Sixtus IV
Sixtus IV, born Francesco della Rovere, was a notable figure in the Catholic Church who ascended to the papacy on August 9, 1471. Coming from humble beginnings as a devout Franciscan, he gained recognition for his theological intellect and reformative efforts within the order. His papacy is marked by a controversial approach to nepotism, prominently elevating several family members to positions of power within the Church, including his nephew Giuliano della Rovere, who would later become Pope Julius II. Sixtus IV's reign was also characterized by significant political maneuvering, including the ill-fated Pazzi Conspiracy aimed at undermining the Medici family in Florence.
Culturally, Sixtus IV is best remembered for his ambitious patronage of the arts and architecture, which included the commissioning of the Sistine Chapel, adorned with frescoes by renowned artists of the time. He played a crucial role in the revival of the Roman Academy, supported Humanist scholars, and oversaw extensive renovations in Rome, such as the reconstruction of the city’s infrastructure and churches. His commitment to the Franciscan order and devotion to the Virgin Mary led to the establishment of important religious feasts. Sixtus IV's legacy is multifaceted, reflecting both the complexities of his political strategies and his significant contributions to the cultural landscape of Renaissance Rome. He passed away on August 12, 1484, leaving behind a lasting impact on the papacy and the arts.
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Sixtus IV
Italian pope (1471-1484)
- Born: July 21, 1414
- Birthplace: Celle Ligure, near Savona, Republic of Genoa (now in Italy)
- Died: August 12, 1484
- Place of death: Rome, Papal States (now in Italy)
A Franciscan friar from a humble background, Sixtus IV is best known for his extensive patronage of the arts, his nepotism, and his high taxation. He commissioned more art and architectural projects than any other fifteenth century pope, monuments that include the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Library, the Hospital of Santo Spirito, and the Ponte Sisto.
Early Life
Sixtus IV, a devout Franciscan admired for his understanding of complicated theological issues, came from an obscure family. He was born Francesco della Rovere, but the early events of his life remain unclear. According to some sources, he was the second of seven children of Leonardo della Rovere and Luchina Monleone. Other scholars maintain that he was separated from his birth parents and adopted by Leonardo and Luchina.
Despite these different accounts, it is clear that Sixtus joined the Franciscan order at the age of nine. He studied in Chieri, near Turin, and then at the University of Padua. After he received his doctorate in theology in 1444, Sixtus lectured in Padua, Perugia, Bologna, Siena, Pavia, and Florence. Between 1462 and 1471, he wrote three theological treatises. These treatises were based on debates in which he had argued the Franciscan position on God’s will (de futuris contingentibus; on future contingencies), God’s power (de potentia Dei), and the sanctity of Christ’s blood (de sanguine Christi) before the Resurrection. Earning wide acclaim for his intellect, he rose in the ranks of the Franciscan order.
Sixtus served as dean of the Franciscan house at Padua in 1449. In 1460, he was elected minister of the Franciscan order in Genoa and was appointed to the positions of vicar to the minister general of the Franciscans and procurator general of the Franciscans in Rome. He became the minister of the Roman province in 1462. Two years later, in 1464, he attained the highest rank in the Franciscan order, minister general, where he received praise as a reformer. His distinguished career led Pope Paul II to elevate him to cardinal in September, 1467.
Life’s Work
After a short tenure as cardinal, Francesco della Rovere was elected pope on August 9, 1471. With his modest upbringing and long, dedicated career in the Franciscan order, the newly elected Sixtus IV lacked influence in European politics and at the Papal court. To compensate, he filled the College of Cardinals with family members and is known today for his blatant nepotism. He elevated his nephews Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II, and Pietro Riario to the cardinalate in 1471. Sixtus also nominated Girolamo Basso della Rovere, Raffaele Sansoni Riario, and Cristoforo della Rovere for the cardinalate. Eventually, the pope selected a total of six nephews as cardinals, married three into eminent families, and employed other relatives in the curia.
As pope, Sixtus focused his attention on threats to Rome and the Papal States, such as that of the Turks. In an effort to extend his authority and to expand the territory of the Papal States to Florence, Sixtus and his nephew, Cardinal Raffaele Riario, along with members of a wealthy Florentine family, the Pazzi, devised a plan to destabilize the influential Medici family. On April 26, 1478, Giuliano de’ Medici was stabbed to death during services at the Florence cathedral, and his brother, the powerful Lorenzo de’ Medici, was wounded. Despite the death of Giuliano, the plan ultimately failed and the Medici retained their power. The infamous incident is now known as the Pazzi Conspiracy.
