Birth. April 3, 1703, Barcelona, Spain. From an aristocratic family related to the House of Austria. Tenth of the eleven children of Juan Antonio de Boxadors y de Pinós, count of Savallá and Peralada, and his first wife, Dionisia de Sureda de San Martín. The other siblings were María Teresa, María Gracia, Bernat Antonio, Josep, five children who died in infancy, and Josefa. He had a half-sister, Maria Antonia, from his father's second wife, Xaviera von Berg. His first name is also listed as Ioannes Thomas; and as Joan-Tomas; and his last name as Boixadors; and as Boxadors y Sureda de San Martín.

Education. Following his father's wishes, he first studied Humanities (1717-1719) in the convent of the Dominican friars of Barcelona; then, from 1719 to 1724, studied theology in Colegio de San Vicente y San Raimundo in that same city; later, he went to Louvain, where in 1728 or 1729 he graduated from both canon and civil law.

Early life. Member of the Academy of Literature (Acadèmia de Bones Lletres) of Barcelona, 1729. Attracted by the military tradition of his family, he enlisted in the Austrian imperial army and soon, because of his merits and his paternal influence, occupied high positions and gained the favor of Emperor Charles VI, who in 1732 named him counselor aulic for Italy. A sudden religious vocation made him abandon his military career and enter the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1734. He received the religious habit on June 3, 1734 from the Father General of the Order, Catalonian Father Tomás Ripoll; he did his religious profession in Perugia on January 25, 1735, although he remained ascribed to the Convent of Santa Catalina of Barcelona.

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Ascribed to the Dominican convent of Santa Catalina, Barcelona. In 1742, he was named to occupy the cathedra of theology of the Casanatense, which, in spite being annexed to Santa Maria sopra Minerva, was different from it. On April 30, 1746, he was elected provincial of Aragón, seemingly to try to resolve a disagreement between factions in the Order; he went to Spain in 1747 and completed his triennial mandate in 1749. In 1751, he returned to Rome as theologian casanatense (which is not the same as professor of the theology of the Casanatense). In 1752, he was named socius (assistant) of the Master General of the Order for the provinces of Spain with the title of Proviincial of the Holy Land. He was master general of the Order of Preachers from July 1756 to May 1777.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of November 13, 1775; received the red hat on November 16, 1775; and the title of S. Sisto, December 18, 1775. Granted a dispensation to continue as master general after having been created cardinal, November 24, 1775. Ascribed to the SS. CC. of the Holy Office, Examination of Bishops and Index. Protector of the Order of Preachers, November 15, 1780.

Death. December 16, 1780, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, where the funeral took place; his body was privately transferred to and buried in his title, S. Sisto (1).

Bibliography. Moroni, Gaetano. Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni. 103 vols. in 53. Venezia : Tipografia Emiliana, 1840-1861, VI, 82-83; 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. 31 and 49; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), V, 107.