Martino Alfieri or ''Alferi'' (November 1590 – 30 March 1641) was

Apostolic Nuncio to Cologne The Apostolic Nunciature to Cologne (also it, Nunziatura di Germania inferiore, i.e. ''Nunciature of Lower Germany'') was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church established in 1584. The nuncios were accredited to the Archbishop-El ...

from 1634 to 1639 and he served also as

Life

Martino Alfieri was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

in November 1590 where he studied by the Jesuits. He completed his studies earning a doctorate in utroque iure in the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it on ...

and then he moved 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 ...

, where he was ordained

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on 15 April 1623. In 1627 he became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and his ecclesiastic career proceeded with the appointment as

referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byzan ...

of the Tribunals of the

Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

(which made him a prelate and gave him the right to practice before the Roman courts), member of

Fabric of Saint Peter The Fabric of Saint Peter (, ) is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church responsible for the conservation and maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica and exercising vigilance over its sacred character and the organization of visitors. While it ...

and

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

of the

Holy office The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible ...

. After these experiences, in 1631 he was sent to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Apostolic Visitor In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed ...

and

Inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Lit ...

. In 1634 the

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

entrusted him with the office of Nuncio to the

Electorate of Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th centur ...

. Because of that office on 21 August 1634 he was appointed

Bishop of Isola The Diocese of Isola was a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy, located in Isola di Capo Rizzuto, Crotone, Reggio Calabria in the ecclesiastical province of Santa Severina.episcopal consecration 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 ca ...

followed on 10 September in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore by the hands of Cardinal

Giulio Roma Giulio Roma (16 September 1584 – 16 September 1652) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Bishop of Recanati and Loreto. Roma was born 16 September 1584 in Milan, one of 16 children born to noble parents. He was educated at the University of ...

. Alfieri was also administrator to the

Apostolic Nunciature to Flanders The Apostolic Nunciature to Flanders was the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the Habsburg Netherlands (a predecessor state of modern Belgium commonly referred to as "Flanders" from its component part, the County of Flanders). The diplom ...

until the appointment of

Richard Paul Stravius Richard Pauli-Stravius (1584/90–1654) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as a papal diplomat (1634–1642) and as Auxiliary Bishop to Ferdinand of Bavaria for the Diocese of Liège (1642–1654) with a titular appointment as bishop of D ...

. As Nuncio, he initially dwelt in Liège during the conflict between such town and the

Prince-elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the Holy Roman Emperor, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century ...

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Pala ...

Ferdinand of Bavaria. In 1636 the Pope planned a

peace conference A peace conference is a diplomatic meeting where representatives of certain states, armies, or other warring parties converge to end hostilities and sign a peace treaty. Significant international peace conferences in the past include the follo ...

to put an end to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

and for this reason the Pope appointed Cardinal

Marzio Ginetti Marzio Ginetti (6 April 1585 – 1 March 1671) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal Vicar of Rome. Early life Ginetti was born in Velletri, the son of a labourer. He was sent to Rome at a very young age to be educated and tried to ...

as extraordinary nuncio (''Legatus a latere'') in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

. Martino Alfieri also moved to Cologne. The planned peace conference however did not succeed to be called due mainly to the caution of the France, the need of obtaining passports for the German Protestant Princes and in general the refusal of Papal mediation. On 11 April 1639 he was replaced as Nuncio and appointed to

Archbishop of Cosenza The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Cosenza-Bisignano in Calabria has been a metropolitan see since 2001.

. He left Cologne in August only after the arrival of his successor

Fabio Chigi Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and ...

and he waited in Rome for the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropoli ...

up to 8 September 1640. He moved to his diocese but he died from Phthsis in Napoli on 30 March 1641.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfieri, Marino 1590 births 1641 deaths Clergy from Milan 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Apostolic Nuncios to Cologne 17th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Italy Infectious disease deaths in Campania