Tomás de Borja y Castro ( – September 13, 1610]) was a Spanish noble from the
House of Borgia, House of Borja who became
Bishop of Málaga and
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
of Zaragoza.
Biography
Tomás studied in the
Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso
The ''Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso'' (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso'') is a historic college and building located in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. It was declared ''Bien de Interés Cultural'' in 1914.
Construction ...
at
Alcalá de Henares
Alcalá de Henares () is a Spanish municipality of the Community of Madrid. Housing is primarily located on the right (north) bank of the Henares River, Henares. , it has a population of 193,751, making it the region's third-most populated Municip ...
,
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. He later went on to study at
Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé
is a Private school, private Catholic school, Catholic pre-school, primary, secondary school, and college-preparatory school, colonial of Plateresque style building, located in the Bogota, Santa Fe district of Bogotá, Cundinamarca Department, Cu ...
at
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
where he obtained a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
. He there after dedicated himself to the clergy and the life of the cloth.
In 1571, Tomás together with his brother, the future
Saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
,
Francisco de Borja and the Cardinal Alejandrino set out on a trip around Europe that was bound for
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, ...
. Upon arrival in Rome, Tomás was designated the Consultor de la Inquisición Romana, a title affiliated to the
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
. Upon returning to Spain, he was appointed cannon of
Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Or ...
and Abbot of the Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad in
Ourense
Ourense (; ) is a city and the capital of the province of province of Ourense, Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path o ...
.
In 1599,
Philip III of Spain
Philip III (; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain and King of Portugal, Portugal (where he is known as Philip II of Portugal) during the Iberian Union. His reign lasted from 1598 until his death in 1621. He held dominion over the S ...
appointed Tomás as the Bishop of Málaga. His ascendancy coincided with an outbreak of pestilence whose origins came from Spanish troops returning from
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protectorate.
The Spanish protectorate consisted of a norther ...
and other African conquests. So strong was this plague that people would fall down in the streets and there was nothing that could be medically done to save them, overflowing the capacity of the hospitals. Tomás devoted himself to caring for the sick, even those that nobody would approach due to fear of infection. The plague lasted two years and killed such a large portion of the population that people were brought in from other regions of Spain to fill all the vacant jobs left behind by the dead.
In 1603, he was named Archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Zaragoza, and in 1606, he was named Captain General and Viceroy of
Aragón
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...
.
Real Academia de la Historia
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He died on September 13 of 1610 at the age of 70. He was buried in a sepulcher at the Capilla Mayor of the Colegio de las Vírgenes in Zaragoza.
Distinction
In his honor, in the Spanish city of Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, in the area of Pedregalejo, there is a street named after him.
See also
* House of Borja
References
*
External links
Web de la diócesis de Málaga
A donation made by don Tomás de Borja (archbishop of Saragossa and Virrey of Aragón) to his nephew the duke of Lerma (valido of king Felipe III)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borja y Castro, Tomas de
1551 births
1610 deaths
Bishops of Málaga
Archbishops of Zaragoza
Tomas de Borja y Castro
Spanish untitled nobility
University of Salamanca alumni