Tiberio Crispo

Tiberio Crispo (1498—October 10, 1566) was a cardinal-nephew of Pope Paul III, raised to the cardinalate on December 19, 1544, and the bishop of Sessa Aurunca (1565-1566). He was possibly a legitimate son of Paul III; Costanza Farnese and Ranuccio Farnese (d. 1529), the two undisputed legitimate children of Paul III, were born before his election as pope. [Miranda, Salvator. 1998. " [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1544.htm#Crispo Salvador Miranda: Consistory of December 19, 1544] ".] Like other cardinal-nephews, Crispo was the castellan of Castel Sant'Angelo. [Michelangelo, George Anthony Bull. 1999. "Life, Letters, and Poetry: Life, Letters, and Poetry". Oxford University Press. p. 169.]

Crispo was deacon of S. Agata de' Goti from 1545 to 1551 and continued to hold the deaconry "pro illa vice" until 1562. [Miranda, Salvador. 1998. " [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/deaconries-1.htm Deaconries] ".]

As papal legate to Perugia, Crispo was a "driving force behind the architectural renewal of the city". [Jane Turner. 2000. "Encyclopedia of Italian Renaissance & Mannerist Art", 2 volumes. Grove's Dictionaries. ISBN:0333760948. p. 30.] For example, in 1547 Crispo commissioned Galeazzo Alessi for the construction of Santa Maria del Popolo to replace a church demolished by the construction of the Via Nuova. [Adolf K. Placzek. 1982. "Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects". Collier Macmillan. ISBN:0029250005. p. 63.] [" [http://www.ktucitywalks.co.uk/228.html Santa Maria del Popolo (ca. 1547)] ".] He also commissioned a palace in Bolsena that bears his name, "Palazzo di Tiberio Crispo" (also known as the "Palazzo Crispo Marsciano" or "Palazzo Rondanini alla Rotonda"), which was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger circa 1543; [Michele D'Innella. "Umbria". ISBN:8836528376. p. 184.] after the death of Sangallo in 1546, Raffaello da Montelupo was called in to finish the palace, which remained incomplete, however, after the deaths of both Crispo and Raffaello in 1566. [The palace was bought incomplete by Ludovico Marsciano in 1582: " [http://www.ktucitywalks.co.uk/358.html Orvieto - Walk I] ".]

Historical research indicates that Crispo also likely owned the "Palazzo Nobile" in Rome, a palace originally commissioned for Thomas Cardinal Wolsey circa 1507 before passing to the Aldobrandini family; Crispo likely commissioned the 400 square metres of frescos in the palace which celebrate the life of Paul III.Guido Di Capua. " [http://www.crui.it/data/allegati/links/799/palazzo_rondanini_en.pdf "The Conservative Restoration Project for the Property on the First Floor of the 'Palazzo Nobile' at 48 Piazza Rondanini in Rome"] .]

After the death of Paul III, Crispo participated in the conclaves of 1549-1550 (administrator of Amalfi at the time), April 1555 (administrator of Sessa Arunca and Amalfi at the time), May 1555, 1559, 1565-1566 (bishop of Sabina at the time). [Miranda, Salvador. 1998. " [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/conclave-xvi.htm Conclaves of the XVI Century (1503-1592)] ".]

Research related to the life and patronage of Crispo is ongoing in historical archives in Rome (States Archives, Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican Library) and Umbria (States Archives of Foligno, Historical Diocesan Archives of Perugia, States Archives of Perugia). [Antonio Pinelli. " [http://www.ricercaitaliana.it/prin/unita_op_en-2005103700_001.htm Art and politics: public and private celebrations. Case studies, tipologies and comparisons.] ." "Ricerca Italiana".]

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