Giacomo Antonio Acquaviva

Giacomo Antonio Acquaviva was the son of Italian nobleman Belisario Acquaviva, the Marchese di Nardò.[1] The church of Nardò remained uninterruptedly under the jurisdiction of the Acquaviva family, then Lords of the City. Giacomo Antonio Acquaviva was only 17 years old when appointed Bishop of Nardò by Pope Leo X on 20 February 1521. Although he served as "bishop-elect", he was never officially installed nor consecrated.[2] The story was that, although a pious man, he had an affair early in his bishopric and the church allowed him to continue in his position due to the influence of his father but refused to consecrate him.[1]

He served as Bishop of Nardò until his resignation in 1532[3][4] at the insistence of his father after his affair was publicly revealed.[1] He fled to Naples with his lover, where they were married. After the marriage he settled in Naples where he lived until the rest of his life in the midst of high society and the aristocracy of his time. He was always correct, loved and practiced religion and works of charity deeply, especially the help to the poor. He died on December 31, 1568.

His brother, Giovanni Battista Acquaviva, was appointed as Bishop of Nardò 4 years later.[2]

• Catholic Church in Italy

• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.

• Cheney, David M. "Diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. (for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}
• Chow, Gabriel. "Diocese of Nardò-Gallipoli (Italy)". GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.(for Chronology of Bishops) ^{[self-published]}