Filippo Maria Visconti (bishop)

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Cathedral of Milan
Coat of armsFilippo Maria Visconti's coat of arms

Filippo Maria Visconti (1721–1801) was the

Archbishop of Milan
from 1784 to 1801.

Early life

Filippo Maria Visconti was born on 19 August 1721 in

Cathedral of Milan, of which in 1783 he was elected provost.[1] In force of this office he temporarily administered the diocese of Milan after the death of the Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli
in April 1783.

Archbishop of Milan

The Duchy of Milan was part of the

papacy
.

Accordingly, at the death of Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli, Joseph II decided to break with the century-old tradition and to choose directly the new archbishop. On 1 September 1783 he appointed as new

Cardinal
.

Visconti, who was of pleaser and feeble nature, was not able to oppose to the commands of the religious reforms of Joseph II: in particular he accepted the expropriation of the

confraternities, the new law on the marriages which moved them under the State's law and the broad reduction of jurisdiction of the ecclesiastic tribunals.[1]

With the death of Joseph II in 1790 the situation of the Church in Milan slowly improved, the seminaries were re-established, and Visconti re-published the Ambrosian Missal and issue a new text of Christian Doctrine.[3]

In 1793 he ordered to the clergy to sell even valuable religious objects in order to support the

parish priests, the prohibition of processions in the streets, the covering of religious images on the wall of the houses, the disband of most chapters and of many religious orders.[3]

A brief break occurred between 1799 and 1800 when the Austrians returned in Milan for a few months: Visconti openly rejoiced for the change of rulers who revoked some of the anticlerical measures. However Napoleon re-entered in Milan on 2 June 1800 and Visconti escaped temporally to Padua. Returned in Milan in November 1800, he made himself available to the Cisalpine Republic, which restored its repressive rules against the Church and against the religious sentiment of the population.[3]

In November 1801 Visconti was invited by

Napoleonic Italian Republic. On 30 December 1801 Filippo Maria Visconti died there while sitting to a formal banquet, and his remains were translated to Milan and buried in the North nave of the Cathedral of Milan.[4]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Filippo Maria Visconti.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 88-7023-102-X
    .
  2. ^ David Cheney. "Archbishop Filippo Maria Visconti". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 28 Oct 2012.
  3. ^
    ISBN 88-7030-891-X
    .
  4. ISBN 88-7023-154-2
    .
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