Baldassare Cagliares

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Bishop

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency

| name = Baldassare Cagliares

| honorific-suffix = O.S.Io.Hieros.

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| title = Bishop of Malta

| image = Baldassare Cagliares.jpg

| image_size = 230px

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| church = Roman Catholic

| province =

| metropolis =

| diocese = Malta

| see =

| elected =

| appointed = 18 May 1615

| term = 1615–1633

| term_start =

| quashed =

| term_end = 4 August 1633

| predecessor = Tomás Gargallo

| opposed =

| successor = Miguel Juan Balaguer Camarasa

| other_post =

| ordination =

| ordained_by =

| consecration = 1615

| consecrated_by =

| rank = Bishop

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{circa}} 1575

| birth_place = Valletta, Hospitaller Malta

| death_date = 4 August 1633

| death_place =

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| nationality = Maltese

| religion =

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}}

Baldassare Cagliares ({{circa}} 1575 – 4 August 1633) was a Maltese Roman Catholic prelate who was the Bishop of Malta from 1615 until his death.

Biography

File:Cagliares Palace.jpg, built in 1620]]

Baldassare Cagliares was born in Valletta in around 1575; this year is approximate and the exact day and month are not known.{{cite web |title=Bishop Baldassare Cagliares, O.S.Io.Hieros. † |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcagliar.html |website=Catholic Herarchy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601140250/http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcagliar.html |archive-date=1 June 2022}} His father was of Spanish descent and his mother was a Maltese from Rabat, Gozo.

Cagliares was appointed as Bishop of Malta by Pope Paul V in 1615, when he was 40 years old. Cagliares was a person who loved art and lived in a period when the church and state were competing to carry out the best works of art. He was also the only Maltese Bishop chosen to lead the Diocese of Malta when Malta was under the rule of the Order of St John between 1530 and 1798.{{cite news |title=Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Malta 2–3 April 2022 |url=https://papafrangisku.mt/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Press-Kit.pdf |work=Archdiocese of Malta |date=2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928013343/https://papafrangisku.mt/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Press-Kit.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2022}}

During his episcopate, he built the Bishop's Palace in Valletta{{cite journal|last1=Denaro |first1=Victor F. |title=More houses in Valletta |journal=Melita Historica |date=1961 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=5–6 |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03(1960-63)/MH.3(1961)2/orig01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323112933/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03%281960-63%29/MH.3%281961%292/orig01.pdf |archive-date=23 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} and numerous residences in various localities around Malta such as in Żejtun, the Cittadella in Gozo and Buskett.{{cite news |last1=Ciantar |first1=Peter Paul |title=Neglected historical residence |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/Neglected-historical-residence.395081 |access-date=23 February 2015 |work=Times of Malta |date=23 November 2011}}{{cite journal |last1=Caruana Dingli |first1=Petra |title=Monte Cagliares: A Seventeenth-Century Country House, Chapel and Garden in Rabat |journal=Vigilo |date=2023 |volume=59 |page=18–25 |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/119814}}

Cagliares also established a number of parishes such as that of Qrendi in 1618{{cite web |title=ST. MARY'S PARISH CHURCH – QRENDI |url=http://parroccaqrendi.org/churchguide.html |website=Qrendi Parish |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218121112/http://parroccaqrendi.org/churchguide.html |archive-date=18 February 2015}} and restored the parish of Dingli by appointing a rector for the local church of the village which was left without a priest for a number of years.{{cite web |title=Dingli & its Parish |url=http://www.dingliparish.com/dingli |website=Dingli Parish Church |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008080913/http://www.dingliparish.com/dingli |archive-date=8 October 2018}}

Cagliares died on 4 August 1633 at the age of 58 after 18 years as bishop.

Baldassare Cagliares

Biography

References

Further reading