Pope Benedict XIV

Lore & Background

Lambertini was born into a noble family in Bologna, then the second-largest city in the Papal States. He studied rhetoric, Latin, philosophy, and theology at the Collegio Clementino in Rome, earning doctorates in Sacred Theology and both ecclesiastical and civil law by age nineteen. He served as a consistorial advocate, Consultor of the Inquisition, and Promoter of the Faith, where he achieved the canonization of Pope Pius V and wrote a treatise on beatification and canonization. He was appointed titular bishop of Theodosiopolis in 1724, consecrated by Pope Benedict XIII, and later became Bishop of Ancona and Archbishop of Bologna. He composed a three-volume treatise on diocesan synods, De synodo dioecesana.

Reader's Guide

Benedict XIV's pontificate addressed anti-clericalism and disputes with Catholic rulers over bishop appointments. He reduced taxes on some products while raising others, encouraged agriculture, and supported free trade within the Papal States. He created the Sacred and Profane Museums, now part of the Vatican Museums. Toward the end of his papacy, he expelled the Society of Jesus from Portugal at the request of King Joseph I, providing minimal theological justification. His reign is noted for its scholarly output and efforts to balance church authority with secular pressures. Horace Walpole described him as 'loved by papists, esteemed by Protestants... a pope without nepotism.' His legacy includes reinvigorating Thomism and promoting the study of the human form.

Did You Know?

• He was elected pope on the 255th ballot after a six-month conclave.
• He created the Sacred and Profane Museums, now part of the Vatican Museums.
• He expelled the Society of Jesus from Portugal in 1758 at the behest of King Joseph I.
• He earned doctorates in Sacred Theology and both ecclesiastical and civil law by age nineteen.