Amico Agnifili (died 1476) (called the Cardinal of L'Aquila) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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and cardinal.

Biography

Amico Agnifili was born ca. 1398 in

Rocca di Mezzo Rocca di Mezzo (locally ''La Rocca'') is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila, in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is home to the seat of the Sirente-Velino Regional Park The Sirente-Velino Regional Park (Italian: ''Parco regio ...

, the son of a poor shepherd.Biography from Biographical Dictionary of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
/ref> (His family had not yet adopted a family name, so when he was elevated to the cardinalate, he chose the name of "Agnifili", meaning "Friend of the Lamb".) His father sent him to L'Aquila to be educated. He later studied in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

under Cardinal

Domenico Capranica Domenico Capranica (1400 – 14 July 1458) was an Italian theologian, canonist, statesman, and Cardinal. Life Cardinal Capranica was born in Capranica Prenestina. His younger brother, Angelo, also became a cardinal. After studies in canon a ...

. Later, at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

, he was a schoolmate of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, the future

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...

. He received a doctorate of both laws. He then returned to L'Aquila, becoming a

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of San Massimo Cathedral and archpriest of San Paolo di Barete. He then moved to Rome and was named a canon of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. He then became a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the University of Bologna, where one of his students was Pietro Barbo, the future

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...

. On 23 May 1432 he was elected Bishop of L'Aquila. While bishop, he served as a counselor to

Alfonso I of Naples Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...

and his successor Ferdinand I of Naples.

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

named him papal legate to attend the

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of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor in

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. He later served as legate several other times, including once as legate to the ''

Patrimonium Sancti Petri The Patrimony of Saint Peter ( la, Patrimonium Sancti Petri) originally designated the landed possessions and revenues of various kinds that belonged to the apostolic Holy See (the Pope) i.e. the "Church of Saint Peter" in Rome, by virtue of the ap ...

''. Together with Giovanni da Palena, Bishop of Penne, he was the

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

responsible for the canonization of

Bernardino of Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " bon ...

. He was also visited by

John of Capistrano John of Capistrano (''Italian'': San Giovanni da Capestrano, '' Hungarian'': Kapisztrán János, '' Polish'': Jan Kapistran, '' Croatian'': Ivan Kapistran) (24 June 1386 – 23 October 1456) was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest from the I ...

. When the city of L'Aquila rebelled against Ferdinand I of Naples, Bishop Agnifili sided with the rebels, which angered Pope Pius II. The rebels returned to their obedience in 1464. Agnifili's former student,

, named him general treasurer of the church in the Marche. In the

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of 18 September 1467, Pope Paul II made him a

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 ...

; he received the red hat in

San Marco, Rome San Marco is a minor basilica in Rome dedicated to St. Mark the Evangelist located in the small Piazza di San Marco adjoining Piazza Venezia. It was first built in 336 by Pope Mark, whose remains are in an urn located below the main altar. The ...

the next day; and he received the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

Santa Balbina Santa Balbina is a Roman Catholic basilica church in located in the Aventine rione, adjacent to the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. History A church at the site initially was built in the 4th century over the house of consul Lucius Fabius Cilo. ...

on 13 November 1467. In October 1468 he participated in the celebrations surrounding the marriage of Giovanni Antonio

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and Vittoria Camponeschi, parents of the future

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pa ...

. On 13 October 1469 he opted for the titular church of

Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere); en, Our Lady in Trastevere) is a titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and ...

. Pope Paul II put him in charge of overseeing the construction of

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

s at

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...

. When the news of Paul II's death reached him, he left L'Aquila for

on 28 July 1471. He participated in the papal conclave of 1471 that elected Pope Sixtus IV. He resigned his bishopric in 1472 in favor of his nephew Francesco, but resumed possession of the see after his nephew's death in 1476. He died in L'Aquila on 9 November 1476. He is buried there in San Massimo Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnifili, Amico 1398 births 1476 deaths Bishops of L'Aquila 15th-century Italian cardinals University of Bologna alumni Academic staff of the University of Bologna People from the Province of L'Aquila 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops