- Raffaele Riario
Raffaele Sansoni Galeoti Riario (
May 3 ,1461 –July 9 ,1521 ) was an Italian Cardinal of theRenaissance , mainly known as the constructor of thePalazzo della Cancelleria and the one who invitedMichelangelo toRome . He is regarded as one of the most tastefulprelate s of his age and a generous patron of the arts.Who|date=July 2007 He was also the firstadolescent to be elevated in theCollege of Cardinals in the history of theHoly See .Fact|date=February 2007Early career and Pazzi Conspiracy
Born in poverty in
Savona , Riario was the son of Antonio Sansoni and Violante Riario, a niece of Francesco della Rovere, who becamePope Sixtus IV in 1471.Being the relative of a nepotist
pontiff , he was created Cardinal ofSan Giorgio in Velabro on10 December 1477 and received severaldiocese s (diocese of Cuenca ,diocese of Pisa ,diocese of Salamanca ,diocese of Treguier ,diocese of Osma ). He was then only sixteen years old and a student ofcanon law at theUniversity of Pisa . While returning to Rome in the spring of 1478, Riario halted inFlorence , where he became a witness to thePazzi Conspiracy against theMedici . Despite his innocence, Rafaelle was arrested by the Florentine authorities due to his relation to Cardinal Pietro Riario, his mother’s brother and the head of the plot, andFrancesco Salviati . He was released a few weeks later, after the reconciliation ofSixtus IV andLorenzo de' Medici . On22 June 1478 he was received formally as a cardinal by thePope inSiena and four days later he was sent as legate toPerugia .It was not until 1480 that Raffaele was ordained
priest and received the title ofSan Lorenzo in Damaso .Riario in the Papal Court
In 1484, Riario was engaged in the war which broke out between the Orsini and the
Colonna family , trying to secure in vain the life of his friendLorenzo Oddone Colonna , who was charged of having murdered an Orsini and was executed bySixtus IV . In 1488,Pope Innocent VIII sent Cardinal Riario as a legate to his maternal uncleGirolamo Riario , at the time governor ofForlì andImola , who was revolting against theHoly See . Meanwhile, the Cardinal had already commissioned the erection of his palace beside the church ofSan Lorenzo in Damaso (1486).It is said that
Franchescetto Cybo , the infamous son of Innocent VIII, lost in one single night 15,000 ducats at a card game which took place in Raffaele’s residence. When thePope asked from the Cardinal to return his son’s money, the latter answered that he was sorry, but he had already used them to finance the construction of his palace.As cardinal
camerlengo , Riario is usually praised for insuring the order inRome after the death of Innocent VIII. He was a candidate for the papal tiara in the Conclave of 1492 but he was excluded from the first ballots due to his young age. He finally voted for Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI ), receiving the lucrativebishopric of Cartagena as a reward for his support.During
Alexander VI ’s reign (1492–1503), Riario gained distinction as diplomat and councillor of the papal throne. In 1493, he was sent as legate toCaterina Sforza , Girolamo Riario’s widow, to prevent her from allowing the French troops to pass through Forlì and Imola.Pope Julius II (1503–1513), Riario’s relative but not always his ally, raised him at the Bishopric of Ostia e Veletri, meaning the first hierarchically see in thePapal States .Engagement in the plot against Leo X and death
In the June of 1517,
Cardinal Petrucci and others conspired againstPope Leo X (Giovanni dei Medici). Cardinal Riario refused to participate in the plot but was at least aware of Petrucci’s intentions to murder thePope and did nothing to prevent. Leo was notified about the plot, arrested the conspirators and ordered their execution. Riario, whose engagement in thePazzi conspiracy had not been forgotten by the Medici Pope, secured his head only by surrendering his palace besideSan Lorenzo in Damaso to the Pope. Leo transferred it to his cousin Giulio de' Medici, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy See, who rendered it the seat of theApostolic Chancery . Thus the Palazzo Riario is henceforward known asPalazzo della Cancelleria .Riario passed away in
Naples , at the age of sixty. His tomb is located in the church ofBasilica dei Santi Apostoli .Art patronage and reputation
A lover of
fine arts and especiallysculpture , Cardinal Riario’s artistic choices foreshadow the arrival ofHigh Renaissance inRome . His gigantic residence, influenced by the Florentine architecture, is the first building of the new monumental style which prevailed in the Holy City underJulius II . Riario is also credited for noticing the talent of the youngMichelangelo . In 1496, theBacchus (Michelangelo) was treacherously sold to him as an ancient piece: the aesthetic prelate discovered the cheat, but was so impressed by the quality of the sculpture that he invited the artist to Rome, where Michelangelo worked for the rest of his life.Raffaele Riario is generally considered a prelate typical of his era: indifferent in religious matters, rather a statesman than a priest, rather a maecenas than a theologian.Who|date=July 2007.
References
* [http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/r/riario_sansoni_r.shtml Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexicon] Biography de icon
External links
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1477.htm#Sansoni Biography]
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