SAVELLI, FAMILY. - It appears in history with Aimerico, who was the father of CENCIO, papal chamberlain and cardinal of S. Lucia in Silice in 1192, later Pope Honorius III (v.); at the same time another CENCIO S. was cardinal priest of S. Lorenzo in Lucina from 1191, was consecrated bishop of Porto by Honorius III in 1217, and died the following year. Erroneously there were assigned (cf. Eubel, I, p. 2 ff.) to this family a Tommaso, cardinal of S. Sabina (1216-43), and a Bertrando, legate in France (d. 1223).
In 1368 the S. succeeded the Pierleoni in possession of the Theater of Marcellus (Monte Savello); they had their residence near S. Sabina on the Aventine, which they fortified as a castle, and houses in Parione (vicolo S.); outside the city they held dominion over Albano, Castelgandolfo, Ariccia and the surrounding places, at Rignano, Cesano (Civita Castellana), Scrofano, Turrita (Nepi), Castelleone and Monteverde (Sabina), Palombara.
They had their burial places at the Aracoeli and at S. Alessio on the Aventine.
LUCA S., nephew of Honorius III, senator of Rome, was the head of the popular uprising of 1234, for which he was excommunicated and removed from office by Gregory IX. He died in 1266 and was buried at the Aracoeli. His sons by Vanna Aldobrandesca were GIACOMO, cardinal deacon of Urban IV on 17 Dec. 1261 and later Pope Honorius IV (v.), PANDOLFO, podestà of Viterbo in 1275 and senator of Rome, who stood at Honorius's side in ensuring tranquillity and order; GIOVANNI, who was at Viterbo guardian of the Conclave in 1270 and was created by Gregory X marshal of the Church and guardian of the conclave; he also served Charles of Anjou and received from him the county of Venafro.
In the struggles of Boniface VIII the S. sided with the Colonna; but in the 14th century they stood for the Church and took part in the government of the City; GIACOMO was senator and vicar of King Robert of Anjou; likewise his son GIOVANNI, who also appears as marshal of the Church. PAOLO was a man of arms and died at Venice in 1405.
The S. family returned to the Sacred College with GIOVANNI BATTISTA, who, created cardinal deacon by Sixtus IV on 15 May 1480 despite the opposition of the Orsini, was legate of Perugia on 16 June 1480 and sent to Genoa (2 Dec. 1480 - 30 June 1481) on the occasion of the discords of that city and of the preparation of the fleet against the Turk. Placed in Castel S. Angelo on 21 June 1482 and held as a hostage in the Pope's disputes with the Colonna, together with Cardinal Prospero Colonna, he did not leave it until 15 Nov. 1483. He was then, under Innocent VIII, legate in Ancona (1484) and at Spoleto (31 Aug. 1492). In the Conclave of Alexander VII he sided with the Borgia and held in commendam the bishopric of Majorca (31 Aug. 1492 - 27 March 1493) and the legation of Bologna. He died at Castel Gandolfo on 18 Sept. 1498 and was buried at the Aracoeli; his brother MARIANO had commanded the papal militias under Sixtus IV.
GIOVANNI BATTISTA of Palombara fought for Clement VII against the Colonna and was viceroy of Abruzzo for Charles V; under Paul III he fought against Perugia, was head of the cavalry against Ascanio Colonna and was with the papal troops in Germany in 1546; he died at Florence in
1574). Legate in the Marca in 1557, he was summoned by Paul IV to be part of the Inquisition of Oct. 1557 (Pastor, V, pp. 484 and 487). With Pius IV in 1560 he began to be vicar of Rome, attended to the founding of the Roman Seminary and to the execution of the reforms ordered by the Council of Trent; and in this task he continued under Pius V, who held him in particular consideration, and under Gregory XIII. He died bishop of Porto on 5 Dec. 1587.
SILVIO S. of Ariccia, formerly cubicularius of Gregory XIII, bishop of Rossano then patriarch of Constantinople (28 March 1594) and vice-legate of Avignon, was created cardinal by Clement VIII on 5 June 1596, but by 22 Jan. 1599 he was already dead.
GIULIO of the Albano branch, nuncio in Savoy, was created cardinal by Paul V on 2 Dec. 1615; legate at Bologna in 1619; by appointment of the King of Spain he received the archbishopric of Salerno on 28 Jan. 1630 and held it until 15 Sept. 1642; meanwhile he had become bishop of Frascati on 28 March 1639; he died in the Curia in July 1644.
His nephew FABRIZIO, who was archbishop of Salerno following his uncle's resignation (15 Sept. 1642), was created cardinal on 7 Oct. 1647, then legate at Bologna (15 Jan. 1648); he died in the Curia on 26 Feb. 1659. The last of the S. cardinals was PAOLO, created on 14 Jan. 1664, who died in the Curia on 11 Sept. 1685. With his brother GIULIO, who died in 1712 at the age of 87, the family died out in all its branches; his daughter MARGHERITA carried its property and rights into the Sforza-Cesarini. However, because of debts the S. had had to sell Castel Gandolfo to the Apostolic Camera in Dec. 1596 (Pastor, XI, p. 625) and Albano in 1650 to the Panfili, and Ariccia to the Chigi in 1661. By virtue of their office as marshals they kept the "Corte Savella," by which they judged laymen guilty of no grave offenses and maintained there judges, notaries and a few bailiffs. To change the prison regime, Innocent X had taken from the S. the court with its related prisons between Monserrato and Via Giulia in 1652 and built there the New Prisons, which were completed by Alexander VII in 1655, and with this the Corte Savella ceased to exist. The office of marshal passed to the Chigi in 1712.
Bibliography3 works
Pio Paschini