Pope Benedict XIII

pope of the Catholic Church from 1724 to 1730

Pope Benedict XIII (Latin: Benedict Tertius Decimus; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini, later Friar Vincenzo Maria Orsini, O.P., was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 246th Pope from 1724 until his death in 1730.[1] He was the third and last member of the Orsini family to be a pope.[2]

Benedict XIII
Papacy began29 May 1724
Papacy ended21 February 1730
PredecessorPope Innocent XIII
SuccessorPope Clement XII
Personal details
Birth namePietro Francesco Orsini
Born(1649-02-02)2 February 1649
Gravina in Puglia
Died21 February 1730(1730-02-21) (aged 81)
Rome
Other popes named Benedict

Early life

change

He was born in Gravina in Puglia near Naples. He was the son of Ferdinando III Orsini, Duke of Gravina.[2]

In 1667, Orsini entered the Dominican Order. As a monk, his name was Vincent Maria.[3]

Cardinal

change

Pope Clement X raised the monk to the rank of Cardinal of San Sisto on 22 February 1672.[2]

In 1675, he was made Bishop of Manfredonia.[2]

In 1686, he was made Archbishop of Benevento.[4]

Cardinal Orsini was elected pope on May 28, 1724;[3] and he chose to be called Benedict XIII.[5]

Pope Benedict was involved in Italian and European political disputes.[2]

In 1727, he ordered construction of the famous Spanish Steps in Rome.

In 1729, the pope helped bring about the Treaty of Seville between Great Britain, France, and Spain.[6]

After his death

change

Benedict was buried in a tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva completed by Pietro Bracci and others.

change

References

change
 
The Coat of Arms of Benedict XIII
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-11-7.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Pope Benedict XI," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-7.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Chisholm, Hugh (1910). The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Encyclopedia Britannica Company. p. 718.
  4. The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1835. p. 215.
  5. Note on ordinal numbering: Popes Benedict XI–XVI are really the 10th–15th popes with that name. This is because Benedict X is now parsed as an antipope; but during the reign of Benedict XI, this was not recognized. The "true" or actual twelfth pope Benedict identified himself with the ordinal number XIII. In other words, the numbering of popes after the 10th Benedict needs to be explained -- compare Popes Boniface VIII–IX.
  6. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1918. p. 504.

Other websites

change

  Media related to Benedictus XIII at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Innocent XIII
Pope
1724–1730
Succeeded by
Clement XII