Alexander VII
Fabio Chigi · 1655 – 1667
A cultured Sienese aristocrat who patronized Bernini, clashed with Louis XIV, and condemned Jansenist propositions.
Fabio Chigi had served as papal nuncio and Secretary of State before his election in 1655. He began his pontificate with austere intentions, keeping a coffin under his bed as a reminder of death. But he soon became one of the great artistic patrons of the Baroque era, commissioning Bernini to design the colonnade of St. Peter's Square, the Scala Regia, and the Cathedra Petri. His relations with Louis XIV were disastrous; the Sun King humiliated the papacy over a diplomatic incident involving the Corsican Guard. Theologically, Alexander condemned five Jansenist propositions and confirmed that the propositions were indeed found in Cornelius Jansen's writings, a point the Jansenists had tried to evade.
The Square That Welcomes the World
Alexander's greatest legacy is something you can walk into: the colonnade of St. Peter's Square. Bernini designed it as two great arms reaching out to embrace the crowds. Alexander's patronage made it real. It remains the most recognizable Catholic space on earth.
The Jansenist Question
Jansenism made grace into something that felt like predestination and turned Catholicism into a religion of fear. Alexander said the five condemned propositions were genuinely in Jansen's book, closing a loophole the Jansenists had been exploiting. The debate wouldn't end there, but Alexander drew a clear line.