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Pope Urban VIII (Latin: Urbanus VIII; Italian: Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644.
Urban VIII was the pope from 1623 to 1644. The son of an aristocratic Florentine family, Barberini filled many distinguished church appointments. He served as papal legate in France (1601) and was simultaneously appointed (1604) archbishop of Nazareth and nuncio to Paris.
Urban VIII, POPE (MAFFEO BARBERINI), b. at Florence in April, 1568; elected pope, August 6, 1623; d. at Rome, July 29, 1644. His father Antonio Barberini, a Florentine nobleman, having died when Maffeo was only three years old, his mother, Camilla Barbadoro, brought him to Rome at an early age.
The new pope took the name of Urban VIII. Being attacked by the fever which was raging in Rome, he was obliged to postpone his coronation until 29 September.
Urban VIII served as the 235th Catholic Pope. His time as the Pope came at an important time in European history. He served the position for over two decades during the Thirty Years’ War, which resulted in millions of deaths across the region.
Urban VIII. 235th Pope of the Catholic Church.
URBAN VIII, POPE Pontificate: Aug. 6, 1623, to July 29, 1644; b. Maffeo Barberini, Florence, Italy. This fifth son of a prominent, non-aristocratic family was born in April 1568.
Pope Urban VIII. Born to the esteemed Barberini family of Florence, which had produced many popes, Urban VIII (1568–1644) enjoyed a lengthy but controversial pontificate marred by war, nepotism, and anti-intellectualism. A complicated man, he was also a patron to artists, canonized a number of saints, and extended the papal territory.
Maffeo Barberini reigned as Pope Urban VIII from 1623 until his death in 1644. We see him left on a medal struck by Gaspare Mola to celebrate the seventeenth year of his papacy. He was born into a wealthy Florentine family that had made its fortune from sheep-shearing.
Sep 20, 2021 · Pope Paul V made Maffeo Barberini a cardinal and, following the death of Pope Gregory XV, with the support of Cardinal Medici and Farnese, Maffeo Barberini was elected pope at the age of 56, taking the name of Urban VIII.
