Opening of the 1799–1800 Papal Conclave
- When
- 1799
- Where
- Benedictine San Giorgio Monastery, Venice; the conclave in Venice
- Episodes
- 2
The 1799–1800 papal conclave opened on 30 November 1799 in Venice, held at the Benedictine San Giorgio Monastery, where voting took place in the night chapel. The venue followed Pius VI's 1798 ordinance after his death on 29 August 1799. The cardinals initially deadlocked between Bellisomi and Mattei.
Episodes
- Conclave opens in Venice
The conclave to elect Pius VI's successor began on 30 November 1799 at San Giorgio Monastery in Venice, with voting in the night chapel.
- Herzan's credentials not yet presented
By 28 December 1799, Cardinal Herzan had not presented his credentials as Imperial plenipotentiary, leaving him without special status.
Background and detail
Background. Pius VI died on 29 August 1799 at the citadel of Valence, having been removed by the French through Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble after the proclamation of the Roman Republic. An ordinance issued by Pius VI in 1798 established that when a conclave could not be held in Rome, it would be held in the city with the greatest number of cardinals.
Venue and Opening. The Benedictine San Giorgio Monastery in Venice was chosen as the conclave's location, with voting held in its night chapel. The conclave began on 30 November 1799, convened to elect a successor to Pius VI. The assembled cardinals soon faced a stalemate between Bellisomi and Mattei that lasted until March 1800.
Early Conclave Developments. By 28 December 1799, Cardinal Herzan had not yet presented his credentials as Imperial plenipotentiary to the College of Cardinals, and thus had no special status within the conclave. The deadlock between the supporters of Bellisomi and Mattei persisted through the opening months.
People involved
- Pius VI · deceased pope whose death necessitated the conclave
- Cardinal Herzan · Imperial plenipotentiary who had not presented credentials by 28 December 1799
- Bellisomi · cardinal candidate in the early conclave stalemate
- Mattei · cardinal candidate in the early conclave stalemate
Sources
- 1799–1800 conclave Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-19
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.