Pier Luigi Carafa,

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

(4 July 1677 – 15 December 1755) (sometimes spelled as ''Caraffa'') was an Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

from the famous

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of arts. He served the papacy as

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 a ...

and as Dean of same College. He is currently buried at Sant'Andrea delle Fratte in

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, ...

. Florida International University website, The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church section, ''Consistories for the creation of Cardinals, 18th Century (1700-1799''
/ref>

Early Ecclesiastic Career

Born into an illustrious house of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, the family of Pier Luigi was not unaccustomed to high-ranking prelates. Other cardinals in the family consisted of Filippo Carafa della Serra;

Oliviero Carafa Oliviero Carafa (10 March 1430 – 20 January 1511), in Latin Oliverius Carafa, was an Italian cardinal and diplomat of the Renaissance. Like the majority of his era's prelates, he displayed the lavish and conspicuous standard of living that w ...

; Gianvincenzo Carafa;

Carlo Carafa Carlo Carafa (29 March 1517 – 6 March 1561) was an Italian cardinal, and Cardinal Nephew of Pope Paul IV Carafa, whose policies he directed and whom he served as papal legate in Paris, Venice and Brussels. Early years He was born at Naple ...

; Diomede Carafa; Alfonso Carafa;

Antonio Carafa Antonio Carafa may refer to: *Antonio Malizia Carafa (died 1437) *Antonio Carafa (cardinal) (1538–1591) *Antonio Carafa (general) (1642–1693) *Antonio Carafa (bishop of Ugento) (died 1704) {{hndis, Carafa, Antonio ...

; Giovanni Pietro Carafa (later

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV (; ; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death, in August 1559. While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed ...

); Pier Luigi Carafa, Senior; Carlo Carafa della Spina; Fortunato Ilario Carafa della Spina; Francesco Carafa della Spina di Traetto; Marino Carafa di Belvedere; and Domenico Carafa della Spina di Traetto. Also, a member of the family was

Gregorio Carafa Fra Gregorio Carafa (17 March 1615 – 21 July 1690) was a nobleman from the House of Carafa and the 61st Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1680 to his death in 1690. Early life Carafa was born on 17 March 1615 in Castelveter ...

, Grand Master of the Order of St. John. Pier Luigi was born on 4 July 1677 in Naples. He attended ''La Sapienza'' University in Rome where he was awarded a doctorate in both laws (

civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

and

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

) on 19 October 1694. He was then ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

on 22 January 1713 and a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 19 February 1713.

Episcopal career

Just over one month after his ordination to the priesthood, Pier Luigi was elected

titular archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

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Thessalia Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

on 27 March 1713 and then made an

Assistant at the Pontifical Throne The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately below the ...

on 16 April 1713. He was appointed as

Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

on 20 July 1713, a position in which he served for just under four years. On 12 April 1717 Archbishop Carafa was appointed Secretary of the

Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for missionary work and related activities. It is also known by its former title, the Sacred Congregatio ...

and then, in 1724, as Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops as well a Consultor of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition.

Cardinalate career

Archbishop Carafa was created

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. ...

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 *Consistor ...

of 20 September 1728 and received the red galero and the title of

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, where he was installed on 15 November 1728. He was then made ''Abbot commendatario'' of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

in 1729. He participated in the

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

of 1730, where

Clement XII Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740. Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...

was elected pope. On 11 February 1737 Cardinal Carafa was named

. Upon the death of Pope Clement XII, Cardinal Carfa participated in the papal conclave of 1740, where

Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

was elected. He was appointed as a

cardinal-bishop 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. ...

on 16 September 1740 and was named to the

suburbicarian The seven suburbicarian dioceses (, ) are Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal patriarc ...

see of Albano. Then, on 15 November 1751, he was appointed to the suburbicarian see of Porto-Santa Rufina. He was then named the Vice-dean of the

Sacred College of Cardinals Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in 1751 and then named

Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals The dean of the College of Cardinals () presides over the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church, serving as ('first among equals'). The position was established in the 12th century. He always holds the rank of a cardinal bishop and is as ...

on 9 April 1753 and appointed to the suburbicarian see of Ostia and Velletri, a position he held until his death on 15 December 1755, at 78 years of age.

Death and Entombment

Pier Luigi Cardinal Carafa died on 15 December 1755, at 8:30 p.m. in Rome. His remains were transferred the following day to the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte in Rome where the ''capella paplis'' took place on 18 December 1755, and he was buried in the chapel of

Saint Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, C.O., O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the rel ...

. On the funerary plaque of Cardinal Pier Luigi Carafa in the chapel of Saint Francis de Sales, the following in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

is inscribed: SACELLUM • VBI • MORTALES • EXVVIAE • CARD. PETRI • ALOISII • CARAFA • PATRONI • CONDITAE • ASSERVANTVR • SQVALENTI • VETVSTATE • OBSITVM • DOMINICVS • IACOBINI • ARCHIEP • TYRIORVM • S. CONSILII • CHRISTIANO • NOMINI • PROPAGANDO • LAVREENTIVS • SALVATI • S. CONSESSVS • TRIDENT • CONCILIO • INTERPRETANDO • A. SECRETIS • HEREDITATIS • QVAM • ILLE • IN • PIOS • VSVS • RELIQVIT • CVRATORES • EX • TESTAMENTO • ANNO • MDCCCXCI • INSTAVRATVM • EXORNARVNT

Burial Chapel

Pier Luigi Cardinal Carafa is entombed in the chapel of Saint Francis de Sales in the Church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte in Rome. The full name of the chapel is the chapel of "Saint Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Valois." The chapel was granted to Cardinal Carafa in 1753 who dedicated it to

Saint Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo (; ; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584. He was made a cardinal in 1560. Borromeo founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and was a ...

and Jeanne de Valois, queen of France. Churches of Rome website, ''Sant'Andrea delle Fratte'', page 8
/ref> The Cardinal himself donated the altarpiece by Marcantonio Romoli. The artwork within the chapel includes: the altarpiece, Saint Francis of Paula Gives the Cordon of the Order to St. Francis de Sales and St. Jeanne de Valois by Marcantonio Romoli and on the left wall, Funeral Monument of Cardinal Carafa by Paolo Posi and Pietro Bracci.

References

Books

* *

External links

* *Francesco Raco,
Carafa, Pier Luigi
" ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' Volume 19 (1976). Retrieved: 2016-10-23, {{DEFAULTSORT:Carafa, Pier Luigi 1677 births 1755 deaths Clergy from Naples Bishops appointed by Pope Clement XI Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XIII 18th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal-bishops of Ostia Cardinal-bishops of Porto Pier Luigi 18th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops 17th-century Neapolitan people 18th-century Neapolitan people Deans of the College of Cardinals Apostolic nuncios to the Republic of Florence