Fabrizio Spada (Rome, 17 March 1643 – Rome, 15 June 1717) was an Italian Cardinal of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and served as Secretary of State under

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He ...

Life

Born on March 17, 1643 in Rome, he was the son of Orazio Spada and Veralli Maria. He was also a great-nephew of Cardinal Bernardino Spada and a nephew of Cardinal

Giambattista Spada Giambattista Spada or Giovanni Battista Spada (28 August 1597 – 23 January 1675) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography On 23 August 1643, he was consecrated bishop by Marcantonio Franciotti, Bishop of Lucca, with Ranuccio Scotti Douglas, ...

on his father's side, and a nephew of Cardinal Fabrizio Verallo on his mother's side. His sister, Eugenia Spada (1639–1717) married

Girolamo Mattei, Duca di Giove Girolamo Mattei (1606 - 1676) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei and Duke of Giove. Mattei was born in 1606, the son of Asdrubale Mattei, ''Marquis di Giove'', and his wife Costanza Gonzaga (of the House of Gonzaga). He was the ol ...

of the

House of Mattei 200px, Cortile Mattei di Giove The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant a ...

. Spada completed his studies as a doctor of law ("''in utroque iure''") at the

University of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

in 1664; after which he took holy orders on December 22, 1669. He was subsequently appointed referendary to the

Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

and

Lay Abbot Lay abbot ( la, abbatocomes, abbas laicus, abbas miles, ) is a name used to designate a layman on whom a king or someone in authority bestowed an abbey as a reward for services rendered; he had charge of the estate belonging to it, and was entitle ...

of the monastery of Santa Maria d' Attilia, in the diocese of San Severino. In 1672 he became titular

Latin Archbishop of Patras The Latin Archbishopric of Patras is the see of Patras in the period in which its incumbents belonged to the Latin or Western Church. This period began in 1205 with the installation in the see of a Catholic archbishop following the Fourth Crusad ...

but had to obtain a dispensation because he was still below canonical age, and papal nuncio to the duchy of

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

. On August 14, 1672, he was consecrated bishop by

Gasparo Carpegna Gaspare Carpegna (8 April 1625 – 6 May 1714) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. Early life Gaspare was born in 1625 in Rome. His mother was from the Spada family. He was a relative of the Cardinal Ulderico Carpegna of the Holy Roman Cath ...

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 Pudenziana Santa Pudenziana is a church of Rome, a basilica built in the 4th century and dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, sister of Praxedes and daughter of Pudens (mentioned by Paul the Apostle in ''2 Timothy'', 4: 21). It is one of the national churches in ...

with

Alessandro Crescenzi (cardinal) Alessandro Crescenzi, C.R.S. (1607 – 8 May 1688) was a Roman Catholic cardinal who served as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (1685–1688), Archbishop (Personal Title) of Recanati e Loreto (1676–1682), Titular Patriarch of Al ...

, titular Latin patriarch of Alexandria, and

Bernardino Rocci Bernardino Rocci (1627–1680) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. On 22 April 1668, he was consecrated bishop by Giulio Gabrielli, Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, with Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, Bishop Emeritus of Camerino, and Carlo de' Vecchi, Tit ...

, titular archbishop of Damasco, serving as co-consecrators. Two years later on January 3, 1674, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to France. Pope

Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

created him cardinal-priest in the consistory of 27 May 1675, and he was given the titulus of

San Callisto San Callisto ( en, Saint Callixtus, la, S. Calixti) is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, Italy, built over the site of Pope Callixtus I's martyrdom (c. AD 222). The original building dates from the time of Pope Gregory III (r. 731–741), ...

. This was exchanged in 1689 for that of

San Crisogono San Crisogono is a church in Rome (rione Trastevere) dedicated to the martyr Saint Chrysogonus. It was one of the tituli, the first parish churches of Rome, and was probably built in the 4th century under Pope Sylvester I (314–335). T ...

and in 1708 for that of

Santa Prassede The Basilica of Saint Praxedes ( la, Basilica Sanctae Praxedis, it, Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquillino), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titular church and minor basilica located near the papal basilic ...

. He was appointed

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...

in 1686 and served as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 1688 to 1689. Finally he achieved his most senior appointment as

Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae, it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...

, serving from 1691 to 1700 under the papacy of

Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He ...

. In 1710 he became cardinal-bishop of the Roman see of

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

. Other titles included Prefect for the Congregation of Good Government (now suppressed), archpriest of the

Basilica of St. John Lateran The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

, and Secretary for the Holy Office or Inquisition from 1716 until his death. As cardinal he also participated in the papal

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

s of 1676, 1689, 1691 and 1700. He died in the family palace in Rome, and his body was laid out for viewing in the church of

Santa Maria in Vallicella Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the corner of Via della Chiesa Nuova. It is the principal church of the Oratorians, ...

before being interred within the Spada family chapel.

Episcopal succession

References

*Renata Ago, ''Carriere e clientele nella Roma barocca'', Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1990. {{DEFAULTSORT:Spada, Fabrizio 1643 births 1717 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals University of Perugia alumni Cardinal-bishops of Palestrina Cardinal Secretaries of State Latin archbishops of Patras