Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere

Fra' Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere (10 July 1866 - 14 November 1951) was the 76th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 1931 to 1951.

Chigi was born in Ariccia, the son of Prince Mario Chigi della Rovere Albani, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and of his wife, Princess Antoinette zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn. His father's family the Chigi-Albani was among the most prominent princely families of Rome.

On 5 June 1893, in Rome, Chigi married Donna Anna Aldobrandini, daughter of Pietro, Prince Aldobrandini, Prince of Sarsina, and of his wife, Françoise Charlotte Victorine Marie de La Rochefoucauld. They had two children:

Chigi's wife died 17 September 1898.

On 4 November 1914, Chigi's father died and he succeeded as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, 8th Prince of Farnese and Campagnano, 4th Prince of Soriano, 8th Duke of Ariccia and of Formello, Marquess of Magliano Pecorareccio, Hereditary Marshall of the Holy Roman Church and Guardian of the Conclave. Chigi was responsible for three papal conclaves.[1] He was an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.[1]

On 30 May 1931, Chigi was elected Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[2] Under his leadership the order engaged in large-scale hospitaller and charitable activities during World War II. In 1947 he was appointed president of an international committee to oversee the rebuilding of the Abbey of Monte Cassino.[3]

Chigi died in Rome of a heart attack at the age of 85.[1]

Ancestry

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Prince Ludovico, 85, of Knights of Malta", New York Times (November 15, 1951), 29.
  2. ↑ "Prince Chigi Heads Knights of Malta", New York Times (May 31, 1931), 14.
  3. ↑ "Rebuilding Abbey of Monte Cassino", The Times (April 3, 1947), 4.
Preceded by
Galeazzo von Thun und Hohenstein		 Grand Master of the Order of Malta
1931–1951 		Succeeded by
Angelo de Mojana di Cologna