The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church - Biographical Dictionary

The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585)
Consistory of July 5, 1574 (II)

(2) 1. GUASTAVILLANI, Filippo (1541-1587)

Birth. September 28, 1541 (1), Bologna. Son of Angelo Michele Guastavillani and Giacoma Boncompagni. Bolognese patrician. Nephew of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585), on his mother's side. Cousin of Cardinal Filippo Boncompagni (1572).

Education.

Early life. Received the clerical tonsure in Bologna. Member of the Council of the Forty (senator), 1571-1576; after his promotion to the cardinalate, he resigned his post of senator in favor of his brother Girolamo. Gonfaloniero of Justice of Bologna.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of July 5, 1574; received the red hat and the deaconry of S. Maria Nuova, July 14, 1574. Opted for the deaonry of S. Maria in Cosmedin, November 8, 1577. Governor of Spoleto, 1578. Governor of Ancona from October 18, 1578; prorogated, May 3, 1581; again, March 27, 1585; and again, May 7, 1585. Protector of the S. Casa of Loreto, December 11, 1580 until his death. Abbot commendatario of Nonantola from 1582. Opted for the deaconry of S. Angelo in Pescheria, December 19, 1583. Participated in the conclave of 1585, in which Pope Sixtus V was elected. Govenor of Montis Castelli Tudertini, 1585. Opted for the deaconry of S. Eustachio, January 7, 1587. Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (2), May 14, 1584 until his death. Governor of Bologna and Ferrara.

Death. August 17, 1587, Rome. Buried in the basilica of Ss. XII Apostoli, Rome; transferred to Bologna the following year and buried in front of the main altar of the church of S. Francesco in that city (3).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, V, 154-155; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, 1737-1738; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, III, 45, and 81; 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. 115, 280, 386, and 718.

(1) This is according to Bartolomeo di Galeotti, Trattato degli huomini illustri di Bologna (Ferrara : Vittorio Baldini, 1590); his epitaph indicates that he died on "XVI Kal. Septembr." which is August 17, 1587 (including the day of the "kalenda" in the count) and if he lived 46 years, 10 months and 17 days, as the same epitaph says, he would have been born on October 31, 1540; and subtracting the 10-day difference between the Julian and the Gregorian calendars, his birth would have taken place on October 21, 1540.
(2) According to Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, V, 155, he purchased the office for 50,000 scudi. At the time, it was customary to purchase an office.
(3) This is the text of his epitaph taken from Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1737: M. M. Æ. PHILIPPO. VASTAVILLANO. S. R. E. CARD. CAMERARIO. GREGORII. XIII. PONT. MAX. SORORIS. FILIO. HIERONYMVS. FRATER. ANGELVS. MICHAEL. FRATRIS. FILIVS. EX. TESTAMENTO. POSVERVNT. VIXIT. ANNOS. XLVI. MENSES. X. DIES. XVII. OBIIT. XVI. KAL. SEPTEMBR. ANNO. SAL. MDLXXXVII.