Domenico Grimani (19 February 1461 – 27 August 1523) was an Italian nobleman, theologian and

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

. Like most noble churchman of his era Grimani was an ecclesiastical pluralist, holding numerous posts and

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s. Desiderius Erasmus dedicated to Grimani his ''Musica''.

Biography

Born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, he was the eldest of five sons of

Antonio Grimani Antonio Grimani (28 December 1434 – 7 May 1523) was the Doge of Venice, Doge of Republic of Venice, Venice from 1521 to 1523. He had previously served as commander of the Venetian Navy. Biography He was born in Venice into a relatively poor, bu ...

, the oldest elected Doge of Venice, and his wife Catarina Loredan. Antonio was elected doge in 1521, when Domenico was already a cardinal. He exhibited an early predilection for humanist studies, which was encouraged by teachers in his native

and then in the ambit of the Medicean academy in Florence, where he moved in the circle of Lorenzo de' Medici among scholars like

Pico della Mirandola Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (24 February 1463 – 17 November 1494) was an Italian Renaissance nobleman and philosopher. He is famed for the events of 1486, when, at the age of 23, he proposed to defend 900 theses on religion, philosophy, ...

and Poliziano. He obtained a doctorate in canon law at the University of Padua on 23 October 1487 and was elected a Senator of Venice that same year. He became a cardinal in 1493, an appointment paid by his father with a sum of around 25,000/30,000 ducats. Grimani was not ordained a priest until 1498. After the election of Pope Julius II he became cardinal priest of San Marco. After a period as apostolic administrator in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

, starting from 1498 he was Patriarch of Aquileia, a position he abandoned in favor of his nephew Marino (later also cardinal) in 1517. In 1508 he was named cardinal bishop of Albano, and was also administrator of the

diocese of Urbino In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

(from 1514) and bishop of Ceneda (1517-1520). Grimani was already ill in the 1521 conclave, and died one year and a half later; he was buried in the church of

Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome The Basilica of Saints John and Paul on the Caelian Hill (Italian: ''Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio'') is an ancient basilica church in Rome, located on the Caelian Hill. It was originally built in 398. It is home to the Passionis ...

, but later his remains were moved to San Francesco della Vigna.

Legacy

Grimani was a large collector, owning works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Giorgione, Titian, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch, Raphael and others: his collection now forms part of the Museo d'Antichità in the

Doge's Palace The Doge's Palace ( it, Palazzo Ducale; vec, Pałaso Dogal) is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme auth ...

, while several of his codexes are in the Archbishop's Library at Udine. The

Grimani Breviary The House of Grimani was a prominent Venetian patrician family, including three Doges of Venice. They were active in trade, politics and later the ownership of theatres and opera-houses. Notable members included: Notable members *Domenico Grima ...

, now in the Biblioteca Marciana of Venice, is a key work in the late history of Flemish

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

s. It was produced in Ghent and Bruges ca 1515-1520 and by 1520 owned, though possibly not originally commissioned, by Domenico Grimani. Several leading artists, including Simon Bening and Gerard David contributed some of their finest work to it. Grimani also wrote several theological treatises, and translated John Chrysostom's homilies.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grimani, Domenico 1461 births 1523 deaths Domenico 16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Republic of Venice Patriarchs of Aquileia 16th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Alexander VI Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-bishops of Frascati Cardinal-bishops of Porto 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Cyprus