Stefano Borgia

Stefano Borgia ( born December 3, 1731 in Velletri, Italy, † November 23, 1804 in Lyon ) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church.

Life

Stefano Borgia was the second- born son of his parents Camillo Borgia (1681-1763) and Maddalena Gagliardi (1708-1778) at the age of nine, his uncle Alessandro Borgia (1682-1764), Archbishop of Fermo, entrusted to educate. In Fermo, he studied under the guidance of his uncle philosophy and theology. In 1752 he received his doctorate at the University of Fermo to the doctor of theology. The more education that would allow him a career in the Curia, Stefano Borgia graduated as a member of the Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici in Rome, where he in 1757 the church law studies with a doctorate completed.

First offices in the curia

The end of 1758 gave the newly elected Pope Clement XIII. the young prelate the office of governor of the papal enclave of Benevento, the Stefano Borgia took in 1759. During his five-year term Borgia proved to be successful management talent. He also began at this time to draft a three-volume history of the city of Benevento, the Memorie della Pontificia istoriche città di Benevento dal secolo VIII al secolo XVIII.

After the expiration of his term as governor in 1764, he returned to Rome, where he was secretary of the discharge and relics congregation was in October. This office gave him enough space to continue his historical studies. In the same year he received the ordination to the diaconate, on March 25, 1765, finally followed by the ordination.

Further progress was made in career Borgias at the Curia only under Clement XIV, who in 1770 appointed secretary in charge of the worldwide mission Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, now the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, appointed him. Until his Cardinal survey in 1789, Borgia continued in this office for an advanced mission policy. In addition he was an examiner for the area of ​​canon law at since 1771 the Congregation for Bishops Exam and 1776, he was one of the Consultors of the Congregation of the Index.

Cardinalate

With the elevation to cardinal on March 30, 1789 Borgia resigned from the Secretary Office of the Mission Congregation. On August 3, 1789 him the titular church of S. Clemente was made a cardinal priest. He was also a member of the Cardinal continue the mission congregation and five other congregations and was visitator and protector of the hospitals in Perugia, Viterbo, Todi, Spoleto and Narni since 1793. A herausgehobeneres Office received Borgia until 1795 when he became Prefect of the Congregation of the Index. Shortly before the occupation of Rome by French troops ( February 1798 ) Pius VI entrusted. Borgia along with two other cardinals with the administration of the city of Rome.

After the proclamation of the Roman Republic (15 February 1798) Cardinal Borgia had to leave the papal territories. He retired to Padua, where he is deputy prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda actually resolved (May 25, 1798 - September 27, 1800 ) tried to continue to maintain the organization of missionary activity. He also took part in the conclave in Venice, the. Following the death of Pius VI met.

Together with the Pope elected in Venice Pius VII returned Cardinal Borgia in July 1800 to Rome, where he was one of the protagonists of the first papal restoration. Borgia was now also the newly established Congregation degli Affari economici ago and was also appointed in 1802 to study at the Collegio Romano Prefect and Prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda.

In November 1804 he was one of the cardinals who were to accompany the Pope to the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte to Paris. But the 72 -year-old Borgia fell ill on the trip and died on 23 November 1804 of lung disease in Lyon.

Scholar, collector and patron

To a well-known figure in Europe Stefano Borgia was not so much inspired by his ecclesiastical offices, but rather as a scholar and collector, numerous studies and supported. An essential basis for this was Borgias extensive scholarly correspondence, which he used not only to exchange their own research projects and those of his correspondents, but also to expand the museum Borgianum in his parents' home in Velletri.

This museum had emerged from a small family collection of the Borgias, which consisted primarily of ancient finds from the environment and coins. As the founder applies Stefano Borgia's grandfather Clemente Erminio Borgia. But only at the instigation of the grandson, who also commanded as secretary of the Mission Congregation worldwide contacts, it evolved in the 1780s into Europe's famous Museum Borgianum, an ethno- antiquarian oriented private museum, which unlike many others of its time for interested scientists and was easily accessible to visitors.

Using contemporary descriptions can be the organizing principle of the Museum Borgianum understand: his historical objects were grouped into ten departments namely the Egyptian, Volscian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Indian (or Asian ), Arabic, Scandinavian, Mexican, and Christian. These pieces - ritual objects, coins, paintings, manuscripts, maps - were exhibited in the rooms of Palazzo Borgia in Velletri and stored, while the natural history collection as well as the contemporary Asian consumer goods such as a Chinese writing set in the casino of the Borgia family were housed. Outstanding both in scope and in the quality of the objects were the Egyptian, Arabic and Indian section of the museum. For the Mexican department included the Codex Borgia today called poblano - Mixtec manuscript.

But a few years after Borgias death, the museum was Borgianum by an inheritance dispute between the Borgia family and the missionary congregation as well as the financial need of the family in disarray. Today, his pieces are distributed to different Vatican, Roman and Neapolitan museums and libraries.

Selections

• Memorie della Pontificia istoriche città di Benevento dal secolo VIII al secolo XVIII. ; divise in tre parti / raccolte ed illustrate da Stefano Borgia, Roma 1763, 1764, in 1769.
• De cruce Vaticana ex dono Iustini Augustí Parasceve majoris hebdomadæ publicae venerationi exhiberi solita commentarius. Cui accedit rite salutationis Crucis in Ecclesia Antiochena Syrorum servatus, nunc primum syriace & latine editus, adnotationibusque inlustratus auctore S. Borgia, Romae, 1779.
• Commentarius de Cruce Veliterna, Romae in 1780.
• Breve Istoria del Dominio della Sede Apostolica Temporal nelle due Sicilie; descritta in tre libri, Roma, 1788.
• Difesa del dominio della Sede Apostolica temporal nelle Two Sicilies: in risposta all Scritture pubblicate in contrario, Roma 1791.