Fabrizio Serbelloni (Sorbelloni) (1695–1775) was an Italian diplomat and Cardinal.

Life

Fabrizio Serbelloni was born on 4 November 1695 in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

to a noble and prominent family. He studied initially 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 ...

at the

Collegio Clementino The Collegio Clementino is a palace in Rome, central Italy, sited between the Strada del'Orso and the banks of the Tiber. It was founded by Pope Clement VIII in 1595, to host Slavonian refugees. Giacomo della Porta was commissioned to erect a sui ...

, and on 18 March 1714 he received in Milan the

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...

, becoming a

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. He followed his studies at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

, and he graduated in utroque iure on 19 July 1718. On 27 August 1721 he was made Referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace and he started his rapid career in the administration of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

with the appointment as vice-legato (i.e. ''vice-governor'') of Ferrara from 1722 to 1725. Then he served as inquisitor general in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

from 7 May 1726 until 1730: his ministry in Malta ended after a clash with some young knights of Malta who threw him in the ditch of the old city. On 17 October 1730 he became governor of Loreto. In 1731 he started his diplomatic career with the appointment on 12 December to the Nunciature to Florence. In preparation to this task he was elected

titular 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 Crusade. ...

on 6 August 1731 when he was still in Loreto. His

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

followed on 25 August in the

Basilica della Santa Casa The Basilica della Santa Casa ( en, Basilica of the Holy House) is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marches, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pio ...

at the hands of Vincenzo Antonio Maria Muscettola bishop of Recanati e Loreto. On 18 March 1735 he was appointed

Apostolic Nuncio to Cologne The Apostolic Nunciature to Cologne (also it, Nunziatura di Germania inferiore, i.e. ''Nunciature of Lower Germany'') was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church established in 1584. The nuncios were accredited to the Archbishop-El ...

, followed by the Nunciature to Poland starting from 28 July 1738. His last diplomatic post was the appointment as Nuncio to the Emperor in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

which he kept for about eight years, from 5 March 1746 to 4 June 1754. During his office in Vienna, he did not succeed in protecting the interests of the Papacy in relation to some disputed feuds. On 26 November 1653 he was promoted to

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 ...

with the title of

Santo Stefano al Monte Celio The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Celian Hill ( it, Basilica di Santo Stefano al Monte Celio, la, Basilica S. Stephani in Caelio Monte) is an ancient basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, ...

, which on 21 March 1763 he modified to the title 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 ...

. He returned to his career as officer of the

being appointed ''legate'' (i.e. governor) of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

on 16 September 1754, a position he maintained till October 1761. He became Cardinal Bishop of Albano on 16 May 1763, and

Cardinal Bishop of Ostia The Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Ostia is an ecclesiastical territory located within the Metropolitan City of Rome in Italy. It is one of the seven suburbicarian dioceses. The incumbent Bishop is cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. Since ...

on 18 April 1774. He died in Rome on 7 December 1775, and he was buried in the church of San Carlo al Corso in front of the main altar.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serbelloni, Fabrizio 1695 births 1775 deaths University of Pavia alumni Clergy from Milan 18th-century Italian cardinals Latin archbishops of Patras Apostolic Nuncios to the Republic of Florence Apostolic Nuncios to Cologne Apostolic Nuncios to Poland Apostolic Nuncios to Austria Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-bishops of Ostia Inquisitors of Malta Diplomats from Milan