GRANTING A MARRIAGE DISPENSATION
- Rome , 1614
Rome, 1614. 203 x 319 mm. (8 x 12 5/8"). Single column, 25 lines, in a papal chancery hand.
With braided cloth tie for appended seal (now gone). Elaborate lettering all across top line of text, especially the first (8-line) initial, and at lower right corner. Lower margin with several signatures in ink (behind the fold); verso with brief notes in ink; remains of hemp tie for appended seal (which has been cut away). Three vertical and one horizontal fold creases, faint overall yellowing to verso, possible erasure (correction?) in second line of text, otherwise the page bright and the hand clear.
Addressed to the Archbishop of Naples, this Papal Bull grants a marriage dispensation between Pietro Palladino and Giovanna Cabalone. An online search finds nothing about the couple named in the present document, but they were apparently high-ranking Neapolitan citizens who had the means to procure a Papal intercession. Likewise, the particular impediment prohibiting the marriage is not apparent here. This type of document takes its name from the lead seals, called "bullae," that were issued with official documents of the papacy as a way of ensuring their authenticity. Apart from the very rare Solemn Privilege (like Innocent III's famous granting of England in 1214 to his involuntary vassal King John), there are three categories of Papal Bulls: Simple Privileges (also called Solemn Letters), Letters of Grace (which confirm privileges and rights, but are somewhat smaller), and Mandates, which are differentiated by their use of hemp ties as opposed to silk, as here. A member of the influential Borghese family, Pope Paul V (born Camillo Borghese, 1550-1621) reigned as head of the Catholic Church for 16 years, from 1605 until his death. As a staunch defender of the rights and privileges of the church, he often came into conflict with secular leaders. He is perhaps best remembered for financing the completion of St. Peter's Basilica, and for his involvement in the Galileo controversy, in which he warned the scientist against advocating heliocentrism..
With braided cloth tie for appended seal (now gone). Elaborate lettering all across top line of text, especially the first (8-line) initial, and at lower right corner. Lower margin with several signatures in ink (behind the fold); verso with brief notes in ink; remains of hemp tie for appended seal (which has been cut away). Three vertical and one horizontal fold creases, faint overall yellowing to verso, possible erasure (correction?) in second line of text, otherwise the page bright and the hand clear.
Addressed to the Archbishop of Naples, this Papal Bull grants a marriage dispensation between Pietro Palladino and Giovanna Cabalone. An online search finds nothing about the couple named in the present document, but they were apparently high-ranking Neapolitan citizens who had the means to procure a Papal intercession. Likewise, the particular impediment prohibiting the marriage is not apparent here. This type of document takes its name from the lead seals, called "bullae," that were issued with official documents of the papacy as a way of ensuring their authenticity. Apart from the very rare Solemn Privilege (like Innocent III's famous granting of England in 1214 to his involuntary vassal King John), there are three categories of Papal Bulls: Simple Privileges (also called Solemn Letters), Letters of Grace (which confirm privileges and rights, but are somewhat smaller), and Mandates, which are differentiated by their use of hemp ties as opposed to silk, as here. A member of the influential Borghese family, Pope Paul V (born Camillo Borghese, 1550-1621) reigned as head of the Catholic Church for 16 years, from 1605 until his death. As a staunch defender of the rights and privileges of the church, he often came into conflict with secular leaders. He is perhaps best remembered for financing the completion of St. Peter's Basilica, and for his involvement in the Galileo controversy, in which he warned the scientist against advocating heliocentrism..
Details
Title
GRANTING A MARRIAGE DISPENSATION
Author
(PAPAL BULL ON VELLUM). POPE PAUL V.
Condition
Unknown
Publisher
Rome
Date
1614