Pietro Gasparri
cardinal of the Catholic Church (1852–1934)
Pietro Gasparri (5 May 1852 – 18 November 1934) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as a diplomat and politician in the Roman Curia, including as the Vatican signatory of the Lateran Treaty. He also served as Cardinal Secretary of State under Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI.
Biography
Early life
Gasparri was born on 5 May 1852 in Capovallazza di Ussita, a small village in the Apennine Mountains in central Italy (in the modern province of Macerata, then part of the Papal States). His parents were Bernardino Gasparri and Giovanna Sili. The youngest of 10 children born to a family of shepherds, Pietro was the favorite.
His cousin went on to become Cardinal Augusto Silj.
Pietro was a weak and sickly child, while his 9 siblings were strong and vivacious; some thought that he would not live long. His father would often sleep in the fields with the sheep, and Pietro entertained the family by reading stories of saints as the family was gathered by the warmth of the hearth. They would all be brought to tears as they listened to the stories of the martyrs. Pietro's mother had the "gift of tears", which she gave to all her children, especially Pietro, according to his memoir.
Canonical scholar and curial diplomat
He was for many years the head of the Department of Canon Law at the Catholic University of Paris, where he was a professor from 1880 to 1898.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Pietro Gasparri” is cardinal of the Catholic Church (1852–1934). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Pietro, Gasparri and cardinal, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “cardinal of the Catholic Church (1852–1934)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q44905. VIAF identifies the subject as 49267224. The Library of Congress control number is n88070750. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1852, 1934, 1880 and 1898.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Pietro Gasparri”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Pietro Gasparri primary sources, Pietro Gasparri archive and Pietro research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Pietro Gasparri”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Pietro Gasparri” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.