Giovanni Andrea Mercurio (1518–1561) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

bishop 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 c ...

and cardinal.

Biography

Giovanni Andrea Mercurio was born to a poor family in Messina in 1518. As a young man, he worked for the

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

for the Archdiocese of Messina. Following an incident with that notary, he decided to move to

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 ...

. There, he entered the court of Cardinal Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, the future

Pope Julius III Pope Julius III ( la, Iulius PP. III; it, Giulio III; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 February 1550 to his death in March 155 ...

, as his ''minoribus secretarius''. On 20 February 1545 he was elected

Archbishop of Manfredonia 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 ...

. He was transferred to the Archdiocese of Messina on 30 May 1550. Pope Julius III made him a

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 ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

of 20 November 1551. He received the red hat and the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

Santa Barbara dei Librai Santa Barbara dei Librai is a small Roman Catholic church in Rome, Italy. It was once known as ''Santa Barbara alla Rione Regola, Regola'' after the rione in which it was located. Today it now considered within the rione of Rione Parione, Parione, ...

on 4 December 1551. He opted for the titular church of

San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane was a church in the Baths of Diocletian in Rome. It was made a titulus by the Roman synod of 1 March 499. According to a list written by Pietro Mallio during the pontificate of pope Alexander III, it was linke ...

on 18 August 1553. He was a participant in the papal conclave of April 1555 that elected

Pope Marcellus II Pope Marcellus II ( it, Marcello II; 6 May 1501 – 1 May 1555), born Marcello Cervini degli Spannocchi, was a Papalini Catholic prelate who served as head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 April 1555 until h ...

; the papal conclave of May 1555 that elected

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pa ...

; and the papal conclave of 1559 that elected Pope Pius IV. On 19 January 1560 he opted for the titular church of

San Marcello al Corso San Marcello al Corso, a church in Rome, Italy, is a titular church whose cardinal-protector normally holds the (intermediary) rank of cardinal-priest. The church, dedicated to Pope Marcellus I (d. AD 309), is located just inset from Via de ...

. He died in the

Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and t ...

on 2 February 1561. He was buried in San Marcello al Corso. While bishop, he was the

principal consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

of:

Paolo de Cupis Paolo de Cupis (died 1553) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Recanati (1548–1553) and Bishop of Montepeloso (1546–1548). ''(in Latin)''Bishop of Montepeloso The Diocese of Montepeloso (also Diocese of Irsina) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Montis Pelusii'') was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Montepeloso in the province of Matera in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It was united with th ...

(1546); and

Filippo Roccabella Filippo Roccabella or Filippo Riccabella (died 1571) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Recanati (1553–1571) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Macerata (1546–1553). ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 27 Jan 1546, Filippo Roccabella w ...

, Bishop of Macerata (1546).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercurio, Giovanni Andrea 1518 births 1561 deaths 16th-century Italian cardinals 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops People from Messina