The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
Pope Leo XII (1823-1829)
Consistory of December 15, 1828 (VIII)


(24) 1. GAMBERINI, Antonio Domenico (1760-1841)

Birth. October 31, 1760, Imola. Of a patrician family. Son of Count Giovanni Agostino Gamberini (ca.1730-1797), a lawyer, governor of Fontana (1779-1780), created count (1792), and Margherita Zappi. His first name is also listed as Anton.

Education. Initial studies in Imola where he also received the first juridical formation from his father; Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles, Rome, 1782-1791; Collegio dei Protonotari, Rome (doctorate in utroque iuris, March 21, 1784). Completed his legal formation as ajutante di studio of Niccola Acciaiuoli, auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota for Ferrara.

Early life. He returned to Imola in 1798. During the French occupation of Rome, he established himself as a lawyer until the restoration of the papal government. In 1814, he became civil assessor of Forlì. He entered the Roman prelature and was named domestic prelate on May 5, 1818 and referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace on May 7, 1818. Named auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota for Ferrara on November 19, 1818; confirmed by motu proprio of December 4, 1818; admitted to the tribunal on June 25, 1819; he started his functions on July 8, 1819. Relator of the S.C. of Ecclesiastical Immunity, March 28, 1822. Secretary of the SS.CC. of the Tridentine Council and of the Residence of Bishops, March 10, 1823; to occupy these posts, he had to resign as auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota. Named canon of the patriarchal Vatican basilica by Pope Leo XII. Examiner of bishops in canon law, November 7, 1823. Member of the commission of jurisconsults charged with the revision of the motu proprio of July 6, 1816, December 9, 1826. Judge of the extraordinary apostolic visitation ordered by the pope for the Holy Year on March 31, 1824.

Priesthood. Ordained, February 29, 1824.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Orvieto, December 19, 1825. Consecrated, January 15, 1826, Rome, by Cardinal Pietro Francesco Galleffi, bishop of Albano and camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, assisted by Giuseppe della Porta Rodiani, titular Latin patriarch of Constantinople and vicegerent of Rome, and by Filippo Filonardi, titular archbishop of Atene and papal almoner.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of December 15, 1828; received the red hat, December 28, 1828; and the title of S. Prassede, May 21, 1829. Participated in the conclave of 1829, which elected Pope Pius VIII. Participated in the conclave of 1830-1831, which elected Pope Gregory XVI. After the division of the Secretariat of State into two sections on February 20, 1833, Pope Gregory XVI named him secretary of State for internal affairs as well as prefect of the Sacred Consulta, of the S.C. Lauretana, and the military and sanitary congregations on March 13, 1833. Resigned pastoral government of the diocese, April 13, 1833. Opted for the order of bishops and the suburbicarian see of Sabina, February 18, 1839; he retained in commendam the title of S. Prassede until his death. He resigned his post in the Secretariat of State due to bad health in 1840. Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Justice, December 22, 1840. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, March 1, 1841 until his death.

Death. April 25, 1841, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Marcello, Rome, and buried in the church of S. Prassede, Rome (1).

Bibliography. Boutry, Philippe Souverain et Pontife : recherches prosopographiques sur la curie romaine à l'âge de la restauration, 1814-1846. Rome : Ecole française de Rome, 2002, pp. 390-391; LeBlanc, Jean. Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les pontificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, Grégoire XVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903. Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007. (Collection Gratianus. Série instruments de recherche), p. 386-387; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 21, 39, 44, 50 and 383.

Webgraphy. Biography by Giuseppe Monsagrati, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 52 (1999), Treccani; his engraving and biography, in French, Wikipédia; his portrait, ambito umbro, secolo XIX (1825-1849), regione ecclesiastica Umbria, diocesi Orvieto-Todi, Beni Ecclesiastici in web (BeWeB); his portrait, ambito umbro, secolo XIX (1825-1849), regione ecclesiastica Umbria, diocesi Orvieto-Todi, Beni Ecclesiastici in web (BeWeB); his chalice by Antonio Cappelletti, bottega romana, secolo XIX (1821-1841), regione ecclesiastica Romagna, diocesi Imola, Beni Ecclesiastici in web (BeWeB); his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) This is the text of the inscription on his tomb, kindly provided by Mr. Eman Bonnici, from Malta:

MEMORIAE
ANTONII.DOMINICI.GAMBERINI.
DOMO.FORO.CORN.PATRICIA.NOBILITATE.
IVRISPRVDENTIAE.LAVDE.ET.NOMINIS.FAMA.
APVD.SVOS.EXTEROSQVE.CLARISSIMI.
XII.VIR.LITIBVS.IVDICANDIS.
AB.ACTIS.SACRI.CONSILII.TRIDENTINIS.DECRETIS.INTERPRETANDIS.
IVDICIS.EPISCOPIS.PROBANDIS.
PONTIFICIS.VRBIVENT.PATRIS.CARDINALIS.
A.NEGOTIIS.PVBLICIS.INTERIOR.
GREGORII.XVI.PONT.MAX.
PONTIFICIS.SABIN.
PRAEFECTI.SACRI.CONSILII.IVDICIBVS.ADSIGNANDIS
VIXIT.AN.LXXX.M.V.D.XXV.
DEC.VII.KAL.MAI.AN.MDCCCXLI.
CONDITVS.HEIC.EST.IN.TEMPLO.TITVLI.SVI.
ANTONIVS.DOMINICVS.GAMBERINI.COM.
EQ.GREGORIANVS.SECVNDI.ORD.
HERES.FIDEI.COMMISSARIVS.
AVVNCVLO.BEMERENTI.POS.

