Piero de Bonzi (also ''Pierre''; 15 April 1631 - 11 July 1703) was an Italian-French

Roman Catholic cardinal 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 ...

. His last name is also listed as Bonsi.

Biography

left, Coat of arms of Pierre de Bonzy - Staircase of the palace of the Archbishops of Narbonne COA Cardinal Pierre de Bonzi

Born in Florence, he was the son of Francesco Bonzi, senator of Florence, and Cristina Riari. He was also grand-nephew of Cardinal Jean de Bonsi. He was educated by his uncle Clément Bonzi,

bishop of Béziers A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

, who made him join the ecclesiastical state and he became Resident of

Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. He was remembered by his contemporaries as a man of culture ...

in the French court. Later he was appointed commendatory abbot of several

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

s in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Piere de Bonzi was elected

on 7 June 1660, the 5th member of the family to become bishop of that see. Later he became French ambassador in different countries in Europe. On 28 September 1671 he was promoted to the metropolitan see of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

. In 1672 Bonzi was created

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 ...

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

, and transferred to the metropolitan see of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

two years later. He participated in the Papal conclaves of 1676, 1689 and 1691. He opted for the title of Sant'Onofrio on 19 October 1676. Then he was transferred to the title of

S. Pietro in Vincoli San Pietro in Vincoli (; Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The '' Titulus S. Petr ...

and later opted for the title of

Sant'Eusebio Sant'Eusebio is a titular church in Rome, devoted to Saint Eusebius of Rome, a 4th-century martyr, and built in the Esquilino rione. One of the oldest churches in Rome, it is a titular church and the station church for the Friday after the fo ...

. From about 1693, he suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

and because of poor health did not participate in the Papal conclave of 1700. He died on 11 July 1703 of an

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

, in Montpellier.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonzi, Piere De 1631 births 1703 deaths Clergy from Florence 17th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France Bishops of Béziers Archbishops of Narbonne Archbishops of Toulouse 17th-century Italian cardinals Italian emigrants to France 17th-century French diplomats