Vincenzo Maria Altieri (1724–1800) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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 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 ...

from 1777 to 1800. He belonged to the

Altieri family The House of Altieri was an ancient noble family of Rome, present in the history of the city since the Middle Ages, yet now extinct. In addition to the title of Prince granted by the Pope, Pontiffs, branches of the Altieri were also part of the ar ...

, one of the noble families of Rome.

Biography

Vincenzo Maria Altieri was born in

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 ...

on 27 November 1724, the son of Girolamo

Altieri Altieri is an Italian surname. It may refer to: *Altieri family, a noble Italian family from Rome, whose most notable exponent was Pope Clement X (r. 1670-1676); Persons Notable people with the surname include: *Angelo Altieri (died 1472), Italia ...

, prince of

Oriolo Oriolo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia I Borghi più belli d'Italia is an association of small Italian towns of historical int ...

, and Maria Maddalena

Borromeo Borromeo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * House of Borromeo, an aristocratic family in Milan Members of the House of Borromeo * Andrea Borromeo (c. 1615 – 1683), Theatine priest * Charles Borromeo (1538 – 1584), cardina ...

.Biography in the Biographical Dictionary of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
/ref> Two of his father's brothers,

Lorenzo Altieri Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

and

Giambattista Altieri Giambattista Altieri or Giovanni Battista Altieri (20 June 1589 – 26 November 1654) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. Early life Giambattista Altieri was born 20 June 1589 in Rome, the son of Lorenzo Altieri and Victoria Delphini, a Ven ...

were cardinals, while two of his nephews,

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 ...

and

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 ...

would also later become cardinals. Altieri was made a

protonotary apostolic In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...

on 3 October 1743, taking possession of that office on 24 August 1747, the same day he became a

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

Apostolic Signatura 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 ...

. He served as

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Sacred Congregation In the Roman Curia, a congregation ( lat, Sacræ Cardinalium Congregationes) is a type of department of the Curia. They are second-highest-ranking departments, ranking below the two Secretariats, and above the pontifical councils, Pontifical Comm ...

of the Council before being appointed vice-

legate Legate may refer to: *Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of ...

in December 1755. On 11 November 1756, he was appointed vice-legate in

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

, and in January 1758 became governor of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

. He was appointed to the

Apostolic Camera The Apostolic Camera ( la, Camera Apostolica), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the Stat ...

in June 1764, returning to Rome and taking possession of that office in January 1765. He became president of Carceri at this time, then served as president of the Zecca from October 1765 to 1766. He was then president of

Ripe Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE, French for "European IP Networks") is a forum open to all parties with an interest in the technical development of the Internet. The RIPE community's objective is to ensure that the administrative and technical coo ...

from January 1767 through 1775. In April 1775, he returned to the Apostolic Camera in Rome. In May 1776, he became

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the

papal household The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremoni ...

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...

made Altieri a

in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wit ...

'' in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 23 June 1777. This was published in the consistory of 11 December 1780. Altieri received the

red hat Red Hat, Inc. is an American software company that provides open source software products to enterprises. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, with other offices worldwide. Red Hat has become ass ...

on 14 December 1780, and was awarded the deaconry of

San Giorgio in Velabro San Giorgio in Velabro is a church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to St. George. The church is located next to the Arch of Janus in the rione of Ripa in the ancient Roman Velabrum. According to the founding legend of Rome, the church was built wh ...

. He was appointed to the Sacred Congregations of Bishops and Regulars, Council, Acque and Good Government. In January 1783, he became cardinal protector of the

Clerics Regular Minor The Clerics Regular Minor ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium Minorum), commonly known as the Caracciolini or Adorno Fathers, is a Roman Catholic religious order of priests and brothers founded by Francis Caracciolo, Augustine Adorno, and Fabrizio ...

. On 23 April 1787, he opted for the deaconry of

Sant'Angelo in Pescheria Sant'Angelo in Pescheria or in Piscaria is a church in Rome. It dates from the 8th century. "In Pescheria" refers to its location close to the fish market built in the ruins of the ancient Porticus Octaviae. History The relics of St. Sympho ...

; then, on 10 March 1788, for the deaconry of

Sant'Eustachio Sant'Eustachio is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, named for the martyr Saint Eustace. It is located on Via di Sant'Eustachio in the rione Sant'Eustachio, a block west of the Pantheon and via della Rotonda, and a bl ...

; then, on 12 September 1794, for the deaconry of

Santa Maria in Via Lata Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso (the ancient Via Lata), in Rome, Italy. It stands diagonal from the church of San Marcello al Corso. It is the Station days for Tuesday, the fifth week of lent. History The first Christi ...

. At this point, he became the

cardinal protodeacon 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 ...

. On 29 January 1798, he became

Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church. The title is based on an Italian word for chamberlain, a word no longer used in secular contexts. The position existed from at ...

. In February 1798, Rome was invaded by troops of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

, who created the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

. Cardinal Altieri, who was by then gravely ill, was faced with the possibility of being imprisoned along with the other cardinals then in Rome. Rather than face the possibility of prison, Altieri resigned his cardinalate on 12 March 1798; Pope Pius VI reluctantly accepted his resignation on 7 September 1798. Altieri died in Rome on 10 February 1800. He is buried in the Altieri family chapel in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altieri, Vincenzo Maria 1724 births 1800 deaths 18th-century Italian cardinals Clergy from Rome Cardinals created by Pope Pius VI Resigned cardinals