Everything about Pope Sixtus V totally explained
Pope Sixtus V (
December 13,
1521 –
August 27,
1590), born
Felice Peretti di Montalto, was
Pope from
1585 to
1590.
Biography
Felice Peretti was born at
Grottammare, in the
Marche, son of Piergentile di Giacomo, nicknamed "Peretto", and Marianna da Frontillo. He took the surname "Peretti" in 1551 and was more generally known as "di Montalto". He was reared in poverty. His father was a
gardener and it's said of Felice that, when a boy, he was a
swineherd.
According to
Andrija Zmajević's chronicle, his father originated from the
Bay of Kotor (modern-day
Montenegro) and was born in
Bjelske Kruševice, a village near
Bijela, into the Šišić family, possibly called Slavjan. The theory that he comes from the Svilanović family is unfounded. As a child, he served in a Catholic monastery in
Kotor, where he converted from
Serbian Orthodoxy to
Roman Catholicism and was subsequently taken to
Italy by an Italian friar. He settled in
Ancona, where he married and had Felice Peretti (
Srećko Perić in modern
Serbo-Croat). Not much else is recorded about Peretti's father, but when Felice eventually became Pope Sixtus V, he rebuilt the church of
Saint Jerome in
Rome (finished in
1589), to be used specifically for the people who spoke the
Illyrian language. He also established a college of eleven
Slavonic clerics in his
papal bull Sapientiam Sanctorum of
August 1,
1589. This was later transformed into the
Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome.
At an early age he entered a
Franciscan monastery at
Montalto delle Marche and was known as Felice di Montalto. He soon gave evidence of rare ability as a
preacher and a
dialectician. About
1552 he was noticed by
Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi (1500–64), protector of his order, Ghislieri (later
Pope Pius V) and Caraffa (later
Pope Paul IV), and from that time his advancement was assured. He was sent to
Venice as
inquisitor general, but was so severe and carried matters with such a high hand that he became embroiled in quarrels. The government asked for his recall in
1560.
After a brief term as
procurator of his order, he was attached to the Spanish legation headed by Ugo Boncampagni (later
Pope Gregory XIII) in
1565, which was sent to investigate a charge of
heresy levelled against Archbishop Bartolome Carranza of Toledo. The violent dislike he conceived for Boncampagni exerted a marked influence upon his subsequent actions. He hurried back to
Rome upon the accession of Pius V (1566–72), who made him
apostolic vicar of his order, and, later (
1570),
cardinal.
During the pontificate of his political enemy Gregory XIII (1572–85) the Cardinal Montalto, as he was generally called, lived in enforced retirement, occupied with the care of his property, the Villa Montalto, erected by
Domenico Fontana close to his beloved church on the
Esquiline Hill, overlooking the
Baths of Diocletian. The first phase (1576–80) was enlarged after Peretti became pope and could clear buildings to open four new streets in
1585–
1586. The villa contained two residences, the
Palazzo Sistino or "di Termini" ("of the Baths") and the casino, called the
Palazzetto Montalto e Felice. Displaced Romans were furious. The decision to build the central pontifical railroad station (begun in 1869) in the area of the Villa marked the beginning of its destruction.
The Cardinal Montalto's other concern was with his studies, one of the fruits of which was an edition of the works of
Ambrose; not neglecting, however, to follow the course of affairs, but carefully avoiding every occasion of offence. This discreetness contributed not a little to Sixtus V's election to the papacy on
April 24,
1585; but the story of his having feigned decrepitude in the conclave, in order to win votes, is a pure invention. One of the things that commended his candidacy to certain Cardinals was his physical vigour, which seemed to promise a long pontificate.
The terrible condition in which Pope Gregory XIII had left the ecclesiastical states called for prompt and stern measures. Against the prevailing lawlessness Sixtus V proceeded with an almost ferocious severity, which only extreme necessity could justify. Thousands of brigands were brought to justice: within a short time the country was again quiet and safe. Next Sixtus V set to work to repair the finances. By the sale of offices, the establishment of new "Monti" and by levying new taxes, he accumulated a vast surplus, which he stored up against certain specified emergencies, such as a
crusade or the defence of the
Holy See. Sixtus V prided himself upon his hoard, but the method by which it had been amassed was financially unsound: some of the taxes proved ruinous, and the withdrawal of so much money from circulation couldn't fail to cause distress.
