Ascanio Filomarino

Ascanio Filomarino (1583 - november 3 1666) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, who was Archbishop of Naples from 1641 to 1666.

Biography

He was born in Naples of the noble family of the dukes Della Torre. Eldest of the five sons of Claudio Filomarino and Porzia di Leonessa, he obtained a doctorate of law in Benevento and became an ordained Cardinal priest in 1641. He participated in the conclaves of 1644 and 1655.

Filomarino is of particular interest in the history of Naples since he was cardinal during two especially turbulent periods: Masaniello's revolt in 1645 and the severe plague epidemic of 1656.

Filomarino's role in the revolt of 1647 was one of mediation between the rebels and the government. He was outspoken in his opposition to increasing taxation in the Spanish vicerealm of Naples, monies that the Spanish needed to pay for their part in the Thirty Years War. He was a focal point for the people against the overbearing Spanish throne and was trusted by the rebel Masaniello as well as by Giulio Genoino, the apparent real political strategist behind the revolt. As cardinal, however, he was part of the establishment and could approach the government; thus, he was in an ideal position to mediate.

Filomarino certainly was aware of popular discontent in Naples and warned the Pope that the masses were "boiling". [ See Filomarino to Innocent X, 8 July 1647 in "Sette lettere del cardinal Filomarino al papa", ed. Palermo, p. 381. Cited in Burke. P. 7 ] Some sources [di Rose, p 55, citing "Storia di Napoli" by Antonio Ghirelli (1973), ] claim that Filomarino was primarily interested in reducing the power of the large landed Spanish noble class in favor of the growing, but overtaxed, merchant middle class in Naples. Further—so the claim—when Filomarino had used Masaniello to that end, he (Filomarino) arranged to have the rebel delivered into the hands of captors, where he was murdered. Such a claim is impossible to substantiate.

There are a number of anecdotes about Filomarino. One is that during the plague of 1656, he ordered the churches to care for the stricken, yet apparently was among the first to seek refuge in the monastery of San Martino. [Renzi, Napoli, p. 62. Cited in di Rose, p. 55 ] . Another was that he had to be reminded by Rome that the sacred relics of San Gennaro (Saint Januarius), patron saint of the city, were not his own personal property and that he was not authorized to claim, as he had, that "…the relics are mine…", nor authorized to remove them from the premises of the Cathedral of Naples for the purpose of soliciting miraculous cures in private homes. [di Rose]

Cardinal Filomarino died on November 3, 1666, and is buried in the cathedral of Naples.

References

*cite journal
last = Burke
first = Peter
title = The Virgin of the Carmine and the Revolt of Masaniello
journal = Past and Present
volume =
issue = 99
pages = 3–21
date = May, 1983
id= ISSN 0031-2746
*cite book
last = di Rose
first = Aurelio
title = I Palazzi di Napoli
date = 2001
publisher = Newton & Compton editori
place = Rome
id = ISBN 88-8289-637-4
*cite book
last = Renzi
first = Salvatore
title = Napoli nell'anno 1656
date = 1968
publisher =
place = Rome
id =
*cite journal
last = Villari
first = Rosario
title = Masaniello: Contemporary and Recent Interpretations
journal = Past and Present
volume =
issue = 108
pages = 117–132
date = August, 1985
id= ISSN 0031-2746

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1641.htm The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]