(11) 1. ACQUAVIVA D'ARAGONA, Troiano (1694-1747)

Birth. February 24, 1694, Atri (1). Neapolitan patrician. Son of Gian Girolamo Acquaviva d'Aragona, 13th duke of Atri, and his second wife, Eleonora Spinelli. His first name is also listed as Traiano; as Troianus; as Trojjan; and as Troiano Francesco; and his last name as Acquaviva only; and as d'Aragonia. Nephew of Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva d'Aragona (1706). Uncle of Cardinal Pasquale Acquaviva d'Aragona (1770). Other cardinals of the family are Giovanni Vincenzo Acquaviva d'Aragona (1542); Giulio Acquaviva d'Aragona (1570); Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona, seniore (1591); and Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona, iuniore (1654).

Education. He was educated in Rome under his uncle the cardinal.

Early life. Entered the Roman prelature. Privy chamberlain of His Holiness. On February 18, 1713, he brought the red biretta to the new Cardinal Manuel Arias y Porres, O.S.Io.Hieros., archbishop of Sevilla. In Madrid, he was graciously received by King Felipe V, who gave him several rich ecclesiastical benefices. Returned to Rome and was named referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace, January 1, 1721. Vice-legate in Bologna, March 27, 1721; during the absence of the legate at the conclave of 1721, he governed the legation. Governor of Ancona, July 9, 1721 until May 1728. Protonotary apostolic participant from 1729.

Priesthood. Ordained April 17, 1729.

Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Filippopoli di Arabia, April 18, 1729. Consecrated, May 3, 1729, Benevento, by Pope Clement XI. Prefect of the Papal Household, May 14, 1729. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, June 25, 1729. Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, July 6, 1729. Promoted to the titular see of Larissa, August 14, 1730.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of October 1, 1732; received the red hat and the title of Ss. Quirico e Giulita, November 17, 1732. Opted for the title of S. Cecilia, January 19, 1733. He built a magnificent portico in his titular church. Viceprotector of the Order of the Friars Minor Conventuals from 1733. During the war of 1734, between King Carlos III of the Two Sicilies and the Austrian Empire, he and his family sided with the former; he went to Naples to pay homage to the king and later, went to Madrid to visit King Felipe V, who named him named ambassador of Spain before the Holy See from May 1735. He became protector of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily in 1737. He was named archdeacon of Toledo while Bernardo Froilán de Saavedra, titular archbishop of Larissa, governed the archdiocese during the minority of Infante Luis Antonio Jaime de Borbón y Farnesio, future cardinal with the recommendation of Cardinal Acquaviva. In reward, he was transferred to the metropolitan see of Monreale, May 4, 1739. Participated in the conclave of 1740, which elected Pope Benedict XIV; he presented the veto of King Felipe V of Spain against the election to the papacy of Cardinal Pier Marcellino Corradini. Co-protector of Spain from April 1743. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, February 3, 1744 until January 25, 1745. In 1746, he started suffering from a lento, e ostinato malore, which he suffered for a year with Christian resignation; Pope Benedict XIV visited him during his illness. A literary man, who wrote several works, he protected and supported the men of letters of his time.

Death. March 20 (or 24), 1747, near 7 p.m., Rome, after a long and painful illness. Transferred to the church of S. Cecilia, Rome, March 21, 1747; the capella papalis took place on March 22, 1747, with the participation of Pope Benedict XIV; the late cardinal was buried in the middle of that same church; on his tomb were inscribed, by his brother Girolamo Acquaviva, duke of Atri, his cardinalitial arms and an honorable inscription (2).

Bibliography. Benedictus XIV. Lettere de Benedetto XIV al canonico Pier Francesco Peggi a Bologna (1729-1758) : publicate insieme col diario del conclave del 1740. Per cura di Francesco Saviero Kraus. Freiburg i. B : J.C.B. Mohr, 1884. Other title: Briefe Benedicts XIV an den Canonicus Pier Francesco Peggi in Bologna (1729-1758); Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1794, VIII, 257-259; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1952, V, 314; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, VI, 6, 42 48, 56, 254 and 297; Rivera, Giuseppe. Memorie biografiche dei cardinali Abruzzesi. Aquila : Tipografia G. Mele, 1924, pp. 130-132; Weber, Christoph. Legati e governatori dello Stato Pontificio : 1550-1809. Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, Ufficio centrale per i beni archivistici, 1994. (Pubblicazioni degli archivi di Stato. Sussidi; 7), 118, 158 and 441.

Webgraphy. Biography by Fausto Nicolini, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 1 (1960), Treccani; biography by Miguel Ángel Ochoa Brun, in Spanish, Diccionario Biográfico Español; The Acquaviva cardinals by Thomas Shahan, in English, The Catholic Encyclopedia; his portrait by Anton Raphael Mengs, secolo XVIII (1750-1799), ambito romano, regione ecclesiastica Abruzzo Molise, diocesi Teramo-Atri, Beni Ecclesiastici in web (BeWeB); engraving, portraits, epitaph and arms, Araldica Vaticana; his tomb in the church of S. Cecilia, Rome, Requiem Datenbank.

