Federico Borromeo
Cardinal Archbishop of Milan (1564-1631) · Religious Figures · Died at 67
Federico Borromeo was an Italian cardinal, Archbishop of Milan, and prominent figure of the Counter-Reformation in Italy. His acts of charity, particularly during the famine of 1627-28, and his devoted heroism in the plague of 1630 are well known from the account in Alessandro Manzoni’s novel The Betrothed.
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Giulio Cesare Borromeo, Federico’s father.
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo
Luigi Pellegrini Scaramuccia, Federico Borromeo visits the leper house during the Plague of 1630, Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana
Gratia de' principi, 1632
Costanzo Corti (1824-1873), Monument to Cardinal Federico Borromeo in Piazza San Sepolcro (1865)About this person
He was a great patron of the arts and founded the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, one of the first free public libraries in Europe. In 1618 he added a picture gallery to the library, donating his own considerable collection of paintings. Borromeo’s published works, mainly in Latin and numbering over 100, exhibit his interest in ecclesiastical archaeology, sacred painting, and collecting. In 1623, he reacquired the feudal rights over what has historically been known as the “State” of the Borromeo within the Duchy of Milan, becoming the Marquess of Angera and Count of Arona, titles still used by the family as a courtesy.
