Giovanni Battista Spinola (1681–1752) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal.
[ ] He was born in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
at the
Republic of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...
, on 16 July 1681 and was the great-grandson of Cardinal Giambattista Spinola (1615–1704), and the nephew of Cardinal
Giambattista Spínola (iuniore).
Biography
He was appointed secret valet of His Holiness in 1707 and governor of Benevento in 1712, then speaker of the Congregation of the Consulta and auditor of the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church in 1717. In 1719 he became governor of Rimini, then vice-legate in Ravenna and cleric of the Apostolic Chamber (1722), governor of Castelnuovo (1723) and finally Secretary of the Congregation of the Consulta (1724).
Despite these prestigious roles, he did not receive sacred orders before 15 February 1728, conferred on him by Pope Benedict XIII, who appointed him the governor of Rome and Vice-Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church on 30 May 1728.
He was governor of Rome until he became a cardinal in the consistory of 28 September 1733 by Pope Clement XII, who attributed to him the deaconry of San Cesareo in Palatio.
On 23 September 1743 he was appointed the
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...
of
Santa Maria degli Angeli, followed by becoming the Cardinal-Bishop of Albano on 15 November 1751. He was ordained as a bishop by Pope Benedict XIV on 9 April 1752 in the Pauline Chapel of the Quirinale.
He died in Albano on 20 August 1752.
References
Sources
The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
1681 births
1752 deaths
Spinola family
Cardinal-nephews
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