(1) Some sources say that he was born on January 24, 1696. Concerning the place of his birth, some sources say that it was Atri and others indicate that it was Giulia Nova.
(2) This is the text of the inscription in his tomb, taken from Requiem Datenbank, linked above:

(12) 2. MOSCA, Agapito (1678-1760)

Birth. April 28, 1678, Pesaro. Of a noble and patrician family family, originally from Alzano Lombardo, diocese of Bergamo. Son of Marquis Carlo Mosca and Ippolita Grepi, from Como. Cousin of Pope Clement XI. He is also listed as Agapitus Musca; and his first name as Agabito.

Education. Studied at Collegio Tolomei, Siena, 1692; later, he attended the University of Urbino, where he obtained a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, in 1697. After finishing his studies, he went to Rome and frequented the erudite academies of the city under the guidance of his cousin, then Cardinal Gianfrancesco Albani.

Early life. He obtained in Rome the post of Correttore delle Contraddette, which carried the dignity of prelate, of which, by special indulgence from the pope, he was dispensed. In 1702, Pope Clement XII assigned him to Lorenzo Fieschi, archbishop of Avignon, nuncio extraordinary in France he returned to Rome in 1703. In 1706, he brought the red biretta to the new Cardinals Gianalberto Badoaro, patriarch of Venice, and Christian August von Sachsen-Zeitz, bishop of Györ, Hungary; he visited the most cultured cities of Germany, and also Poland; in Vienna, he addressed some serious matters assigned by the pope. Canon of the patriarchal Vatican basilica, October 6, 1707. Vice-legate in Romagna and president delle Acque delle Tre Legazioni, December 1713. Referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace, January 25, 1714. Governor of Iesi, April 26, 1717. Governor of Loreto, January 11, 1721. President of the Reverend Apostolic Chamber, October 27, 1726. Cleric of the Apostolic Chamber, April 30, 1728; as such, he was superintendent of Collescipoli and governor of Montone ca. 1731.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of October 1, 1732; received the red hat and the deaconry of S. Giorgio in Velabro, November 17, 1732. Legate in Ferrara, July 30, 1734; arrived in Ferrara, September 20, 1734; legation prorogated for a triennium, July 6, 1737. On May 21, 1738, he welcomed, as legate a latere, Maria Amalia, daughter of the duke of Saxony; she was traveling from Saxony to Naples for her marriage to King Carlo di Borbone. Participated in the conclave of 1740, which elected Pope Benedict XIV. In September 1740, he resigned the legation in Ferrara, which had been confirmed, and remained in Rome. Opted for the deaconry of S. Agata in Suburra, March 11, 1743. Participated in the conclave of 1758, which elected Pope Clement XIII. He was always diligent in the assistance to the poor and affable with all who dealt with him.

Death. August 21, 1760, Rome. Exposed in the basilica of Ss. XII Apostoli, of the Franciscans Conventual, Rome, where the funeral took place; and buried near the main altar in the Capuchin church of Santissima Concezione, Rome, according to his will; his tombstone is magnificently adorned and has an honorable inscription.

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1794, VIII, 259-260; Katterbach, Bruno. Referendarii utriusque Signaturæ a Martino V ad Clementem IX et Praelati Signaturae Supplicationum a Martino V ad Leonem XIII. Città del Vaticano 1931. (Studi e Testi 55), p. 340; Notizie per l'anno1763. In Roma MDCCLXIII : Nella Stamperia del Chracas, p. 130, no. 12; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recientoris Aevi. Volumen VI (1730-1799). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 6, 50 and 51; Seidler, Sabrina M.; Weber, Christoph. Päpste und Kardinäle in der Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts (1730-1777) : das biographische Werk des Patriziers von Lucca Bartolomeo Antonio Talenti. Frankfurt am Main ; New York : Peter Lang, 2007. (Beiträge zur Kirchen- und Kulturgeschichte, Bd. 18), p. 402-403; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), II, 64; Weber, Christoph. Legati e governatori dello Stato Pontificio : 1550-1809. Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, Ufficio centrale per i beni archivistici, 1994. (Pubblicazioni degli archivi di Stato. Sussidi; 7), pp. 254, 277, 282, 370 and 792.

Webgraphy. Biography by Maria Teresa Fattori, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 77 (2012), Treccani; his portrait and biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; his portrait, secolo XVIII (1740-1760), ambito romano, regione ecclesiastica Marche, diocei Pesaro, Beni Ecclesiastici in web (BeWeB); engravings, Araldica Vaticana; his tomb, Requiem Datenbank.

©1998-2018 Salvador Miranda.