Lorenzo Casoni (September 10, 1645-November 19, 1720) was a

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 ...

cardinal.

Biography

Lorenzo Casoni was born in

Sarzana Sarzana (, ; lij, Sarzann-a) is a town, ''comune'' (municipality) and former short-lived Catholic bishopric in the Province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. It is east of Spezia, on the railway to Pisa, at the point where the railway to Parma diver ...

on September 10, 1645, the son of Niccolò, count of Villanova, and Giulia Petriccioli. The family was of noble origins: his cousin was Monsignor Agostino Favoriti, secretary of

Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI ( la, Innocentius XI; it, Innocenzo XI; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 to his death on August 12, 1689. Poli ...

, to which post he later succeeded. His great-grandsons were later Cardinal Filippo Casoni, in 1801, and Cardinal Luigi Vannicelli Casoni, in 1839. Pope Innocent XI made him "secret chamberlain of honor" and canon of

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

. On March 3, 1690, he was elected titular archbishop of Caesarea, with dispensation for not receiving the diaconate and presbyterate. On 12 Mar 1690, 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 by

Francesco Nerli (iuniore) Francesco Nerli, iuniore (12 June 1636 – 8 April 1708) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography On 6 Jul 1670, he was consecrated bishop by Carlo Carafa della Spina, Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna, with Giambattista Spínola (seniore), Ar ...

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 Matteo in Merulana San Matteo in Via Merulana was a titular church in Rome, dedicated to the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, for cardinal priests (the intermediary class). History San Matteo was first established as a titular church in 112 by Pope Alexander I, th ...

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 ...

elevated him to the rank of cardinal in the consistory of May 17, 1706. In honor of the two popes who had helped him, he had two monuments erected in the Chapel of the Crucifix in Sarzana, his hometown. He died on November 19, 1720, at the age of 75.

References

1645 births 1720 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals People from Sarzana Apostolic Nuncios to the Kingdom of Naples {{Italy-RC-cardinal-stub