
Bernardo de' Rossi (26 August 1468 – 28 June 1527) was an Italian bishop and patron of the arts.
Biography
Rossi was the son of a feudal family of the area of
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, at a young age he received the archdeaconate of
Padua
Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
and the Abbey of St. Crisogonus in
Zadar. On 4 Apr 1487, thanks to the support of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
, he was appointed
Bishop of Belluno. On 16 Aug 1499, he was appointed as
bishop of Treviso.
Here he held a small court, featuring artists such as
Lorenzo Lotto, who painted a
portrait of him around 1505.
In 1503, de' Rossi entered into conflict with the Venetian
podestà of Treviso, Girolamo
Contarini. In September of that year a plot set against him by the Onigo family failed as it was discovered before its application.
In 1509, after further controversies with the Venetian authorities, he was forced to leave the diocese, and moved to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
(1510). In 1522 he returned to the ancestral field of
San Secondo Parmense, fighting against members of his family. He eventually clashed against the
condottiero
Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, who had come to help his sister-in-law
Bianca Riario, the wife of
Troilo I de' Rossi. Bernardo de' Rossi fled to Parma in 1524, and died a few years later, perhaps poisoned by his nephews Giovan Girlamo and Bertrando.
While bishop, he was the
principal consecrator of
Paride de Grassis,
Bishop of Pesaro (1513).
References
External links and additional sources
Page on Bernardo de' Rossi
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
* (for Chronology of Bishops)
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Rossi, Bernardo
1468 births
1527 deaths
Bishops of Belluno
Bishops of Treviso
16th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Republic of Venice