Pope Callixtus III

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eugene IV
Personal details
Born
Alfons de Borja

(1378-12-31)31 December 1378
Died6 August 1458(1458-08-06) (aged 79)
Rome, Papal States
Previous post(s)
EducationUniversity of Lleida
Coat of armsCallixtus III's coat of arms
Other popes named Callixtus
Papal styles of
Pope Callixtus III
His Holiness
Spoken styleYour Holiness
Religious styleHoly Father
Posthumous styleNone

Pope Callixtus III (Italian: Callisto III, Valencian: Calixt III, Spanish: Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia (Valencian: Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his death, in August 1458.

Borgia spent his early career as a professor of law at the

kings of Aragon. He became a tutor for King Alfonso V's illegitimate son Ferdinand. After arranging a reconciliation between Alfonso and Pope Martin V
, Borgia was made Bishop of Valencia.

In 1444,

. He is the last pope to date to take on the pontifical name "Callixtus".

Family

Alfonso de Borgia was born in La Torreta in 1378. La Torreta was at the time in the

Pope Alexander VI. His other sister Catalina became of the mother of Luis de Milà y de Borja
.

Alfonso was baptized at Saint Mary's Basilica in

Xativa, where he is honored with a statue in his memory.[2][3]

Early church career

Borgia studied grammar, logic and the arts in Valencia and went in 1392 to the

canonized Ferrer on 3 June 1455.[5]

Borgia was chosen as a delegate of the

Diocese of Lerida to the Council of Constance in 1416, but did not partake in the proceedings as King Alfonso V of Aragon
was opposed to the council. Because of this he went to Barcelona as a representative of his diocese in a synod. Borgia cared strongly for the reestablishment of the unity of the church and his influence with the Aragonese monarch was the factor that allowed for the conclusion of the accord between the king and the new pope.

In 1418, he was named as the rector of San Nicolas of Valencia. He was also the vice-chancellor of the University of Lleida from 1420 to 1423. In 1424, he resigned his position and dedicated his service to the Aragonese king. In 1424, he was named as the apostolic administrator of the see of Mallorca. It was at that time that the king desired that he be made a

Council of Basel
(1431–1439).

Episcopate and cardinalate

Cardinal Borgia

Borgia was appointed

consecrated on 31 August 1429. He authorized Pedro Llorens to take possession of the see in his name.[7] Borgia also tutored Alfonso V's illegitimate son Ferrante
.

papal conclave of 1447 that saw the election of Pope Nicholas V
. He was known for an austere and charitable life.

Borgia's coat of arms after he was consecrated featured a grazing ox. As pope it remained the same.

Pontificate

Borgia was elected

conclave of 8 April 1455. He took the pontifical name Callixtus III.[7] He was crowned on 20 April 1455 by Cardinal Protodeacon Prospero Colonna. After his coronation, he rode a white horse through the streets of the city and followed the ancient custom, known as Monte Giordano, where representatives of the Jews met with the pope and presented him with the roll of the law. Callixtus III then read from the law and stated "We ratify the law, but condemn your interpretation", which instigated a riot at the ceremony that endangered the pope's life.[8]

Not quite two years after the

Papal nuncios were dispatched to all the countries of Europe to beseech the princes to join once more in an effort to check the danger of a Turkish invasion. Missionaries were sent to England, France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and Aragon to preach the Crusade, and to engage the prayers of the faithful for the success of the enterprise. It was by order of Callixtus III that the bells were rung at midday to remind the faithful that they should pray for the welfare of the crusaders.[7]

The princes of Europe were slow in responding to the call of the pope, largely due to national rivalries. England and France's

noon bell) as a call to prayer for the welfare of those defending Belgrade. To commemorate this victory, Callixtus III ordered the Feast of the Transfiguration
to be held annually on 6 August.

A bull of Callixtus III

In 1456 the pope issued the

Henry the Navigator.[10]

Callixtus III ordered a

Osmund (1 January 1457), Albert of Trapani (15 October 1457), and Rose of Viterbo
(1457).

Callixtus III

Luis Julian de Milà
.

The pope approved of the establishment of the University of Greifswald in 1456.

According to one story that first appeared in a 1475 posthumous biography and was subsequently embellished and popularized by

excommunicated the 1456 appearance of Halley's Comet, believing it to be an ill omen for the Christian defenders of Belgrade from the besieging armies of the Ottoman Empire.[14] No known primary source supports the authenticity of this account. The 29 June 1456 papal bull of Callixtus III calling for a public prayer for the success of the crusade makes no mention of the comet. By 6 August, when the Turkish siege was broken, the comet had not been visible in either Europe or Turkey for several weeks.[15]

Death

Tomb of Callixtus III and Alexander VI in Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli.

Callixtus III died on 6 August 1458. His remains were transferred in 1586 and again in 1610 with the remains of his nephew Alexander VI to

Santa Maria in Monserrato. His remains were transferred once more on 21 August 1889 in the chapel of San Diego. In his will he left 5000 ducats
to establish a hospital.

Legacy

Catholic historian Ludwig von Pastor opined:

"Except for his nepotism, Calixtus III deserves high praise, more especially for the energy, constancy and purpose which he displayed in dealing with the burning question of the day – the protection of Western civilization from the Turkish power. In this matter he gave a grand example to Christendom, and it is to be observed that in the midst of the military and political interest which claimed so large a share of his time and attention, he did not neglect the internal affairs of the Church, and vigorously opposed heresies."[16]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ "Anna y Canals. Valencia". palomatorrijos (in Spanish). 12 June 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2014. ... En el siglo XIV se construyó junto a la torre, y aprovechando parte de sus murallas, un pequeño Palacio Gótico que era la sede de la baronía de La Torre, independiente de Canals, cuyos titulares eran los Borgia. En este lugar nació en 1378 Alfonso Borgia, el que fuera futuro papa Calixto III. ...'
  2. ^ Rolfe, p. 12
  3. ^ Statue of Pope Calixtus III,St. Mary's Basilica,La Seu Cathedral,Xàtiva,Valencia,Spain, Archived 20 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Rolfe, pp. 12–13
  5. ^ Reinhart, Albert (1912). St. Vincent Ferrer. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ McBrien, p. 260
  7. ^ a b c d "MacCaffrey, James. "Pope Callistus III." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 Jul. 2014".
  8. ^ Pastor, pp. 337-338
  9. ^ Pastor, p. 348
  10. ^ European treaties bearing on the history of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648, ed. Frances Gardiner Davenport, (Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1917), 27.
  11. ^ Castor, Helen (2015). Joan of Arc. HarperCollins. pp. 231, 241.
  12. ^ Miranda, Salvador. Consistories for the creation of Cardinals: 15th Century (1394-1503) Archived 12 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  13. ^ Montor, p. 190.
  14. OCLC 1017058
    .
  15. .
  16. ^ Pastor, pp. 479–480

Bibliography

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Nicholas V
Pope
8 April 1455 – 6 August 1458
Succeeded by
Pius II
Preceded by Bishop of Valencia
20 August 1429 – 8 April 1455
Succeeded by
Rodrigo de Borja
Preceded by
Louis de Luxembourg
Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati
12 July 1444 – 8 April 1458
Succeeded by
Luis Juan del Milà y Borja