MICHELE MAZZARINO (1605-1648) Autograph letter signed ‘M. Archbishop of Aix’. Castelfiorentino, 15th August 1645.

fol. 2 p. Some ink damage. Michele Mazzarino, the younger brother of the French Cardinal Minister Jules Mazarin, studied theology in Rome and Bologna. Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence from 1645 until his death, he was appointed on the recommendation of his brother, who entirely controlled his career in order to serve French interests: he was thus appointed ambassador to Rome and, in 1647, was granted the cardinal’s hat (Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere). Recalled by Jules Mazarin, he was sent as viceroy to Catalonia. Michele, together with the architect Jean Lombard, designed the district of Aix-en-Provence that bears his name, a remarkable example of 17th- and 18th-century architecture.