Riario, Raphael

Raphael was born into a poor family in Savona . He was the son of Antonio Sansoni and Violanta Riario, niece of Francesco della Rovere, who became Pope Sixtus IV in 1471 .

As a relative of the pontiff, Riario was elevated to the rank of Cardinal Deacon of San Giorgio in Velabro on December 10, 1477 and gained power over some dioceses ( Diocese of Cuenca , Diocese of Pisa , Diocese of Salamanca , Diocese of Trege and Diocese of Osma-Osma ) Then he was only sixteen years old, he studied canon law at the University of Pisa . Returning to Rome, in the spring of 1478, Riario stopped in Florence , where he witnessed the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici , organized by Pope Sixtus IV . Despite his innocence, Rafael was captured in one of the cathedral’s niches where the assassination attempted, and was arrested by the Florentine authorities because of his connections with the Pazzi family, with Uncle Girolamo Riario , the head of the plot, and Bishop Francesco Salviati . When the cardinal admitted that the conspirators acted on the orders of the pope, he was pardoned by Lorenzo Medici and released a few weeks later ^[3] . On June 22, 1478 he was formally recognized as a cardinal in Siena and four days later he was sent by the legate to Perugia .

By 1480, Riario was ordained a priest and received the rank of cardinal priest of the church of San Lorenzo in Damazo in Rome.

In 1484 , Riario was involved in a war that broke out between the Roman families of Orsini and Colonna , in vain attempts to secure the life of his friend Lorenzo Oddone Colonna, who was accused of killing one of the members of the Orsini clan and executed by order of Pope Sixtus IV . In 1488 , the new Pope Innocent VIII sent Cardinal Riario a legate to his maternal uncle, Girolamo Rario , the then ruler of Forlì and Imola , who rebelled against the Holy See. Meanwhile, the cardinal has already begun the construction of his palace next to the church of San Lorenzo in Damazo ( 1486 ).

It is said that in 1489, Franceschetto Chibo , the illegitimate son of Pope Innocent VIII , while spending time at the residence of Rafael Riario, lost 15 thousand ducats to his master in one night (according to other sources, 6 thousand scudos ) ^[2] . When dad asked the cardinal to return the money, the latter replied that, unfortunately, he had already involved them in the construction of the palace.

Like Cameria, Riario is usually praised for maintaining order in Rome after the death of Innocent VIII. He was a candidate for the papal tiara in the conclave of 1492 , but was excluded from the first round of voting because of his young age. In the end, Riario voted for Rodrigo Borgia ( Alexander VI ), who, in gratitude, awarded him the advantageous position of Bishop of Cartagena .

During the reign of Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503), Riario distinguished himself as a diplomat and adviser to the papal court. In 1493 , he was sent by the legate to Katerina Sforza , the widow of Girolamo Ríario, in order to convince her not to allow the French troops to pass through Forlì and Imola. Pope Julius II , a relative of Riario, but not always his ally, promoted him to the rank of Bishop of Ostia .

By 1513, Riario became one of the richest and most powerful people in Rome. He possessed tremendous wealth and was a serious contender for the pope's throne. However, his plans were interrupted by Giovanni Medici, elected pontiff under the name Leo X ^[2] .

In June 1517 , Cardinal Petrucci and others conspired against Pope Leo. Cardinal Riario refused to participate in the conspiracy, but in the end he found out about Petrucci’s intentions to kill his dad and did nothing to prevent this. Pope Leo was aware of the threat, arrested the conspirators and ordered them executed. The Medici did not forget Riario, since he was implicated in the Pazzi conspiracy . The cardinal was captured and imprisoned in the castle of the Holy Angel ; for release from him they demanded a fine of 50 thousand ducats. To save his head, the cardinal had to cede his palace to the pope, who placed it at the disposal of his cousin Giulio Medici . The latter, as vice chancellor of the Holy See, turned this building into a meeting place for the Apostolic Chancellery . Since then, the palace began to be called the Palazzo della Cancellaria ^[2] .

Rafael Riario died in Naples at the age of 60. His grave is located in the Roman church of Santi Apostoli .

The artistic preferences of Cardinal Riario, a lover of fine arts and especially sculpture , heralded the coming of the High Renaissance to Rome . Its giant residence, which shows the influence of Florentine architecture, was the first building in the new monumental style, which began to prevail in Rome under Pope Julius II . Riario is also credited with being one of the first to notice the talent of the young Michelangelo . In 1496, Sleeping Cupid was sold to him under the guise of an ancient monument: soon the esthetician discovered a forgery, but was so impressed with the quality of work that he invited Michelangelo to Rome, where he worked for the rest of his life.

As a rule, Rafael Riario is considered a typical prelate of his era: indifferent in religious matters; rather a statesman than religious; rather a philanthropist than a theologian.

He is a character in the film Borgia ^[4] , the series Borgia ^[5] .

• Pietro riario
• Palazzo della cancellaria

• Schaich Michael . Riario-Sansoni, Raffaelo. - 1994 .-- C. 162-166. - ISBN 3-88309-053-0 . (German)

• Raffaele Riario nell'Enciclopedia Treccani (Italian)
• Biography (Italian)
• Episcopal Lineage