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Pius VII

Servant of God, Pope
Pius VII
Bishop of Rome
Jacques-Louis David 018.jpg
Papacy began 14 March 1800
Papacy ended 20 August 1823
Predecessor Pius VI
Successor Leo XII
Orders
Ordination 21 September 1765
Consecration 21 December 1782
by Francesco Saverio de Zelada
Created Cardinal 14 February 1785
by Pius VI
Personal details
Birth name Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti
Born (1742-08-14)14 August 1742
Cesena, Papal States
Died 20 August 1823(1823-08-20) (aged 81)
Rome, Papal States
Previous post
Motto Aquila Rapax ("Rapacious eagle")
Coat of arms {{{coat_of_arms_alt}}}
Sainthood
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Title as Saint Servant of God
Attributes
Patronage
Papal styles of
Pope Pius VII
C o a Pio VII.svg
Reference style His Holiness
Spoken style Your Holiness
Religious style Holy Father
Posthumous style Servant of God

Pope Pius VII (14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to his death in 1823. Chiaramonti was also a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict in addition to being a well known theologian and bishop throughout his life.

Chiaramonti was made Bishop of Tivoli in 1782, and resigned that position upon his appointment as Bishop of Imola in 1785. That same year, he was made a cardinal. In 1789, the French Revolution took place, and as a result a series of anti-clerical governments came into power in the country. In 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Rome and took as prisoner Pope Pius VI. He was taken as prisoner to France, where he died in 1799. The following year, after a sede vecante period lasting approximately six months, Chiaramonti was elected to the papacy, taking the name Pius VII.

Pius at first attempted to take a cautious approach in dealing with Napoleon. With him he signed the Concordat of 1801, through which he succeeded in guaranteeing religious freedom for Catholics living in France, and was present at his coronation as Emperor of the French in 1804. In 1809, however, during the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon once again invaded the Papal States, resulting in his excommunication. Pius VII was taken prisoner and transported to France. He remained there until 1814 when, after the French were defeated, he was permitted to return to Rome, where he was greeted warmly as a hero and defender of the faith.

Pius lived the remainder of his life in relative peace. His papacy saw a significant growth of the Catholic Church in the United States, where Pius established several new dioceses. Pius VII died in 1823 at age 81.


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