mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

Eleanor Herman
Ridolfi, general of the Dominicans and a friend of her deceased uncle,
placed her immediately in the Monastery of Saint Sixtus outside Rome
to prevent her being kidnapped and forced to marry a man who could
then claim her wealth.
The Barberinis had their eye on her, and while they were figuring
out which young family member she would marry, they instructed the
abbots that she was not to receive any visitors whatsoever. However,
Father Ridolfi, looking out for the girl’s best interests, arranged a marriage
with the heir to the Borghese fortune. The handsome Prince
Paolo, sixteen, also belonged to a papal family. His grand-uncle Paul V
(reigned 1605–1621) had siphoned off untold riches from the Vatican
coffers, most of which had descended to the young man. In addition to
owning the principality of Sulmona and several palaces, Paolo reportedly
had four million gold pieces stashed in his house. One day Father
Ridolfi secretly took the princess bride from the monastery to marry the
young prince.
A few days later, Donna Costanza Magalotti, the mother of the Barberini
cardinals and Prince Taddeo, arrived at the monastery to claim
the girl. To her grinding chagrin, she found that the heiress had gone,
and worse, that she was already married. A luscious fortune had slipped
from the Barberini hands while they dillydallied. There was nothing
they could do other than fire Father Ridolfi from his post as Dominican
general.
The young couple moved into the Villa Borghese, surrounded by extensive
gardens, orchards, fountains, aviaries, and a zoo, on a hill just
outside the main gate of Rome. It was also known as the Villa del Sale—
the salt villa—because Paul V had put a tax on salt to pay for it. The villa
was not a home so much as a museum, built by Cardinal Nephew Scipione
Borghese to showcase the sculptures and paintings that he had
begged, borrowed, bought, and stolen. From his uncle’s election in 1605
to Scipione’s death in 1633, whenever men digging holes came across a
gorgeous statue or elegant mosaic, messengers raced to him with the
news. Scipione, in turn, raced to buy the new discovery.
In addition to his ancient works of art, he had bought paintings by
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