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(25) 2. MARCO Y CATALÁN, Juan Francisco (1771-1841)

Birth. October 24, 1771, Bello, diocese of Zaragoza, Spain. Fifth child of Joaquín José Marco y Lario Infanzón (1737-1812) and Joaquina Catalán Pérez. Nephew of Juan Francisco Marco y Lario (+1806), inquisitor of Sevilla and Zaragoza.

Education. University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law).

Early life. Professor of the chair of decreto de Graciano and librarian of the Faculty of Law of the University of Zaragoza. The cathedral chapter of Zaragoza named him professor of canon law in the Spanish Collegio of Bologna, 1797. After the first restoration of the papal government, he became professor of the same discipline at the University of Bologna. Returned to Spain in 1803.

Priesthood. Ordained, after 1803. Member of the episcopal administration of the diocese of Plasencia in 1805; and later, in 1813, of Zaragoza. Archpriest of the cathedral chapter of Zaragoza, 1814. Named by King Fernando VII auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota, 1816; named by motu proprio of January 10, 1817, auditor for Aragón; admitted to the tribunal on January 13, 1817; he took over his functions on July 7, 1817 and his oath on July 27, 1817. Named domestic prelate of His Holiness, January 10, 1817. Pope Leo XII named him member of the commission of jurisconsults charged with the revision of the motu proprio of July 6, 1816 on December 9, 1823. Governor of Rome and vice-camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, October 3, 1826 until December 15, 1828. In 1826, he declined to become part of the Consejo de Familia instituted by King Fernando VII.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of December 15, 1828; received the red hat, December 28, 1828; and the deaconry of S. Agata alla Suburra, May 21, 1829. Participated in the conclave of 1829, which elected Pope Pius VIII. Participated in the conclave of 1830-1831, which elected Pope Gregory XVI; on January 6, 1831, he presented in the name of the Spanish king the exclusion against the election of Cardinal Giacomo Giustiniani. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, February 28, 1831 to February 24, 1832. In 1833, King Fernando VII named him in his testament president of the Council of Regency during the minority of his daughter Isabel, future Queen Isabel II, but the cardinal remained in Rome. Two volumes with the cardinal's decisions in the Rota were published by the lawyer Nicola Salvadori.

Death. March 16, 1841, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, and buried in his deaconry.

Bibliography. Boutry, Philippe Souverain et Pontife : recherches prosopographiques sur la curie romaine à l'âge de la restauration, 1814-1846. Rome : Ecole française de Rome, 2002, p. 416; Del Re, Niccolò. Monsignor governatore di Roma. Rome : Istituto di Studi Romani Editore, 1972, p. 124; LeBlanc, Jean. Dictionnaire biographique des cardinaux du XIXe siècle : contribution à l'histoire du Sacré Collège sous les pontificats de Pie VII, Léon XII, Pie VIII, Grégoire XVI, Pie IX et Léon XIII, 1800-1903. Montréal : Wilson & Lafleur, 2007. (Collection Gratianus. Série instruments de recherche), p. 581-582; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 21, 45 and 50.

Webgraphy. Biography by Vicente Cárcel Ortí, in Spanish, Diccionario Biográfico Español; his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

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ASCENSI, O.C.D., Timoteo Maria (1750-1828)

Birth. April 7, 1750, Contigliano, diocese of Rieti.

Education. Entered the Order of the Carmelites Discalced; changed his baptismal name, Antonio, to Timoteo Maria; professed in the Roman province of the order.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 6, 1773. In his order, professor of theology in the Studium Generale, Traspontina, Rome; perpetual definitor of the Roman province, December 29, 1787; master of theology; prior general, January 1807; professor of moral theology, La Sapienza, Rome, 1807, and in the Seminary of Rieti; apostolic visitor. After the Papal States were annexed by Napoleon in 1809, he refused to swear obedience together with other superiors general and they were imprisoned in the Castle of Sant'Angelo, Rome, and later deported to Paris. He was exiled to Vouziers; under great and prolonged pressure he signed a version of the oath of loyalty he thought had been approved by Pope Pius VII and was allowed to return to Italy. When he found out that the formula he had sworn had not been accepted by the pope, he publicly retracted in Rome in 1812.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Rieti, May 24, 1824. Consecrated, May 27, 1824, Rome, by Cardinal Giacinto Placido Zurla, O.S.B.Cam. Resigned pastoral government of the diocese, April 24, 1827. Transferred to the see of Osimo e Cingoli, May 21, 1827.

Cardinalate. He was going to be created cardinal in the consistory of December 15, 1828 but died before its celebration.

Death. December 6, 1828, Osimo, of an apoplexy. Exposed and buried (no information found).

Bibliography. Del Re, Niccolò. Monsignor governatore di Roma. Rome : Istituto di Studi Romani Editore, 1972, p. 124; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 98 and 319.

Webgraphy. Biography, in German, Wikipedia; biography, in French, Wikipedia.

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