Roma Sant'Andrea della Valle Statua del Cardinale Marzio Ginetti, detail

Marzio Ginetti (6 April 1585 – 1 March 1671) 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 ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Cardinal and

Cardinal Vicar Cardinal Vicar ( it, Cardinale Vicario) is a title commonly given to the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome for the portion of the diocese within Italy (i.e. excluding the portion within Vatican City). The official title, as given in the '' Annu ...

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 ...

Early life

Ginetti was born in

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring comm ...

, the son of a labourer. He was sent to

at a very young age to be educated and tried to make himself known to a number of cardinals. Eventually he was appointed

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

. Upon that Pope's death, Maffeo Barberini was elected as Pope Urban VIII and Ginetti became acquainted with Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the new Pope's nephew. Barberini urged his uncle to promote Ginetti and he was made a ''Referendary of the Tribunals'' of the Apostolic Signatura.''Pope Alexander the Seventh and the College of Cardinals'' by

John Bargrave John Bargrave (1610 – 11 May 1680), was an English author and collector and a canon of Canterbury Cathedral.''Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness'' by Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995 Early life Bargrave was born in K ...

, edited by

James Craigie Robertson James Craigie Robertson (1813 – 9 July 1882) was a Scottish Anglican churchman, canon of Canterbury Cathedral, and author of a ''History of the Christian Church''. Life Robertson was born at Aberdeen, where his father was a merchant; his mothe ...

(reprint; 2009) Thereafter he remained a loyal supporter of the

Barberini The House of Barberini are a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace ...

Cardinalate

On 19 January 1626 he was elevated to cardinal by Pope Urban VIII and installed as Cardinal-Priest at

Santa Francesca Romana Santa Francesca Romana ( it, Basilica di Santa Francesca Romana), previously known as Santa Maria Nova, is a Roman Catholic church situated next to the Roman Forum in the rione Campitelli in Rome, Italy. History An oratory putatively was est ...

in 1627. In 1629 he was made

(a title he held until his death) and was made Cardinal-Priest at

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 ...

in 1634. In 1635 Ginetti was appointed Papal Legate to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in an attempt, by the Barberini, to put him forward as an elder statesman. But he did not conduct himself particularly well and the effort was seen as counter-productive. Ginetti returned to Rome where in 1639, he and Cardinal Bernardino Spada gave assistance and protection to a visiting

Carlo Cesare Malvasia Carlo Cesare Malvasia (1616–1693) was an Italian scholar and art historian from Bologna, best known for his biographies of Baroque artists titled ''Felsina pittrice'', published in 1678. Life and career Malvasia is the Bolognese equivalen ...

. Unimpressed by Ginetti's efforts in Austria, Pope Urban VIII sent him to Ferrara as legate in 1640 where he amassed considerable wealth and remained until 1643.

Papal conclaves

In 1644 he was appointed Cardinal-Priest at

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 ...

and participated in the papal conclave of that year which elected

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...

. Contemporary,

, suggested Ginetti considered himself ''papable''; suitable for election to the papacy. But the Barberini would not entertain it and any efforts on Ginetti's part to suggest as much came to naught. He later participated in the

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

1655 Events January–March * January 5 – Emperor Go-Sai ascends to the throne of Japan. * January 7 – Pope Innocent X, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the Papal States, dies after more than 10 years of rule. * Februar ...

. He was appointed Vice-Dean of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

and held the position during the conclaves of

1667 Events January–March * January 11 – Aurangzeb, monarch of the Mughal Empire, orders the removal of Rao Karan Singh as Maharaja of the Bikaner State (part of the modern-day Rajasthan state of India) because of Karan's dereli ...

and 1669–1670. He died 1671 and was buried at the

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection of Corso Vittor ...

.S. Miranda:
Marzio Ginetti He was the uncle of (also later cardinal)

Giovanni Francesco Ginetti Giovanni Francesco Ginetti (12 December 1626 – 18 September 1691) was a nephew of Cardinal Marzio Ginetti (1585-1681). Under the reign of Pope Alexander VII he was appointed him Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, later Sergeant Major of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ginetti, Marzio 1585 births 1671 deaths People from Velletri 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Urban VIII