Filippo Maria Visconti (archbishop)
| Filippo Maria Visconti | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Milan | |
 |
|
| Church | Catholic Church |
| See | Milan |
| Appointed | 25 June 1784 |
| Term ended | 30 December 1801 |
| Predecessor | Giuseppe Pozzobonelli |
| Successor | Giovanni Battista Caprara |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 31 May 1749 (Priest) |
| Consecration | 27 June 1784 (Bishop) by Antonio Eugenio Visconti |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 August 1721 Massino Visconti |
| Died | 30 December 1801 (aged 80) Lyon |
| Buried | Cathedral of Milan |
Filippo Maria Visconti (1721–1801) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1784 to 1801.
Filippo Maria Visconti was born on 19 August 1721 in Massino Visconti, a village near Lake Maggiore which was the original land tenure of the House of Visconti, a main noble family of the Duchy of Milan and to which Filippo Maria belonged. Filippo Maria earned a doctorate in Theology, and was ordained priest on 31 May 1749. He served as diocesan priest in Milan, first as canon of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, and later as canon of the major chapter of the Cathedral of Milan, of which in 1783 he was elected provost. In force of this office he temporarily administered the diocese of Milan after the death of the Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli in April 1783.
The Duchy of Milan was part of the Habsburg lands which since 1780 were governed by Joseph II. Joseph II, himself a man of the Enlightenment, planned and undertook vigorous and unpopular reforms of the Church in order to make the Catholic Church in his empire the tool of the state, independent of the papacy.
Accordingly, at the death of Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli, Joseph II decided to break with the century-old tradition and to choose directly the new archbishop. On 1 September 1783 he appointed as new Archbishop of Milan the temporary administrator of the diocese, Filippo Maria Visconti. The pope initially rejected such dictation, but unable to assert his authority, on 25 June 1784 formally appointed Visconti. Visconti was consecrated bishop on 27 June 1784 in Rome by the hands of Cardinal Antonio Eugenio Visconti, and when in Milan he swore allegiance to Joseph II. Filippo Maria Visconti was never created Cardinal.
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