Gregorio Petrocchini (1535 – 19 May 1612) 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 ...

cardinal at the end of sixteenth and early seventeenth century.

Biography

Gregorio Petrocchini was born in 1535 in Montelparo, now in the

province of Fermo The province of Fermo ( it, provincia di Fermo) is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. It was established in 2004 and became operational in 2009. Its administrative centre and provincial capital is the city of Fermo (population of ...

in the region of Marche, then in 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 ...

. After beginning his studies in his hometown, Petrocchini entered the order of

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

at a very young age. He studied philosophy and theology at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continu ...

in 1567, then at the

University of Macerata The University of Macerata ( it, Università degli Studi di Macerata) is a public university located in Macerata, Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe that are still functioning.https://thefunkonme.com/top-10-oldest-universities ...

, where he obtained his doctorate in theology and where he taught from 1578 onward.

Superior General

In response to general expectations, Pope Sixtus V appointed Petrocchini superior general of his order in a ceremony in Rome in 1587, after the death of P. Spirito Vicentini. At the end of 1588 the Pope named him Apostolic Commissioner to visit the monasteries of his order in Spain. He was appointed a cardinal on his return to Rome at the consistory of 20 December 1589. On 23 March 1590 Cardinal Petrocchini became the Cardinal protector of the Augustines.

Cardinal Bishop

Petrocchini participated in the first conclave of 1590, during which

Urban VII Pope Urban VII ( la, Urbanus VII; it, Urbano VII; 4 August 1521 – 27 September 1590), born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was head of the Catholic Church, and ruler of the Papal States from 15 to 27 September 1590. His thirteen-day papacy was th ...

was elected pope, the second in the same year (election of Gregory XIV) and those of 1591 (election of Innocent IX), 1592 (election of

Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

) the first of 1605 (election of

Leo XI Pope Leo XI ( it, Leone XI; 2 June 153527 April 1605), born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death in April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in his ...

), and the second in the same year (election of Paul V). He was

Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. Formerly, his responsibilities included the fiscal administration of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. As reg ...

from 7 January 1605 to 8 January 1607. On 28 May 1608, he was named Cardinal-Priest of Saint Maria of Trastevere, then Saint Lorenzo in Lucina on 24 January 1611, before becoming cardinal-bishop of

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

on 17 August of the same year. Cardinal Petrocchini died in Rome on 19 May 1612 at the age of 77 years.

References

Sources
Cardinal Gregorio Petrocchini at catholic-hierarchy.org

Further reading * Giovanni Batista Adriani, ''Elogio del cardinale Gregorio Petrochini da Montelparo detto ai Catenati di Macerata il III. Settembre MDCCCXXIV'', Bazzi e Jaffei, Fermo, 1824. {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrocchini, Gregorio 17th-century Italian cardinals 1535 births 1612 deaths University of Macerata alumni University of Bologna alumni People from the Province of Fermo