Preceded by Clement XII |
247th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church 17 August 1740 – 3 May 1758 |
Succeeded by Clement XIII |
Better known as Pope Benedict XIV.
Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini was born to Marcello Lambertini and Lucrezia Bulgarini on 31 March 1675 at Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Papal States.
He was ordained a priest on 2 July 1724 and consecrated a bishop on 16 July 1724 by Pope Benedict XIII. He was created a cardinal (in pectore) on 9 December 1726 and revealed as cardinal on 30 April 1728.
Between 1712-1713 he was Assessor of the Congregation of Rites. He was Secretary of the Congregation of the Council (1718-1722) and Titular Archbishop of Teodosia (1724-1727). In 1727 he was appointed Archbishop of Ancona e Numana until 1731. He was Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (1728-1740) and Archbishop of Bologna (1731-1754).
He was elected pope on 17 August 1740, taking the name Benedict XIV. He died on 3 May 1758 in Rome, Papal States at the age of 83. His final words were "I leave you in the hands of God".
He was known as a liberal pontiff who promoted scientific learning. He tried to curtail the church's list of forbidden books, reduced taxation, encouraged agriculture and was a great supporter of free trade.
As a lifelong scholar, he established a number of learned societies and initiated the development of the Vatican Museum.
This profile is being updated by the Popes Project.
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Categories: 17th Century | 18th Century | Catholic Popes | Notables