200px, Cortile Mattei di Giove The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of

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 ...

during the Middle Ages and early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant art collections under art enthusiasts such as

Ciriaco Mattei Ciriaco Mattei (died 1614) was an Italian nobleman of Rome and of the House of Mattei and one of the most prolific art collectors of his time. Family Mattei was the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the brother of Cardinal G ...

. The Mattei gave eight

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

to the

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 ...

, among them

Girolamo Mattei Girolamo Mattei (8 February 1547 – 8 December 1603) was an Italian Cardinal from the House of Mattei. Biography Mattei was born 8 February 1547, the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the younger brother of Ciriaco Mattei ...

(1586),

Gaspare Mattei Cardinal Gaspare Mattei Gaspare Mattei (1598 - around 1am, 9 April 1650) was an Italian cardinal of the house of Mattei. Life Mattei was born in Rome, the eldest son of Mario Mattei, duke of Paganica and Prudenzia Cenci; he was a relative of Pope ...

(1643),

Alessandro Mattei Alessandro Mattei (20 February 1744, Rome – 20 April 1820) was an Italian Cardinal, and a significant figure in papal diplomacy of the Napoleonic period. He was from the Roman aristocratic House of Mattei. He became Archbishop of Ferrara in 17 ...

(1803),

Mario Mattei Mario Mattei (6 September 1792, Pergola, Marche – 7 October 1870) was an Italian Cardinal, of the Roman noble House of Mattei. He became Dean of the College of Cardinals in 1860. Personal life Mario Mattei was born on 6 September 1792 in Pe ...

(1832),

Lorenzo Girolamo Mattei Lorenzo Girolamo Mattei (29 May 1748, Rome - 24 July 1833) was an Italian cardinal from the house of Mattei. He was promoted to cardinal by pope Gregory XVI in the consistory of 15 April 1833. He was also nominal Latin Patriarch of Antioch Ant ...

(1833) and (as late as 1875)

Ruggero Luigi Emidio Antici Mattei Ruggero Luigi Emidio Antici Mattei (23 March 1811, Recanati, Marche — 21 April 1883) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Latin Patriarch of Constantinople from 1866 to 1875, and was elevated to the cardinalat ...

. The founder of one powerful branch of the Mattei was Giovanni Giacomo Mattei.

History

Mattei family lines reportedly went back to an early Roman family, the Papareschi, and their ancestors included

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

(1130–1143). In the 1350s the family moved to the Rione Sant Angelo, and they eventually built six residences in the block called the ''Isola Mattei''. The Mattei established themselves in politics and banking and were closely connected to the politics of the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

; later to its military conquests. Though they lived in the

Roman Ghetto The Roman Ghetto or Ghetto of Rome ( it, Ghetto di Roma) was a Jewish ghettos in Europe, Jewish ghetto established in 1555 in the Sant'Angelo (rione of Rome), Rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by present-day Via del Portic ...

, the historic Jewish quarter, they were

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. When

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 pap ...

decided to build a wall around the Ghetto in 1555, at the invitation of the Roman Jews who wished to be isolated on the Sabbath, the Mattei were given a key to the gate by the Jews.

Property

In Rome the Mattei owned five palazzi in the rione, or quarter, of Sant'Angelo (together they formed the so-called "isola dei Mattei": see

Palazzo Mattei A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

), and one in

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

. Moreover, they owned ''

Villa Celimontana The Villa Celimontana (previously known as Villa Mattei) is a villa on the Caelian Hill in Rome, best known for its gardens. Its grounds cover most of the valley between the Aventine Hill and the Caelian. Location The Villa Celimontana is situat ...

'' in the rione

Celio Celio may refer to: People *Elton Divino Celio (born 1987), Brazilian football player known as Eltinho *Enrico Celio (1889-1980), Swiss politician *Gaspare Celio (1571-1640), Italian painter *Nello Celio (1914-1995), Swiss politician Places in It ...

. The family assumed control over the bridges closest to their ancestral palace during the papal interregnum, levying charges on various types of traffic, including the Jews who lived in the nearby ghetto when burying their dead outside the city. The purchase of the territory of

Giove GIOVE (; ), or Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element, is the name for two satellites built for the European Space Agency (ESA) to test technology in orbit for the Galileo positioning system. The name was chosen as a tribute to Galileo Galilei, who ...

in 1597 entitled the Mattei to the title ''Marquis di Giove'' (raised in 1643 to a dukedom) in addition to their older title of Nobile Romano. Other Mattei titles included ''Duke of Paganica'' and ''Marquis di Belmonte''. In 1580–1585,

Muzio Mattei Muzio Mattei (died 1596) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei. He helped the Mattei rise to prominence by supporting political and cultural initiatives of the Pope and the Church in Rome. Political activity Mattei and his family were Ro ...

commissioned one of the most famous fountains in Rome, the

Fontana delle Tartarughe Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

(Turtle Fountain) in front of his residence.

Family tree

House of Mattei family tree during the 16th and 17th centuries:

Differentiation

Like many noble Italian families of the period, sons were often named in honour of their predecessors. It the case of the Mattei, the same

christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

s are given many times over. The ''Alessandro Mattei'' listed in the final branch of the family tree above, though sources suggests he undertook an ecclesiastic career, is not

(1744–1820). Ironically though, the latter Alessandro was also nephew to a ''Luigi Mattei''; born in 1702Florida International University - Alessandro Mattei
/ref> who later became a cardinal (not the military

Luigi Mattei Luigi Mattei (died 1665) was an Italian military General and Marquis de Belmonte. During the 17th century he commanded troops loyal to the papal armies of Barberini Pope Urban VIII and Pamphili Pope Innocent X during the Wars of Castro. Biograp ...

listed above). Though direct relations are not clear, biographies of contemporaries

(1744–1820),

(1748–1833),

(1792–1870) and

(1811–1883) suggest they were all related.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Mattei Families of post-ancient Rome M

History

Property

Family tree

Differentiation

See also

References