| Papal conclave April 1455 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 4–8 April 1455 Apostolic Palace, Papal States | |
| Key officials | |
| Dean | Giorgio Fieschi |
| Camerlengo | Ludovico Trevisan |
| Protopriest | Domenico Capranica |
| Protodeacon | Prospero Colonna |
| Elected pope | |
| Alfons de Borja Name taken: Callixtus III | |
.jpg) | |
The 1455 papal conclave (April 4–8) elected Cardinal Alfons Borja Pope Callixtus III following the death of Pope Nicholas V. The conclave was the first in the Apostolic Palace, the site of all but five papal conclaves thereafter.[1][2] The conclave was also the first to feature accessus voting (votes cast in accessit), derived from a practice of the Roman Senate, where a cardinal could change their vote after an unsuccessful scrutiny to any cardinal already receiving votes.[3]
The early defeat of Greek Cardinal Basilios Bessarion—a potential compromise candidate between the Colonna and Orsini factions—is a notable display of the lingering antipathy towards certain characteristics of the Eastern church, such as bearded priests, centuries after the East-West Schism. Although Western canon law had prohibited beards for priests since at least the eleventh century, the issue would continue to be debated well into the sixteenth century.[4]
- ^ Chambers, DS. 1978. "Papal Conclaves and Prophetic Mystery in the Sistine Chapel". Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 41: 322-326.
- ^ Pham, John-Peter. 2004. Heirs of the Fisherman. p. 85.
- ^ Rotberg, Robert I. 2001. Politics and political change. p. 62.
- ^ Fisher, Will. 2006. Materializing gender in early modern English literature and culture. p. 100.