Fra' Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti (born 1941) was the Grand Commander of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

between 2009 and 2011, and as such he was the religious superior of the professed knights and of the knights and dames in obedience.

Biography

Hercolani was born in

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 ...

, the son of Don Filippo Rinaldo Hercolani Fava Simonetti and of his wife, Donna Francesca Cangini. He is the grandson of Count Antonio Hercolani Fava Simonetti, who was Lieutenant Grand Master of the Order of Malta from 1951 to 1955. His grandfather married Donna Marianna Fava Ghisilieri Simonetti, a descendant of the

Simonetti The Simonetti family is an Italian noble family with origins in Tuscany. During the 12th Century different branches in Florence, Terni, Lucca, Pistoia and Pescia developed. Other famous branches of this family were established in Jesi, Palermo, ...

from

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

(Princes of Musone).

Order of Malta

Fra' Gherardo joined the order in 1963 and became a Knight of Justice in 1977. He was elevated to the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice in 1986. He was the Councillor to the Sovereign Council between 1978 and 1983, the Grand Prior of Lombardy and Venetia between 1984 and 1994, a member of the Sovereign Council from 2006 to 2009, and also the President of the Order's Pilgrimages from 2007 to 2009. He was elected as Grand Commander at the Chapter General on 12 February 2009. He was responsible for spreading the principles of the Faith, the supervision of the Priories and Subpriories, and the creation of reports for the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. He also was responsible for the Magistral Palace Chapel. Simonetti resigned as Grand Commander of the Order in 2011 for health reasons.

Distinctions

* : Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(4 November 2008) * : Grand Officer of the

Order of Saint-Charles The Order of Saint Charles (french: Ordre de Saint Charles) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858. Award This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be granted to foreign ...

(14 October 2009)Nomination b
Sovereign Ordonnance
n°2406 of 14 October 2009 (French) * : Grand Commander of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

References

External links

Coat of Arms of Fra Hercolani Fava Simonetti by Marco Foppoli
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonetti, Gherardo Hercolani Fava Knights of Malta Italian Roman Catholics People from Bologna Gherardo Hercolani Fava Living people 1941 births Grand Officers of the Order of Saint-Charles