Caesar Baronius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cesare Baronio
Cardinal Priest of Santi Nereo ed Achilleo
Church	Catholic Church
Appointed	21 June 1596
Reign ended	30 June 1607
Predecessor	Gianfrancesco Morosini
Successor	Innocenzo Del Bufalo-Cancellieri
Other posts	Librarian of the Vatican Library (1597 – 1607)
Orders
Ordination	27 May 1564
Created Cardinal	5 June 1596
Rank	Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth name	Cesare Baronio
Born	30 August 1538 Sora, Duchy of Sora
Died	30 June 1607(1607-06-30) (aged 68) Rome, Papal States
Buried	Santa Maria in Vallicella

Styles of Caesar Baronius
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal

Cesare Baronio (born August 30, 1538 – died June 30, 1607) was an Italian Catholic cardinal and historian. He was a member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a group of priests who lived and prayed together. Baronio is best known for his huge history book, Annales Ecclesiastici (which means "Church Annals"). This book came out in 12 large volumes between 1588 and 1607. Today, he is considered for sainthood, and in 1845, Pope Benedict XIV gave him the title "Venerable."

Life of Cesare Baronio

Cesare Baronio was born in a place called the Duchy of Sora (which is now Sora in Italy) on August 30, 1538. He was the only child of Camillo Baronio and Porzia Febonia. His family came from Naples.

Early Education and Rome

Baronio studied in Veroli and Naples. He started studying law in Naples in October 1556. Because people were worried about a French invasion, he left Naples in October 1557. He moved to Rome, where he kept studying law. In 1561, he earned a special law degree.

He lived near the church where Philip Neri lived. Philip Neri was a very important religious leader. Baronio soon joined Philip Neri's group. This group was a meeting place for church leaders and regular people. They had interesting talks about religion and philosophy. They discussed the Bible, how to improve the church, and good ways to live. Many important church leaders of the time, like Charles Borromeo, joined these evening talks.

Becoming a Priest

Meeting these important thinkers and Philip Neri changed Baronio's life. He decided to focus on theology (the study of religion) instead of law. In 1557, Baronio became a member of the Congregation of the Oratory, which Philip Neri started. He became a deacon in 1561 and a priest in 1564.

Philip Neri asked Baronio to study and explain Church history. Baronio spent many years balancing his studies, teaching, and helping others. In 1588, he started publishing his famous history book, the Annales. In 1593, he took over from Philip Neri as the leader of the Oratory in Rome.

Cardinal and Librarian

Pope Clement VIII was the Pope at the time. Baronio was the Pope's confessor (someone the Pope talked to about his sins and spiritual life) starting in 1594. The Pope made Baronio a cardinal on June 5, 1596. A cardinal is a very high-ranking official in the Catholic Church, usually chosen by the Pope. The Pope also made Baronio the head of the Vatican Library, which is one of the most important libraries in the world.

Baronio was given his red cardinal's hat on June 8. On June 21, he was given the title of Cardinal Priest of Santi Nereo e Achilleo. He helped fix up this church and moved many holy objects there in 1597. Baronio also helped fix up another church, San Gregorio Magno al Celio.

Later Life and Death

Later, when new Popes were being chosen, Baronio was considered as a possible Pope twice. However, the country of Spain was against him. This was because of a book he wrote called "On the Monarchy of Sicily." In this book, he supported the Pope's power over the Spanish government in certain matters.

Baronio spent his last days at the Oratory in Santa Maria in Vallicella. He found comfort there with his fellow priests. He died on June 30, 1607, and was buried in that church. In 1745, Pope Benedict XIV honored him with the title "Venerable."

Major Works

Baronio is most famous for his book, Annales Ecclesiastici. He started this huge project after almost 30 years of teaching. Philip Neri asked him to write it as a response to another history book, the Magdeburg Centuries, which was critical of the Catholic Church. Baronio was not sure at first, but after Philip Neri insisted, he spent the rest of his life on this enormous task.

The Annales Ecclesiastici

In the Annales, Baronio wrote history in exact time order. He kept religious ideas in the background, focusing on facts. A famous historian named Lord Acton called it "the greatest history of the Church ever written." In the Annales, Baronio used the term "Dark Age" to describe a period of time between the end of the Carolingian Empire (in 888) and the start of the Gregorian Reform (in 1046).

Even with some mistakes, especially in Greek history where he had to rely on information from others, Baronio's work was an honest attempt at writing history. Another historian, Paolo Sarpi, told Isaac Casaubon not to accuse Baronio of bad faith, meaning Baronio always tried to be truthful.

Other Contributions

Baronio also helped create a new edition of the Roman Martyrology (1586). This book lists saints and martyrs for each day of the year. He carefully checked the entries, removing ones he thought were not historically accurate and adding or correcting others based on his research.

He is also known for a famous saying about the work of Copernicus and Galileo. He said, "The Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." This means the Bible is about faith and salvation, not about how the universe works. Galileo himself mentioned this remark in one of his letters.

During a disagreement between the Pope and Venice called the Venetian Interdict, Baronio wrote a pamphlet in 1606. It strongly supported the Pope's side in the argument.

Beatification

Baronio was known for his holy life. This led Pope Benedict XIV to start the process for him to become a saint. Baronio was officially called "Venerable" on January 12, 1745.

In 2007, 400 years after his death, a request was made to restart the process for his canonization (being declared a saint).