Who he was
Of a noble family of the Marche, he was ordained at twenty-three and served for many years as nuncio in Lucerne, Cologne and Germany. After Napoleon's men seized Rome he withdrew to his abbey of Monticelli, where he taught the local peasants plain-chant, until Pius VII made him a cardinal and later Vicar of Rome. In poor health, he protested on his election that the cardinals were choosing a dying man.
What he is remembered for
He held the Jubilee of 1825, gave the Roman College back to the Jesuits, condemned the Freemasons and other secret societies, and encouraged the campaign for Catholic Emancipation in Britain and Ireland. He worked to rebuild the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls after the fire of 1823. His strict government of the Papal States was not popular.
Sources
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