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Camillo Serafini (April 21, 1864 – March 21, 1952) was an Italian Marquis and the first and only Governor of Vatican City, from 11 February 1929 to 21 March 1952. "Milestones", Time, 31 March 1952 He was also notable as a numismatist.
In 1898, Serafini was appointed as curator of the numismatic collections of the Vatican Library. He published a catalogue of the Vatican collections between 1910 and 1928. Vatican City Foreign Policy and Government Guide, Volume 1 (2013), "Strategic Information and Developments", p. 287 He was also president of the Circolo San Pietro, a support organization for the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
Pope Pius XI appointed Serafini as Governor of Vatican City in 1929, on the foundation of the State, and he remained in office until his death in 1952. Pius XI built the Governor's Palace in the Vatican Gardens to house the Governor's administration."Governatorato" in Anthony Lo Bello, The Origins of Catholic Words: A Discursive Dictionary Catholic University of America Press, 2020), p. 226
In 1929, it fell to Serafini to welcome the king and queen of Italy when they visited the Vatican."Italian Sovereigns Visit the Vatican", Northern Whig (Antrim, Northern Ireland), Friday 6 December 1929 , p. 7: "The Sovereigns were welcomed by Cominendator Serafini, Governor of the Vatican city..."
In December 1934, Pius XI ordered Serafini to reorganize the civil administration of the Vatican City and gave him absolute legislative powers for six months,William E. Lingelbach, "Italy's Battle for the Lira", Current History Vol. 41, No. 5 (University of California Press, February 1935), pp. 619-622 reported by The New York Times under the headline "Dictator named for Vatican City". "Dictator Named for Vatican City; Pope Gives Marquis Serafini Full Civil Powers to Reorganize State", The New York Times, 1 January 1935
As governor, Serafini signed the convention of 6 September 1932 between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy. Trattati e convenzioni fra il Regno d'Italia e gli altri Stati (1936), p. 561 In 1943, he signed with the German-controlled Italian Social Republic the guarantee of extraterritoriality for religious buildings not included in the Lateran Treaty.Andrea Riccardi, L'Inverno più lungo: 1943-44: Pio XII, gli ebrei e i nazisti a Roma (Laterza, 2012), p. 123
On 20 December 1939, the king and queen of Italy made a further state visit to the Vatican, and Serafini read an address to welcome them."Picturesque Procession", Express and Echo (Devon, England), Thursday 21 December 1939, p. 1
In 1950, Charles H. Doyle described Serafini as "a colorful layman" who was a frequent visitor to Pope Pius XII. Charles Hugo Doyle, A Day with the Pope (1950), p. 18: "A colorful layman is a frequent visitor to the Holy Father. He is the Governor of Vatican City, Marchese Camillo Serafini."
Serafini died in Rome of angina pectoris on March 21, 1952, aged 88.
The office of Governor of Vatican City was brought to an end by Pope Pius XII on the death of Serafini, and its functions were transferred to the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.Charles D. Pettibone, The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume VI: "Italy and France Including the Neutral Countries of San Marino, Vatican" (Trafford Publishing, 2010), p. 231
The marquis was a cousin of Cardinal Domenico Serafini, who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith between 1916 and 1918.
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