Pope Alexander VII

Pope Alexander VII (Italian: Alessandro VII; 13 February 1599 – 22 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667.

He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and he held various diplomatic positions in the Holy See. He was ordained as a priest in 1634, and he became bishop of Nardo in 1635. He was later transferred in 1652, and he became bishop of Imola. Pope Innocent X made him secretary of state in 1651 and, in 1652, he was appointed a cardinal.

Early in his papacy, Alexander lived simply and kept up the anti-nepotist position which he had held at the time of his election; later, however, his relatives received jobs in his administration and came to dominate it. His administration worked to support the Jesuits. However, his administration's relations with France were strained due to his frictions with French diplomats.

Alexander was interested in architecture and supported various urban projects in Rome. He also wrote poetry and patronized artists who expanded the decoration of churches. His theological writings included discussions of heliocentrism and the Immaculate Conception.

Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi, son of Count Flavio Chigi-Ardenghesca (1549–1615), Gonfaloniere, Capitano del Popolo, and wife Laura Marsigli, and a great-grandnephew of Pope Paul V (1605–1621), Fabio Chigi was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from the University of Siena.

Fabio's nephew Antonio created a cardinal by his uncle on 9 April 1657. The appointment was made public on 10 November 1659. He appointed his nephew Giovanni Bichi, Admiral of the Papal Navy.

In 1627 he began his apprenticeship as vice-papal legate at Ferrara, and on recommendations from two cardinals he was appointed Inquisitor of Malta.

Chigi was ordained a priest in Rome in December 1634. He was appointed Referendarius utriusque signaturae, which made him a prelate and gave him the right to practice before the Roman courts. On 8 January 1635, Chigi was named Bishop of Nardò in southern Italy and consecrated on 1 July 1635 by Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa, Bishop of Malta. On 13 May 1652 he was transferred to the Bishopric of Imola.