Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M. (died 1737) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Vicar Apostolic of Houkouang (1696–1737),

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Myra'' (1712–1737), and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Berytus'' (1696–1712). ''(in Latin)''"Archbishop Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M."
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in Ka ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 4, 2017"Vicariate Apostolic of Houkouang
'

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved December 4, 2016"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Hankou"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved December 4, 2016
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''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved December 4, 2016"Titular Archiepiscopal See of Berytus"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved December 4, 2016

Biography

Giovanni Francesco Nicolai was born in

Leonessa :''Leonessa is also the name of a ''frazione'' of Bassano Romano.'' Leonessa is a town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Province of Rieti in the Lazio region of central Italy. Its population in 2008 was around 2,700. Situated in ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and ordained a priest in the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

. When the Apostolic Vicariate of Nanking was elevated to a diocese, he was chosen by newly named Bishop Gregory Luo Wenzao as his assistant and successor (on May 29, 1688, the Holy See had granted Wenzao the right to choose and nominate his successor). Upon Wenzao's death on February 27, 1691, he served as administrator of the diocese. On 20 October 1696, he was appointed during the papacy of

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 ...

as the first Vicar Apostolic of Houkouang (the Apostolic Vicariate of Houkouang had been carved out of the Apostolic Vicariate of Fujian in the same year) and

of ''Berytus''. On 7 March 1700, he was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

bishop 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 ...

by Sperello Sperelli,

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 ...

San Giovanni a Porta Latina San Giovanni a Porta Latina (Italian: "Saint John Before the Latin Gate") is a Basilica church in Rome, Italy, near the Porta Latina (on the Via Latina) of the Aurelian Wall. History According to Tertullian, as quoted by Saint Jerome, in the y ...

, with

Odoardo Cibo Odoardo Cibo or Odoardo Cybo (6 December 1619 – 6 April 1705) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Patriarch of Constantinople (1689–1705), Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland (1670–1679), and Titular Archbishop of ''Silifke, Sel ...

Titular Patriarch of Constantinople The Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople was an office established as a result of the Fourth Crusade and its conquest of Constantinople in 1204. It was a Roman Catholic replacement for the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinop ...

, and

Domenico Belisario de Bellis Domenico Belisario de Bellis (2 March 1647 – 17 January 1701) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Molfetta (1696–1701). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Domenico Belisario de Bellis was born in Turi, Apulia, Italy on 2 March 16 ...

Bishop of Molfetta The diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi ( la, Dioecesis Melphictensis-Rubensis-Iuvenacensis-Terlitiensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Apulia, southern Italy, which was established in 1986, when the diocese of Molfett ...

, serving as

co-consecrators 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, ...

. On 20 April 1712, he was promoted during the papacy of

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

of ''Myra''. He served as Vicar Apostolic of Houkouang until his death on 27 December 1737.

Episcopal succession

References

External links and other references

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China Bishops appointed by Pope Innocent XII Bishops appointed by Pope Clement XI 1737 deaths Franciscan bishops {{18C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub