Roman Catholic Pope. Born Alessandro Farnese, he was an Italian noble who was the last of the Renaissance popes. Successor of Clement VII, he was created cardinal by Alexander VI. A very astute church diplomat, he directed his efforts chiefly in aid of the reforming party. With his election a new era in the papacy opened, for papal involvement in the Counter Reformation began. Paul III was a notable patron of the arts and at the same time encouraged the beginning of the reform movement that was to affect deeply the Roman Catholic Church in the later 16th century. Paul III was remembered by contemporaries as "good hearted, obliging and supremely intelligent. His grandiose tomb in St. Peter's by Guglielmo della Porta befits the place he occupies in the church's history.
Roman Catholic Pope. Born Alessandro Farnese, he was an Italian noble who was the last of the Renaissance popes. Successor of Clement VII, he was created cardinal by Alexander VI. A very astute church diplomat, he directed his efforts chiefly in aid of the reforming party. With his election a new era in the papacy opened, for papal involvement in the Counter Reformation began. Paul III was a notable patron of the arts and at the same time encouraged the beginning of the reform movement that was to affect deeply the Roman Catholic Church in the later 16th century. Paul III was remembered by contemporaries as "good hearted, obliging and supremely intelligent. His grandiose tomb in St. Peter's by Guglielmo della Porta befits the place he occupies in the church's history.
Bio by: MC
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