Immense sums, however, were spent upon public works, in carrying through the comprehensive planning that had come to fruition during his retirement, bringing water to the waterless hills in the
Acqua Felice that commemorates his baptismal name, laying out new arteries in Rome, which connected the great basilicas, even setting his engineer-architect Domenico Fontana to replan the
Colisseum as a silk-spinning factory housing its workers. The Pope set no limit to his plans; and what he achieved in his short pontificate, carried through always at top speed, is almost incredible; the completion of the dome of
St. Peter's; the
loggia of Sixtus in the
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano; the chapel of the Praesepe in
Santa Maria Maggiore; additions or repairs to the
Quirinal,
Lateran and
Vatican palaces; the erection of four
obelisks, including that in
St Peter's Square; the opening of six streets; the restoration of the
aqueduct of
Septimius Severus ("Acqua Felice"); the integration of the
Leonine City in Rome as XIV
rione (
Borgo); besides numerous roads and bridges, an attempt to drain the
Pontine Marshes, and the encouragement of agriculture and manufacture.
But Sixtus V had no appreciation of antiquities, which were employed as raw material to serve his urbanistic and Christianising programs:
Trajan's Column and the
Column of Marcus Aurelius (at the time misidentified as the
Column of Antoninus Pius) were made to serve as pedestals for the statues of SS Peter and Paul; the
Minerva of the
Capitol was converted into an emblem of
Christian Rome; the
Septizonium of
Septimius Severus was demolished for its building materials.
Church administration
The subsequent administrative system of the Church owed much to Sixtus V. He limited the
College of Cardinals to seventy; and doubled the number of the congregations, and enlarged their functions, assigning to them the principal role in the transaction of business (
1588). He regarded the
Jesuits with disfavour and suspicion. He meditated radical changes in their constitution, but death prevented the execution of his purpose. In
1589 was begun a revision of the
Vulgate, the so-called
Editio Sixtina.
Foreign relations
In his larger political relations, however, Sixtus V showed himself visionary and vacillating. He entertained fantastic ambitions, such as the annihilation of the
Turks, the conquest of
Egypt, the transporting of the
Holy Sepulchre to Italy, and the accession of his nephew to the throne of
France. The situation in which he found himself was embarrassing: he couldn't countenance the designs of heretical princes, and yet he mistrusted
Philip II of Spain (1556–98) and viewed with apprehension any extension of his power.
Sixtus V agreed to renew the
excommunication of Queen
Elizabeth I of England (1558–1603), and to grant a large subsidy to the
Armada of King Philip II, but, knowing the slowness of Spain, would give nothing till the expedition should actually land in
England. In this way he was saved his million crowns, and spared the reproach of having taken futile proceedings against what Roman Catholics viewed as the heretic Queen. This excommunication which Catholics of the day considered richly deserved, and there's extant a proclamation to justify it, which was to have been published in England if the invasion had been successful. It was signed by Cardinal Allen, and is entitled "
An Admonition to the Nobility and Laity of England". It was intended to comprise all that could be said against Queen Elizabeth I, and the indictment is therefore fuller and more forcible than any other put forward by the religious exiles, who were generally very reticent in their complaints. Allen also carefully consigned his publication to the fire, and we only know of it through one of Elizabeth's ubiquitous spies, who had previously stolen a copy.
Sixtus V excommunicated
Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV of France), and contributed to the
Catholic League, but he chafed under his forced alliance with Philip II, and looked for escape. The victories of Henry and the prospect of his conversion to
Catholicism raised Sixtus V's hopes, and in corresponding degree determined Philip II to tighten his grip upon his wavering ally. The Pope's negotiations with Henry's representative evoked a bitter and menacing protest and a categorical demand for the performance of promises. Sixtus V took refuge in evasion, and temporized until death relieved him of the necessity of coming to a decision (
August 27, 1590).
Summation
On his death bed his subjects loathed Sixtus V, but history has recognized him as one of the great figures of the
Counter Reformation. On the negative he could be impulsive, obstinate, severe, and autocratic. On the positive he was open to large ideas and threw himself into his undertakings with a lot of energy as well as determination. This often led to success. His reign saw great enterprises and large achievements.
The changes wrought by Sixtus V on the streetscape of Rome were documented in the film, "Rome: Impact of an Idea", featuring
Edmund N. Bacon and based on sections of his book
Design of Cities.Further Information
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