Fraknói Research Group Represented at International Conference on Barberini Rome
Between 10 and 12 June 2026, the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani, the Fondazione Camillo Caetani di Sermoneta, and the Biblioteca di Storia Moderna e Contemporanea jointly hosted an international conference in Rome entitled Dal trionfo al tracollo? La Roma barberiniana e il mondo (1623–1644) (“From Triumph to Collapse? Barberini Rome and the World, 1623–1644”).
At this prestigious scholarly gathering, Péter Tusor, Leader of the Fraknói Research Group, delivered a paper entitled Tra politica e religione. L'episcopato ungherese e la questione della residenza vescovile sotto Urbano VIII (“Between Politics and Religion: the Hungarian Episcopate and the Question of Episcopal Residence under Urban VIII”).
In his presentation, Tusor examined how the issue of episcopal residence became intertwined with the political conflicts between the Holy See and the Habsburg Monarchy during the pontificate of Pope Urban VIII. Particular attention was devoted to the cases of Cardinals Gaspare Borgia and Péter Pázmány between 1632 and 1634, and especially to the controversy surrounding György Lippay between 1638 and 1642. The latter case gave rise to a prolonged diplomatic struggle between Rome and the Viennese court over whether the bishop could remain in Vienna while serving as chancellor. These episodes vividly illustrate how, in the seventeenth century, political considerations frequently overrode canonical principles on both sides and contributed to the strengthening of a specifically Hungarian ecclesiological outlook that emphasized the autonomous, “Apostolic” character of the Hungarian Church rooted in the legacy of Saint Stephen.
The conference, dedicated to the Barberini era, was held at three distinguished Roman venues: the Aventine headquarters of the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani, well known to members of the Research Group; the sixteenth-century Palazzo Caetani near Piazza Argentina, home of the Fondazione Camillo Caetani; and the imposing Palazzo Mattei, which houses the Biblioteca di Storia Moderna e Contemporanea.
International scholarly cooperation in Rome remains a priority for the Fraknói Research Group. Thanks to nearly two decades of active collaboration with leading Italian institutions—including the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani and the Università degli Studi della Tuscia—the Group has participated in numerous joint research initiatives, international conferences (most recently in Budapest in 2018 and in Rome in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025), and collaborative publications. Several of these volumes now appear within the Storia d'Ungheria – History of Hungary series, launched in 2025 by Edizioni Sette Città.
The conference programme may be consulted here, while the written handout of the lecture is available here.
A recording of Péter Tusor’s lecture, delivered in Italian, can be accessed below.
