Borgia, Stefano
Borgia, Stefano
Cardinal, born at Velletri, 3 December, 1731; died at Lyons, 1804; Italian theologian, antiquarian, and historian. He belonged to a well known family of Velletri, not to be confounded with the Spanish Borgias or Borjas. [Ed. Note: The cardinal was, in fact, distantly related to the Spanish Borjas, who had emigrated to Italy from Jativa, Spain, in the twelfth or thirteenth century.] His early education was controlled by his uncle Allessandro (1682-1764), Archbishop of Fermo. From his youth, Stefano Borgia manifested a great aptitude for historical research, but his dominant trait was his extraordinary taste for relics of ancient civilizations, a line in which he succeeded so well that, at the age of nineteen, he was received into the Academy of Cortona. He founded a museum in Velletri, in which, during his whole life, he gathered coins and manuscripts, especially Coptic, and which may be considered as his greatest undertaking and achievement. Such was his passion for antiquities that he is known to have sold his jewels and precious earthenware in order to secure the coveted treasures and have the description of them printed. In his scientific career Borgia showed great disinterestedness, placing his collection at the disposal of learned men, regardless of creed and country, and giving them all possible encouragement and support. His amiable temperment and broad-minded character attracted to him all those with whom he came in contact; Paolinoda S. Bartolomeo, Adler, Zoega, Heeren, and many others were among his enthusiastic friends.
Borgia was not left, however, entirely to his chosen field of activity, but was called to fill several important political positions. Benedict XIV appointed him Governor of Benevento, and Borgia showed there great administrative talent. In 1770 he was made secretary of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide, an office of which he naturally took advantage to acquire antiquities by the help of the missionaries — a help, be it said to their credit, which proved always forthcoming. He was made a cardinal in 1789. In the troubled period of the French invasion Borgia was given charge of Rome by Pius VI (1797-98). After the proclamation of the Republic, he was arrested (1798), but quickly released, whereupon he immediately resumed his studies and work of collecting; soon afterwards he joined Pius VI at Vallencia, and endeavoured to have this pontiff send to Asia and Africa a body of missionaries who would preach the Gospel and gather various monuments.
Cardinal Borgia was of the greatest service to Pope Pius VII in the reorganization of the Pontifical States. In 1801 he was made Rector of the Collegium Romanum, and he was in the retinue of Pius VII when this pontiff went to France to crown the new emperor Napoleon. Having arrived at Lyons, Cardinal Borgia was taken ill and died. After his death his collection of Coptic manuscripts was divided: the non-Biblical manuscripts were taken to Naples and placed in the Biblioteca Barbonica, now the Biblioteca Nazional; and the Biblical manuscripts, excepting a few which were taken to Naples by mistake, given to the Propaganda, together with the collection of coins and monuments forming the Museo Borgiano (Cf. Ciasca, Fragmenta Copto-Sahidica, I, p.xvii.) Only a few years ago the manuscripts of the Museo Borgiano were transferred to the Vatican Library, where they are to be found today. Before the partition of the manuscripts was made the eminent scholar and convert, Zoega, wrote a complete and accurate description of them in his pothumous work “Catologus Codicum Copticorum manu scriptorum qui in Museo Borgiano Velitris adservantur” (Rome, 1810). Besides the many services which Cardinal Borgia rendered to science and scientists, he published several works bearing especially on historical topics: “Monumento di papa Giovanni XVI” (Rome, 1750); “Breve istoria dell antica città di Benevento” (ibid., 1763-69);”Vaticana confessio B. Petri chronoligcis testimoniis illustrata” (ibid., 1776); “De Cruce Vaticanâ” (ibid., 1779); “De Cruce Veliternâ” (ibid., 1780; “Istoria del dominio temporale della Sede Apostolica nelle Due-Sicilie” (ibid., 1788).
[Note: Cardinal Borgia’s body was transferred from the cathedral of Lyons to his hometown of Velletri on February 13, 2002, and buried in that cathedral on March 8, 2002.]
Paolino da S. Bartolomeo, Vitae Synopsis Steph. Borgiae (Rome, 1805); Cancellieri, Elogio del Card. Stefano Borgia (Rome, 1806).
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R. BUTIN Transcribed by Matthew Dean
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IICopyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Borgia, Stefano
an Italian prelate and theologian, was born at Velletri, Dec. 3, 1731. He early gave evidence of great talent, and received the first of his education from his uncle, archbishop of Fermo. He devoted himself especially to the study of antiquities, and at the age of nineteen was received at the academy of Cortona. He collected a Very rich museum of monuments, medals, manuscripts, etc. Benedict XIV appointed him governor of Benevento, and soon after he was made secretary of the Congregation of the Propagandists, or of foreign missions. Pius VI appointed him cardinal and general inspector of the Foundling Hospital, and he introduced important changes in its administration. He went to Venice to see the men of letters, then to Padua to found an academy, and finally to Valencia to organize a kind of Propagandist society; and was sent to Africa and Asia to bear the principles of religion, and to collect monuments. The pontifical government having been re-established at Rome, in 1800, the new poptiff, Pius VII, who found the, administration in disorder, placed Borgia at the head of the council, the labors of which included nearly all the material interests of the state. In 1801 he was appointed rector of the Roman College. Fatigued with his labors, and an advanced age, he accompanied his master to France to crown Bonaparte, but he was taken ill at Lyons, and died there, Nov. 23, 1804. His museum, rich especially in Egyptian and Indian monuments, was his chief possession. He had sold his jewels to obtain these monuments, and his plate to publish a description of them. They were, however, scarcely his property, but rather that of the learned of his country. Adler, Zaega, Gergi, Paulin of St. Bartholomew, Heeren, and many. others have profited by this collection, and have written concerning it. The manners of this cardinal were as gentle as his spirit was chaste. Among his principal works we notice, Monumento di Papa Giovanni XVI (Rome, 1750): Breve Istoria dell’ Antica Citta di Tadino nell’ Umbria (1751). An ancient map of the world in the museum of this cardinal, prepared by the cure of Camillus, Giovanni Paolo Borgia, nephew of the cardinal, is known in the history of geography under the name of the Mappe Monde du Cardinal Borgia (Encyclop. des Gens du M.). See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.