Gentiluomo Of The Archbishop Of Westminster
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Gentiluomo Of The Archbishop Of Westminster
OR:
Gentiluomo Of The Archbishop Of Westminster on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The Gentiluomo of the Archbishop of Westminster in 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 ...
of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
was a bodyguard (compare the royal
Gentleman at arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a Sovereign's Bodyguard, bodyguard to the British monarchy, British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation ...
) and personal attendant to the
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
. The title originates from the Latin ''gentilis homo'' (
gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...
) by way of Italian, ''gentile uomo''. The Gentiluomo's job was to guard his master, as the Archbishop was not permitted to carry a weapon (in accordance with his role as a cleric). The position of Gentiluomo was effectively hereditary. The post was abolished on the death of Cardinal
Basil Hume George Basil Hume OSB OM (2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of Wes ...
in 1999, although the last holder, Anthony Bartlett OBE (1913-2001) was allowed to hold the title until his death. He had served five cardinals in this role, and his father had preceded him in the office.


References

Catholic ecclesiastical titles Catholic Church in England {{RC-stub