Sixtus is also recognized for his promotion of Franciscan interests and for his ardent devotion to the Virgin Mary. He promoted the cult of the Madonna by establishing the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, by encouraging devotion to the Rosary, and, most important, by promoting the controversial doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and recognizing it as a feast day (December 8). Although not interested in antiquity personally, Sixtus nevertheless supported Humanist scholars and reopened the Roman Academy, a circle of Humanists devoted to studying and celebrating Rome’s classical past. The Roman Academy had been considered dangerous and its members had been imprisoned during the reign of the previous pope, Paul II.
In 1475, Sixtus presided over the Holy Year, or Jubilee, in which pilgrims received special indulgences for visiting churches in Rome. The Jubilee of 1475 created the impetus for Sixtus to refurbish Rome. His art and architectural projects were ambitious. He established the Capitoline Museum, the first public collection of antiquities in Europe, which opened on December 14, 1471. Sixtus’s urban renovations included the improvement of the streets of Rome and the city’s main aqueduct, the Aqua Vergine, and the construction of a bridge across the Tiber. The bridge, called the Ponte Sisto, was the first bridge built over the Tiber since antiquity.
Although Pope Nicholas V founded the Vatican Library, Sixtus was responsible for enlarging and decorating the library and increasing the holdings of the institution. He also ordered the building and decoration of the Hospital of Santo Spirito, which featured an extensive fresco cycle of the pope’s life. Additionally, Sixtus founded, restored, or rebuilt more than thirty churches in the Christian capital, including Santa Maria del Popolo, Santa Maria della Pace, and SS. Quirico e Giulitta.
The Sistine Chapel is Sixtus’s most famous commission. Completed in 1482, the chapel was decorated with sixteen frescoed narrative scenes that contained twenty-five biblical episodes. A team of artists, including Pietro Perugino, Ghirlandaio, Sandro Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselli, and Luca Signorelli completed the wall decoration. Sixtus’s art and architectural patronage extended outside the city of Rome and included projects in Savona and Assisi. He died on August 12, 1484.
Significance
Unlike many Renaissance popes, Sixtus IV ascended the Papacy not through noble birth and family connections, but through his monastic career. As pope, Sixtus tried to expand the Papal States, to stave off the Turkish threat, and to champion the interests of the Franciscan order.
The most significant contribution of his papacy, though, is his ambitious art and architectural patronage. The sheer breadth of Sixtus’s commissions had never been seen in Rome. Unlike his predecessors, Sixtus completed many of his impressive architectural monuments during his tenure as pope, and many were finished before the 1475 Jubilee.
Moreover, Sixtus’s extensive patronage inspired his nephew, Julius II. Julius II learned the power of art from his uncle. Nearly thirty years after Sixtus had commissioned the building of the Sistine Chapel, Julius II hired Michelangelo to paint the now-famous ceiling.
Bibliography
Ettlinger, Leopold S. The Sistine Chapel Before Michelangelo. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965. Demonstrates how the frescoes commissioned by Sixtus for the Sistine Chapel represent the legitimization of papal power.
Howe, Eunice D. The Hospital of Santo Spirito and Pope Sixtus IV. New York: Garland Press, 1978. This investigation, in which the author establishes the autobiographical nature and sources of the fresco cycle at the Hospital of Santo Spirito, remains the most complete examination of this ambitious project.
Lee, Egmont. Sixtus IV and Men of Letters. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1978. This book focuses on the Humanists and the intellectual atmosphere in Rome during Sixtus’s reign. The first chapter provides excellent biographical information about Sixtus.
Partridge, Loren. The Art of Renaissance Rome, 1400-1600. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996. Discusses several of Sixtus’s projects, including the Vatican Library and Santa Maria del Popolo.
Stinger, Charles L. The Renaissance in Rome. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. Provides general information about Sixtus’s papacy, including his art and architectural patronage and his relationship with his cardinal nephews.
Weiss, Roberto. The Medals of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484). Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1961. Documents and reproduces the medals commissioned during Sixtus’s reign, medals that celebrate his coronation as well as urban improvements. Also discusses medal portraits of Sixtus as the visual sources for other images of the pope.