Rainiero d'Elci (7 March 1670–22 June 1761) 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 ...

Biography

He was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

and was ordained in 1699.Catholic Hierarchy: Raniero Cardinal d’Elci
/ref> He entered papal service in the following year and held several offices both in

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

and in the papal territorial administration. He was

Inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literall ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

from 1711 until 1716.Treccani.it - Enciclopedia: D'Elci, Raniero (Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 36 (1988))
/ref> He was consecrated

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 ...

of Rodi at the end of 1730. He served as

apostolic 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 ...

in France 1731–1738.

Pope 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 ...

created him

on 20 December 1737 but did not publish it before the following June. In the same year he became archbishop of Ferrara, an office he held until 1740; he was then legate in that city. He became

bishop of Sabina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

(10 April 1747), then

bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

(9 April 1753). He became

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 ...

at the death of Pietro Luigi Carafa on 15 December 1755, and as such he was transferred to the see of Ostia e Velletri (proper of the Dean) on 12 January 1756. He presided over the Papal conclave, 1758. In spite of his advanced age, he received several votes during its celebration. He died 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, ...

and is buried in his titular church of

Santa Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina (, ) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. Santa Sabina is the oldest ex ...

References

External links

Rainiero d'Elci biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elci, Rainiero 1670 births 1761 deaths Clergy from Florence 17th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Ostia Cardinal-bishops of Porto Cardinal-bishops of Sabina Deans of the College of Cardinals Rainiero Inquisitors of Malta