The “cavalcata” (procession) of the Chinea held in honour of Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi, which was planned for June 1683 but which was only celebrated on 2-3 February 1684, represents one of the most controversial of all Chineas in the several hundred-year history of this ceremony of vassalage of the Kingdom of Naples in respect to the papacy. Regarding the designation of a special ambassador who was entrusted with the consigning ritual of the Chinea and the curation of the event, a bitter dispute arose between Contestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and Prince Giovanni Battista Borghese which was finally resolved through a compromise choice of the appointment of Prince Carlo Maria Carafa as special ambassador. Prince Carafa was a descendent of the extensive aristocratic Neapolitan della Spina family – he had been born and raised in their Calabrian feudal property of Castelvetere − and he subsequently resided in their Sicilian feudal property of Mazzarino. Notwithstanding the complex logistical issues he had to deal with in planning the grandiose event, and the incredibly tight deadline he had to work toward, Prince Carafa put on a magnificent and costly ceremony that also glorified his own family history and the family’s ties to Sicily, Naples and Rome. This essay offers a critical re-evaluation of the Chinea of 1684 based on a re-reading of historical documents, together with new archival discoveries, and sets out to analyse for the first time the artistic and architectural patronage of the event in the context of the urban setting of Rome.
La cavalcata della Chinea in onore di papa Innocenzo XI Odescalchi, prevista per fine giugno 1683 ma celebratasi il 2-3 febbraio 1684, ha rappresentato una delle edizioni più controverse della plurisecolare storia di questo cerimonia di vassallaggio del Regno di Napoli al capo della chiesa cattolica. Intorno alla designazione dell’ambasciatore straordinario incaricato della consegna della Chinea e della cura dell’evento si generò un duro scontro tra il Contestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna e il principe Giovanni Battista Borghese che si risolse con la scelta di compromesso del principe Carlo Maria Carafa, esponente del ramo della Spina della grande famiglia napoletana, nato e cresciuto nel feudo calabrese di Castelvetere e residente nel feudo siciliano di Mazzarino. Carafa, nonostante difficoltà logistiche e tempistiche, mise in scena un grande e dispendioso progetto di autorappresentazione personale e familiare tra la Sicilia Napoli e Roma. Questo contributo offre una rilettura critica dell’evento analizzandone per la prima volta la committenza artistica e architettonica nel contesto urbano attraverso documenti editi e inediti.
Carlo Maria Carafa a Roma: diplomazia e scena urbana nella cavalcata della Chinea del 1684 / Manfredi, T.. - (2024), pp. 137-157. (Intervento presentato al convegno I Carafa di Roccella. Storia, architettura e arte di una famiglia feudale tra Napoli, la Calabria e Malta tenutosi a Santa Maria Capua Vetere nel 15-16 giugno 2022).
Carlo Maria Carafa a Roma: diplomazia e scena urbana nella cavalcata della Chinea del 1684
Manfredi T.
2024-01-01
Abstract
The “cavalcata” (procession) of the Chinea held in honour of Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi, which was planned for June 1683 but which was only celebrated on 2-3 February 1684, represents one of the most controversial of all Chineas in the several hundred-year history of this ceremony of vassalage of the Kingdom of Naples in respect to the papacy. Regarding the designation of a special ambassador who was entrusted with the consigning ritual of the Chinea and the curation of the event, a bitter dispute arose between Contestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and Prince Giovanni Battista Borghese which was finally resolved through a compromise choice of the appointment of Prince Carlo Maria Carafa as special ambassador. Prince Carafa was a descendent of the extensive aristocratic Neapolitan della Spina family – he had been born and raised in their Calabrian feudal property of Castelvetere − and he subsequently resided in their Sicilian feudal property of Mazzarino. Notwithstanding the complex logistical issues he had to deal with in planning the grandiose event, and the incredibly tight deadline he had to work toward, Prince Carafa put on a magnificent and costly ceremony that also glorified his own family history and the family’s ties to Sicily, Naples and Rome. This essay offers a critical re-evaluation of the Chinea of 1684 based on a re-reading of historical documents, together with new archival discoveries, and sets out to analyse for the first time the artistic and architectural patronage of the event in the context of the urban setting of Rome.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
