Giordano Orsini
Encyclopedia
Giordano Orsini was an Italian cardinal who enjoyed an extensive career in the early fifteenth century. He was a member of the powerful Roman family of the Orsini.
. He was subsequently administrator of the see of Pécs
1409-10, and legate of Antipope John XXIII
in Spain
, Picenum
and Bologna
. Promoted to the suburbicarian see of Albano in 1412, he had a considerable role in the Council of Constance
, where he presided over the fifth session. He was the papal legate appointed to establish peace between England and France in 1418. Grand penitentiary from 1419. Legate of Pope Martin V
in Bohemia, Hungary and Germany in prosecution of the Hussites in 1426.
Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1428., he presided over the Papal conclave, 1431
. Orsini opted for the suburbicarian see of Sabina on March 14, 1431. As the legate of Pope Eugenius IV to open the Council of Basle, he defended the rights of Pope against the claims of conciliarist movement
. Archpriest of patriarchal Vatican Basilica from 1434 until his death. He is buried in a tomb in St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome
.
(1417-31), the Cardinal of Santa Sabina
, as he was called, became the center of an early circle of humanist
culture that included Leonardo Bruni
, Poggio Bracciolini, Leonardo Dati
and Lorenzo Valla
, who recalled how the scholars would gather, dressed in antique robes, to discuss topics of human conduct in Classical and Christian terms. This patron of artists and scholars assembled a library that comprised 244 manuscripts, which passed at his death intact to the Vatican Library
. His seat was the fortress-palazzo crowning "Monte Giordano", a small rise south-east of the Ponte Sant'Angelo
, which had been built in the twelfth century by the Roncioni, and had been converted and extended into a palatial complex by the Orsini.
Around 1430, Orsini built in the palazzo a sala teatri for his humanistic gatherings; it was the first permanent indoor theatre
built in the Renaissance. Its walls were painted with an audience of illustrious personages of history, painted full-length in a cavalcade, row upon row, three hundred figures by the time the frescoes were completed, winding their way down the walls. Such a grand scheme was beyond the powers of Roman painters, whose skills and workshops had diminished during the Avignon Papacy
, when the sources of patronage were removed from Rome. The Cardinal turned to the Florentine Masolino da Panicale
, currently at work in Rome. The young Paolo Uccello
also played a part in the enterprise.
The humanist circle disbanded when Giordano Orsini followed Pope Eugenius IV into voluntary exile from Rome in 1434. He spent the remainder of his life in Florence and northern Italy and never returned.
Biography
Orsini was Archbishop of Naples from 1400 until 1405, when he was made a Cardinal by Innocent VII. In 1408 he abandoned the "Roman Obedience" and attended the Council of PisaCouncil of Pisa
The Council of Pisa was an unrecognized ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in 1409 that attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing Benedict XIII and Gregory XII...
. He was subsequently administrator of the see of Pécs
Pécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
1409-10, and legate of Antipope John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Picenum
Picenum
Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was the birthplace of such notables as Pompey the Great and his father Pompeius Strabo. It was situated in what is now Marche...
and Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. Promoted to the suburbicarian see of Albano in 1412, he had a considerable role in the Council of Constance
Council of Constance
The Council of Constance is the 15th ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418. The council ended the Three-Popes Controversy, by deposing or accepting the resignation of the remaining Papal claimants and electing Pope Martin V.The Council also condemned and...
, where he presided over the fifth session. He was the papal legate appointed to establish peace between England and France in 1418. Grand penitentiary from 1419. Legate of Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
in Bohemia, Hungary and Germany in prosecution of the Hussites in 1426.
Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1428., he presided over the Papal conclave, 1431
Papal conclave, 1431
Papal conclave 1431 convened after the death of Pope Martin V, elected as his successor cardinal Gabriele Condulmer, who took the name Eugene IV. It was the first papal conclave held after the end of the Great Western Schism.-List of participants:Pope Martin V died on February 20, 1431...
. Orsini opted for the suburbicarian see of Sabina on March 14, 1431. As the legate of Pope Eugenius IV to open the Council of Basle, he defended the rights of Pope against the claims of conciliarist movement
Conciliarism
Conciliarism, or the conciliar movement, was a reform movement in the 14th, 15th and 16th century Roman Catholic Church which held that final authority in spiritual matters resided with the Roman Church as a corporation of Christians, embodied by a general church council, not with the pope...
. Archpriest of patriarchal Vatican Basilica from 1434 until his death. He is buried in a tomb in St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Patron of the arts
Orsini's status put him in a position to be a major patron of the arts, and during the pontificate of Martin VPope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
(1417-31), the Cardinal of Santa Sabina
Santa Sabina
The Basilica of Saint Sabina at the Aventine is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. Santa Sabina lies high on the Aventine Hill, beside the Tiber, close to the headquarters of theKnights of Malta....
, as he was called, became the center of an early circle of humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
culture that included Leonardo Bruni
Leonardo Bruni
Leonardo Bruni was an Italian humanist, historian and statesman. He has been called the first modern historian.-Biography:...
, Poggio Bracciolini, Leonardo Dati
Leonardo Dati
For other uses of the word Dati, see Dati .Leonardo Dati was an Italian friar and humanist. He was Master general of the Dominican Order from 1414 to his death....
and Lorenzo Valla
Lorenzo Valla
Lorenzo Valla was an Italian humanist, rhetorician, and educator. His family was from Piacenza; his father, Luciave della Valla, was a lawyer....
, who recalled how the scholars would gather, dressed in antique robes, to discuss topics of human conduct in Classical and Christian terms. This patron of artists and scholars assembled a library that comprised 244 manuscripts, which passed at his death intact to the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
. His seat was the fortress-palazzo crowning "Monte Giordano", a small rise south-east of the Ponte Sant'Angelo
Ponte Sant'Angelo
Ponte Sant'Angelo, once the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, meaning the Bridge of Hadrian, is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, to span the Tiber, from the city center to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant'Angelo...
, which had been built in the twelfth century by the Roncioni, and had been converted and extended into a palatial complex by the Orsini.
Around 1430, Orsini built in the palazzo a sala teatri for his humanistic gatherings; it was the first permanent indoor theatre
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
built in the Renaissance. Its walls were painted with an audience of illustrious personages of history, painted full-length in a cavalcade, row upon row, three hundred figures by the time the frescoes were completed, winding their way down the walls. Such a grand scheme was beyond the powers of Roman painters, whose skills and workshops had diminished during the Avignon Papacy
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
, when the sources of patronage were removed from Rome. The Cardinal turned to the Florentine Masolino da Panicale
Masolino da Panicale
Masolino da Panicale was an Italian painter. His best known works are probably his collaborations with Masaccio: Madonna with Child and St. Anne and the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel .-Biography:Masolino was born in Panicale...
, currently at work in Rome. The young Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello , born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian painter and a mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual perspective in art. Giorgio Vasari in his book Lives of the Artists wrote that Uccello was obsessed by his interest in perspective and would stay up all night in his...
also played a part in the enterprise.
The humanist circle disbanded when Giordano Orsini followed Pope Eugenius IV into voluntary exile from Rome in 1434. He spent the remainder of his life in Florence and northern Italy and never returned.