Sebastiano Nicotra (31 August 1855 – 21 May 1929) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. From 1916 to 1929 he was an

apostolic nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

with the rank of archbishop.

Biography

Sebastiano Nicotra was born on 31 August 1855 in San Alfio di Giarre, Italy. He earned a degree in canon law at the

Almo Collegio Capranica The Almo Collegio Capranica is the oldest Roman college, founded in 1457 by Cardinal Domenico Capranica (1400–1458) in his own palace for thirty young clerics, who received an education suitable to prepare them for the priesthood. History ...

. He was ordained a priest on 21 December 1978. He joined the diplomatic service of the

in 1889 and served as secretary in the apostolic nunciature to Belgium. In 1900 he was became auditor in the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

and then an advisor in the nunciature in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

in Vienna. On 16 December 1916,

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

appointed him titular archbishop of Heraclea in Europa and

Apostolic Nuncio to Chile The Apostolic Nuncio to Chile is the principal representative of the Pope to the Government of Chile. Apostolic Nuncios to Chile * Giovanni Alessandro Muzi (18 April 1823 – 19 December 1825) *Lorenzo Barili (26 May 1851 – 17 June 1856) * Vin ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1917 from Pope Benedict. On 1 October 1918, Pope Benedict named him

Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium The Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium is the holder of a diplomatic position within the Catholic Church, who acts as Ambassador of the Holy See to the Belgium. Diplomatic relations between the Belgian state (1830) and the Holy See began in 1835. Until ...

. For six months in 1920 Nicotra was Apostolic Administrator of Eupen–Malmedy–Sankt Vith, an area on the Belgian-German border where a referendum was being held to confirm the transfer of control to Belgium. His role was that of a neutral outsider. The German-speaking priests of the territory continued to look to Germany for leadership while treating him respectfully. On 30 May 1923,

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

appointed him

Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Portugal is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. For ...

. He died on 21 May 1929 at the age of 73.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Sebastiano Nicotra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicotra, Sebastiano 1855 births 1929 deaths Religious leaders from Catania Almo Collegio Capranica alumni Apostolic Nuncios to Chile Apostolic Nuncios to Belgium Apostolic Nuncios to Portugal