Venerable Caesar Baronius

Cesare Baronio, C.O. (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian Oratorian, cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his Annales Ecclesiastici ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), which appeared in 12 folio volumes (1588–1607). He is under consideration for sainthood and, in 1745, Pope Benedict XIV declared him "Venerable". Cesare Baronio was born in the Duchy of Sora (present day Sora in Italy) on 31 October 1538, the only child of Camillo Baronio and his wife Porzia Febonia. His family was of Neapolitan origin. Baronio was educated at Veroli and Naples, where he commenced his law studies in October 1556. Because of the fear of an imminent French invasion, he left Naples on 29 October 1557, and traveled to Rome, where he continued his legal studies and obtained a doctorate in utroque iure in 1561. He took up residence in a house on the Piazza Duca, now the Piazza Farnese, not far from the church of San Girolamo della Carità, where Philip Neri lived. Baronio was soon drawn to the circle of Philip Neri, who opened a meeting place for churchmen and laity who were interested in intellectual discussions on religion and philosophy. The Bible, church reform, ethics, and liturgy were some of the main themes of their evening discussions. Among those who frequented the evening meetings at Neri's residence were some of the most influential church leaders of the Counter-Reformation - Charles Borromeo, Federico Borromeo, Jacopo Sadoleto, and Gian Matteo Giberti, to name a few. Contacts with such illustrious humanist-reformers and the charismatic Neri brought about a dramatic change in the young Baronio. As a result he switched his main interest from law to theology. In 1557 Baronio became a member of the Congregation of the Oratory founded by Philip Neri, and was ordained to the subdiaconate on 21 December 1560 and to the diaconate on 20 May 1561. Ordination to the priesthood followed in 1564.