Agostino Spinola

A member of the Spinola family, Agostino Spinola was born in Savona, Italy ca. 1482, the son of Giovanni Spinola, consignore of Garessio, and Petruccia Riario.[1] He was a grand-nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. He was a cousin of Cardinal Raffaele Riario.[1]

Early in his life, he was a secretary of Pope Julius II.[1]

On December 19, 1509, he was elected Bishop of Perugia.[1] He participated in the ninth through the twelfth sessions of the Fifth Council of the Lateran (1512–17).[1] He accompanied Pope Leo X on his trip to Bologna.[1]

Pope Clement VII made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of May 3, 1527.[1] He received the red hat and the titular church of San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane on August 3, 1527.[1] He was the administrator of the see of Savona from July 17, 1528 until his death.[1] He resigned the administration of Perugia in favor of his brother Carlo Spinola on February 15, 1529.[1] He was the Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from January 1, 1532 to January 8, 1533.[1] On September 5, 1534, he opted for the titular church of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine.[1]

He participated in the papal conclave of 1534 that elected Pope Paul III.[1] From May 10, 1535 until his death, he was also the administrator of the see of Altari.[1]

He died in Rome on October 18, 1537.[1] He was buried in the convent of San Domenico in Savona.[1] When that church was demolished in 1544, the marble bas-relief of his tomb was placed in the Palazzo Pozzobonello-Del Carretto.[1]

While bishop, he was the principal consecrator of:[2]

• Giacomo Simonetta, Bishop of Pesaro (1529);
• Paolo Capizucchi, Bishop of Nicastro (1535); and
• Baldo Ferratini, Bishop of Lipari (1537).