Conference “Il Cardinale Ercole Consalvi. Un diplomatico in tempi burrascosi 1757-1824”
Vatican Museums Conference Hall – in person and live streaming
To mark the centenary of the death of Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, the Pope’s Museums will host the international study conference “Il Cardinale Ercole Consalvi. Un diplomatico in tempi burrascosi 1757-1824” (Cardinal Ercole Consalvi. A diplomat in turbulent times 1757-1824) from 22 to 23 January 2024.
Organized by the Secretariat of State, together with the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences and the Vatican Museums, the two-days event is intended to pay homage to a unique ecclesiastical figure, considered by historiography to be one of the most important political figures of the Catholic Church in recent centuries. It suffices to mention that at the Pantheon in Rome, to the right of Raphael Sanzio's tomb, there is a bust in memory of the Cardinal sculpted by the famous sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen, where his heart is kept.
Ercole Consalvi can be considered as the prototype of the quintessential Secretary of State, the progenitor of the Holy See’s realpolitik, capable of defending the reasons of doctrine and of adapting to the contingencies of the times. A fine politician and skilful diplomat – twice Secretary of State (from 15 March 1800 to 17 June 1806, and then from 19 May 1814 to 20 August 1823) – he played a prominent role by the side of two pontiffs, Pius VI and Pius VII, in difficult, troubled and “turbulent” times for the Successor of Peter.
His genius appeared in all its brilliance at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), when he succeeded in obtaining for the Papal States much of what had been forcibly requisitioned by the Emperor Napoleon. The same extraordinary diplomatic ability was witnessed by the sculptor Antonio Canova who shared a deep and sincere friendship with him and who today, ideally and symbolically, “welcomes” him along the exhibition itinerary that the Vatican Museums are dedicating to the "prince of sculptors" on the occasion of the bicentenary of his death (1757-1822).
The conference will be opened by greetings from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums, and Marek Inglot S.J., President of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.