Pope Sixtus V

Template:Infobox pope Template:NPOV Sixtus V, born Felice Peretti (December 13, 1521 - August 27, 1590) was pope from 1585 to 1590.

Peretti was born at Grottammare, in the Marche. He was reared in poverty; his father was a gardener, and his having been a swineherd in his youth is less than shocking today. His father originated from Dalmatia - not much else is recorded about him, but when Felice eventually became a pope, he rebuilt the church of Saint Jerome in Rome (finished in 1589), to be used specifically for the people who spoke the Illyrian language, referring to the Slavs from the eastern Adriatic. He also established a college of eleven Slavonic clerics in his papal bull Sapientiam Sanctorum of August 1, 1589. This was later transformed into the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome.

At an early age he entered a Franciscan monastery at Montalto. He soon gave evidence of rare ability as a preacher and a dialectician. About 1552 he was noticed by Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi (1500-1564), protector of his order, Ghislieri (later Pope Pius V) and Caraffa (later Pope Paul IV), and from that time his advancement was assured. He was sent to Venice as inquisitor general, but was so severe and carried matters with such a high hand, became embroiled in quarrels, that the government asked for his recall in 1560.

After a brief term as procurator of his order, he was attached to the Spanish legation headed by Buoncampagno (later Pope Gregory XIII) in 1565, which was sent to investigate a charge of heresy levelled against Archbishop Carranza of Toledo. The violent dislike he conceived for Buoncampagno exerted a marked influence upon his subsequent actions. He hurried back to Rome upon the accession of Pius V, who made him apostolic vicar of his order, and, later (1570), cardinal.

During the pontificate of Gregory XIII the Cardinal Montalto, as he was generally called, lived in retirement, occupied with the care of his villa erected by Domenico Fontana on the Esquiline Hill, overlooking the Baths of Diocletian. The first phase (1576-1580) was enlarged after Peretti became Pope and could clear buildings to open four new streets in 1585-1586. The villa contained two residences, the Palazzo Sistino or "di Termini" ("of the Baths") and the casino, called the Palazzetto Montalto e Felice. Displaced Romans were furious. The decision to build the central pontifical railroad station (begun in 1869) in the area of the Villa marked the beginning of its destruction.

The Cardinal Montalto's other concern was with his studies, one of the fruits of which was an edition of the works of Ambrose; not neglecting, however, to follow the course of affairs, but carefully avoiding every occasion of offence. This discreetness contributed not a little to his election to the papacy on April 24, 1585; but the story of his having feigned decrepitude in the conclave, in order to win votes, is a pure invention. One of the things that commended his candidacy to certain cardinals was his physical vigour, which seemed to promise a long pontificate.

The terrible condition in which Gregory XIII had left the ecclesiastical states called for prompt and stern measures. Against the prevailing lawlessness Sixtus proceeded with an almost ferocious severity, which only extreme necessity could justify. Thousands of brigands were brought to justice: within a short time the country was again quiet and safe. Sixtus next set to work to repair the finances. By the sale of offices, the establishment of new "Monti" and by levying new taxes, he accumulated a vast surplus, which he stored up against certain specified emergencies, such as a crusade or the defence of the Holy See. Sixtus prided himself upon his hoard, but the method by which it had been amassed was financially unsound: some of the taxes proved ruinous, and the withdrawal of so much money from circulation could not fail to cause distress. Immense sums, however, were spent upon public works. Sixtus set no limit to his plans; and what he achieved in his short pontificate is almost incredible; the completion of the dome of St. Peter's; the loggia of Sixtus in the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterno; the chapel of the Praesepe in Santa Maria Maggiore; additions or repairs to the Quirinal, Lateran and Vatican palaces; the erection of four obelisks, including that in St Peter's Square; the opening of six streets; the restoration of the aqueduct of Septimius Severus ("Acqua Felice"); besides numerous roads and bridges, an attempt to drain the Pontine Marshes, and the encouragement of agriculture and manufacture.

But Sixtus had no appreciation of antiquity: the columns of Trajan and Antoninus were made to serve as pedestals for the statues of SS Peter and Paul; the Minerva of the Capitol was converted into "Christian Rome"; the Septizonium of Severus was demolished for its building materials.

The subsequent administrative system of the Church owed much to Sixtus. He limited the College of Cardinals to seventy; and doubled the number of the congregations, and enlarged their functions, assigning to them the principal role in the transaction of business (1588). He regarded the Jesuits with disfavour and suspicion. He meditated radical changes in their constitution, but death prevented the execution of his purpose. In 1589 was begun a revision of the Vulgate, the so-called Editio Sixtina.

This proposed revision to the Vulgate was widely regarded as an extremely poor translation. Sixtus died before he was able to make any formal changes to the Vulgate. The proposed revisions were soon repudiated by Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) who immediately ordered a new edition. This "Clementine" Vulgate of 1592 became the standard Bible text of the Catholic Church until the 1960s, when worship in vernacular languages was permitted.

In his larger political relations, however, Sixtus showed himself visionary and vacillating. He entertained fantastic ambitions, such as the annihilation of the Turks, the conquest of Egypt, the transporting of the Holy Sepulchre to Italy, and the accession of his nephew to the throne of France. The situation in which he found himself was embarrassing: he could not countenance the designs of heretical princes, and yet he distrusted Philip II of Spain and viewed with apprehension any extension of his power. So, while he excommunicated Henry of Navarre, and contributed to the Catholic League and the Armada, he chafed under his forced alliance with Philip, and looked for escape. The victories of Henry and the prospect of his conversion to Catholicism raised Sixtus's hopes, and in corresponding degree determined Philip to tighten his grip upon his wavering ally. The pope's negotiations with Henry's representative evoked a bitter and menacing protest and a categorical demand for the performance of promises. Sixtus took refuge in evasion, and temporized until death relieved him of the necessity of coming to a decision (August 27, 1590).

Sixtus died execrated by his own subjects; but posterity has recognized in him one of the greatest popes. He was impulsive, obstinate, severe, and autocratic; but his mind was open to large ideas, and he threw himself into his undertakings with an energy and determination that often compelled success. Few popes can boast of greater enterprise or larger achievements.