Tiberio Crispo was a cardinal-nephew

Cardinal-nephew

A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...

 of Pope Paul III

Pope Paul III

Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...

, raised to the cardinalate

College of Cardinals

The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...

 on December 19, 1544, and the bishop of Sessa Aurunca

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sessa Aurunca

The diocese of Sessa Aurunca is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in southern Italy. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Naples.-History:...

 (1565-1566). He was possibly an illegitimate son of Paul III; Costanza Farnese

Costanza Farnese

Costanza Farnese was a daughter of Alessandro Farnese and Silvia Ruffini, born before her father became Pope Paul III. Her siblings were Pier Luigi, Paul and Ranuccio. Costanza's own children included Guido Ascanio and her grandchildren included Costanza Sforza....

 and Ranuccio Farnese (d. 1529), the two undisputed legitimate children of Paul III, were born before his election as pope. Like other cardinal-nephews, Crispo was the castellan

Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...

 of Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...

.

Crispo was deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 of S. Agata de' Goti from 1545 to 1551 and continued to hold the deaconry pro illa vice until 1562.

As papal legate

Papal legate

A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....

 to Perugia

Perugia

Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....

, Crispo was a "driving force behind the architectural renewal of the city". For example, in 1547 Crispo commissioned Galeazzo Alessi

Galeazzo Alessi

Galeazzo Alessi was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the direction of Giovanni Battista Caporali.For a number of years he lived in Genoa...

 for the construction of Santa Maria del Popolo to replace a church demolished by the construction of the Via Nuova. He also commissioned a palace in Bolsena

Bolsena

Bolsena is a town and comune of Italy, in the province of Viterbo in northern Lazio on the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena. It is 10 km north-north west of Montefiascone and 36 km north-west of Viterbo...

 that bears his name, Palazzo di Tiberio Crispo

Palazzo Farnese (disambiguation)

Palazzo Farnese can refer to a series of edifices built by the Italian Farnese noble family:*Palazzo Farnese, Rome*Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola*Palazzo Farnese, Piacenza...

(also known as the Palazzo Crispo Marsciano or Palazzo Rondanini alla Rotonda), which was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger

thumb|250px|The church of Santa Maria di Loreto near the [[Trajan's Market]] in [[Rome]], considered Sangallo's masterwork.thumb|250px|View of St. Patrick's Well in [[Orvieto]]....

 circa 1543; after the death of Sangallo in 1546, Raffaello da Montelupo

Raffaello da Montelupo

Raffaello da Montelupo , born Raffaele Sinibaldi, was a sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and an apprentice of Michelangelo. He was the son of another Italian sculptor, Baccio da Montelupo...

 was called in to finish the palace, which remained incomplete, however, after the deaths of both Crispo and Raffaello in 1566.

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

Aldobrandini

The Aldobrandini are an Italian noble family from Florence, with close ties to the Vatican. Its Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name Pope Clement VIII. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili...

 family; Crispo likely commissioned the 400 square metres of frescos in the palace which celebrate the life of Paul III.

After the death of Paul III, Crispo participated in the conclaves

Papal conclave

A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...

 of 1549-1550 (administrator of Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, c. 35 km southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery...

 at the time), April 1555

Papal conclave, April 1555

Papal conclave of April 1555 was a papal conclave convoked after the death of Pope Julius III. Elected as his successor Cardinal Marcello Cervini, who took the name of Marcellus II, being the last pope in the history who retained his baptismal name.-List of participants:Pope Julius III died on...

 (administrator of Sessa Arunca and Amalfi at the time), May 1555

Papal conclave, May 1555

The papal conclave of 15 to 23 May 1555 was convened on the death of pope Marcellus II and elected pope Paul IV as his successor....

, 1559

Papal conclave, 1559

The papal conclave of 5 September to 25 December 1559 was convened on the death of pope Paul IV and elected pope Pius IV as his successor. Due to interference from secular rulers and the cardinals' disregard for their supposed isolation from the outside world, it was the longest conclave of the...

, 1565-1566 (bishop of Sabina

Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto

The Diocese of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto a suburbicarian see of the Holy Roman Church and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Since 1842 the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina also bears the title of Abbot of Farfa...

 at the time).

Research related to the life and patronage of Crispo is ongoing in historical archives in Rome (States Archives, Vatican Secret Archives

Vatican Secret Archives

The Vatican Secret Archives , located in Vatican City, is the central repository for all of the acts promulgated by the Holy See. The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, having primal incumbency until death, owns the archives until the next appointed Papal successor...

, 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...

) and Umbria

Umbria

Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...

 (States Archives of Foligno, Historical Diocesan Archives of Perugia

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve

The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve was historically the diocese of Perugia. It became the archdiocese of Perugia in 1882, but without suffragans. It acquired suffragan dioceses in 1972...

, States Archives of Perugia).