 (2nd edit. Naples: Gio. Alberto Tarini, 1654). * Agazio di Somma, ''La vie du pape Pie V'', translated by André Félibien; Paris : J.B. Coignard, 1672
on-line
. * Agazio di Somma, ''Dell'origine dell'anno santo''. Pietro De Leo (ed.). Collana ''Biblioteca di storia e cultura meridionale''. Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino Editore, 2000, ISBN 8849800568

.

References

External links and additional sources

* * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Alexander VII 1591 births 1671 deaths {{17C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub