Papal Gentlemen
Encyclopedia
The Papal Gentlemen, also called the Gentlemen of His Holiness, are the lay attendants of the pope
and his papal household in Vatican City
. They serve in the Apostolic Palace
near St. Peter's Basilica
. They are the Papal version of the traditional court position known as valet de chambre
(not the same as a modern valet
).
, many came from families that had long served the Papal Court
over the course of several centuries, while others were appointed as a high honor, one of the highest the Papacy conferred on Catholic laymen (often prominent politicians or wealthy philanthropists). They were originally selected from members of Italian royal and aristocratic families. Many of the current Papal Gentlemen come from families that have served the Popes for centuries. However, the rarely conferred title is now awarded to Catholic laymen throughout the world upon recommendation from bishops to the Pope.
From the days of Pope Leo I
(440–461) the pontifical household had included papal chamberlains who were personal attendants on the Pope in his private apartments. The number of papal chamberlains was never large, although their proximity to the Pope meant that many chamberlains would enjoy notable ecclesiastical careers and some were even promoted to the episcopacy. Their privileges were considerable. They ranked ex officio as Lateran
count
s, Knights of the Golden Spur (Order of the Golden Militia
), and nobles
of Rome and Avignon
. Prior to Vatican II they provided personal assistance to the Pope on formal state occasions as members of the Papal Court. They were required to serve for at least one week per year during official ceremonies, and took part in Papal processions behind the Sedia Gestatoria
, each wearing formal court dress and distinguished by a golden chain of office.
Traditionally, priests who were given the title of Papal Chamberlains were styled as "Very Reverend Monsignor", and the higher degrees as "Right Reverend Monsignor". Today, this title has been abolished for clergy. Their monsignoral titles
has been limited to three: Protonotary apostolic
, Prelate of Honor, and Chaplain of His Holiness
. All are styled simply "Reverend Monsignor".
In ecclesiastical heraldry
, laypersons so honored may display their coat of arms
surrounded with the golden chain of office.
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and his papal household in Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
. They serve in the Apostolic Palace
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
near 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...
. They are the Papal version of the traditional court position known as valet de chambre
Valet de chambre
Valet de chambre , or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
(not the same as a modern valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
).
Background
Formerly known as Papal Chamberlains of The Sword and Cape before the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
, many came from families that had long served the Papal Court
Papal court
The Papal Household or Pontifical Household , called until 1968 the Papal Court , consists of dignitaries who assist the Pope in carrying out particular ceremonies of either a religious or a civil character....
over the course of several centuries, while others were appointed as a high honor, one of the highest the Papacy conferred on Catholic laymen (often prominent politicians or wealthy philanthropists). They were originally selected from members of Italian royal and aristocratic families. Many of the current Papal Gentlemen come from families that have served the Popes for centuries. However, the rarely conferred title is now awarded to Catholic laymen throughout the world upon recommendation from bishops to the Pope.
From the days of Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I was pope from September 29, 440 to his death.He was an Italian aristocrat, and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452, persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy...
(440–461) the pontifical household had included papal chamberlains who were personal attendants on the Pope in his private apartments. The number of papal chamberlains was never large, although their proximity to the Pope meant that many chamberlains would enjoy notable ecclesiastical careers and some were even promoted to the episcopacy. Their privileges were considerable. They ranked ex officio as Lateran
Lateran Palace
The Lateran Palace , formally the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran , is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main Papal residence....
count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
s, Knights of the Golden Spur (Order of the Golden Militia
Order of the Golden Militia
The Order of the Golden Spur , also known as the Order of the Golden Militia, is a papal order of chivalry conferred upon those who have rendered distinguished service in propagating the Catholic faith, or who have contributed to the glory of the Church, either by feat of arms, by writings, or by...
), and nobles
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
of Rome and Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
. Prior to Vatican II they provided personal assistance to the Pope on formal state occasions as members of the Papal Court. They were required to serve for at least one week per year during official ceremonies, and took part in Papal processions behind the Sedia Gestatoria
Sedia gestatoria
The sedia gestatoria is a portable throne on which Popes were carried until 1978. It consists of a richly adorned, silk-covered armchair, fastened on a suppedaneum, on each side of which are two gilded rings; through these rings pass the long rods with which twelve footmen , in red uniforms, carry...
, each wearing formal court dress and distinguished by a golden chain of office.
Traditionally, priests who were given the title of Papal Chamberlains were styled as "Very Reverend Monsignor", and the higher degrees as "Right Reverend Monsignor". Today, this title has been abolished for clergy. Their monsignoral titles
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
has been limited to three: Protonotary apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...
, Prelate of Honor, and Chaplain of His Holiness
Chaplain of His Holiness
A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges, such as regards ecclesiastical dress....
. All are styled simply "Reverend Monsignor".
In ecclesiastical heraldry
Ecclesiastical heraldry
Ecclesiastical heraldry is the tradition of heraldry developed by Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and dioceses. It is most formalized within the Catholic Church, where most bishops, including the Pope, have a...
, laypersons so honored may display their coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
surrounded with the golden chain of office.
Notable Papal Chamberlains
- RaphaelRaphaelRaffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
- Marco MarazzoliMarco MarazzoliMarco Marazzoli was an Italian priest and composer.-Early life:Born at Parma, Marazzoli received early training as a priest, and was ordained around 1625. He moved to Rome in 1626, and entered the service of Cardinal Antonio Barberini...
- Christopher de PausChristopher de PausChristopher Tostrup Paus, from 1923 The Count of Paus, usually known as Christopher Paus was a Norwegian land owner, papal chamberlain and count, known as philanthropist, art collector and socialite in the late 19th and early 20th century...
- Franz von PapenFranz von PapenLieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
- Jan CzarnowskiJan CzarnowskiJan Franciszek Czarnowski was a Polish nobleman of Grabie coat of arms who was Papal chamberlain to Pope Pius XI, and head of the Polish Priory of the Order of the Knights of Malta. He was married to Helena Kalinowska, and owned the Rossocha estate, where he commissioned a palace, built by...
- Governor Al SmithAl SmithAlfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
- Hartwell de la Garde GrissellHartwell de la Garde GrissellHartwell de la Garde Grissell was born in 1839 as the son of Thomas Grissell, a prosperous public works contractor. He was educated at Harrow School and in 1859 matriculated to Oxford University as a commoner of Brasenose College....
- Count John McCormack
- Virgil C. DechantVirgil C. DechantVirgil C. Dechant was the twelfth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from January 21, 1977 to September 30, 2000....
- Francis Augustus MacNutt
- Marquis George MacDonald of New York