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