MAGGIORDOMO DI SUA SANTITÀ. — He is the first of the palatine prelates and supervises the Apostolic Palaces.
It was Alessandro V (1410) who created the new office of magister domus, which divided supervision of the Apostolic Palaces with the master of the Holy Hospice. But a few years later Martino V, so as not to leave the pontifical household in the hands of a layman, established the praefectus S. Palazzi, separating the administration of the Holy Palace from the Apostolic Camera. He is recalled with the title of prefect of the Holy Palace in a personnel register of the year 1460 under Pio II (cf. G. Marini, Archiatri pontifici, II, Roma 1825, p. 152). Later, however, the title of prefect was changed to that of chamberlain, by order of Urbano VIII; by a brief of Clemente XII dated 3 August 1731, he was enrolled among the prelates with tassels. The same Pontiff, in the constitution Apostolatus, established in perpetuity the chamberlain of His Holiness as «gubernatorem conclavia pro bona directione conclavia» and decreed that his jurisdiction and powers should continue in force even during the vacancy of the see (cf. G. Moroni, XLI, pp. 247-80).
The chamberlains of His Holiness were always invested with patriarchal or archiepiscopal dignity: when elevated to the cardinalate, they left the office or assumed the title of pro-chamberlain, with a chamberlain at their side. With the restoration under Pio VI, the title of prefect of the Most Holy Apostolic Palaces and chamberlain of Our Lord returned (Notizie per l'a. 1818, Roma 1818, p. 187). The chamberlain’s duties were gradually defined with increasing precision. In addition to supervising the Apostolic Palaces, where the chamberlain also exercised civil and criminal jurisdiction, extending likewise over the territory of Castel Gandolfo, he also supervised the Hospice of the Converts, Castel S. Angelo, the treasury, the central palatine office, the master of the household, the chief usher, the chief equerry, the legal office, and the medical corps. He was a kind of governor. His powers were subsequently more precisely determined by the motu proprio of Gregorio XVI of 16 December 1832. On 1 November 1848 Pio IX invested card. Giacomo Antonelli, then pro-secretary of State, with the office under the title of prefect of the Most Holy Apostolic Palaces, creating him a palatine cardinal. He placed a chamberlain alongside him with reduced powers. Thus the prefecture of the Most Holy Palaces, together with the General Administration of the property of the Holy See, became an office distinct from that of the chamberlain and was almost always entrusted to the cardinal secretary or pro-secretary of State.
Leone XIII, by a twofold motu proprio of 11 December 1880, separated the office of prefect of the Most Holy Apostolic Palaces from that of administrator of the patrimony of the Holy See, creating the Cardinal Commission for the administration of the property of the Holy See, and once again established the organic regulations concerning the office of prefect of the Most Holy Palaces and chamberlain of His Holiness. But the former title soon disappeared again, to give way later (1906) to an office of under-prefect or vice-prefect of the Most Holy Palaces, whose holder Benedetto XV, by a brief of 10 September 1914, raised to the rank of palatine prelate. In 1918, however, he reunited the prefecture with the chamberlain’s office, appointing his own chamberlain to II.
By a brief of 16 December 1926 Pio XI suppressed the prefecture of the Most Holy Apostolic Palaces and the office of chamberlain, dividing their duties between the master of the Chamber and the General Administration of Holy See (v.).
Although it still appears in the Annuario pontificio, the chamberlain’s duties are combined with those of the master of the Chamber.