Pope Urban VII

Who was Pope Urban VII?

Pope Urban VII, born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was the head of the Catholic Church from 15 to 27 September 1590. His thirteen-day papacy was the shortest in history. He was of Genoese origin, although born in Rome. He was made Cardinal-Priest of S. Marcello in 1584. He was chosen as the successor of Pope Sixtus V on 15 September 1590, but died of malaria before coronation, making his the shortest papal reign in modern history.

He had previously served as governor of Bologna and as archbishop of Rossano, and was for many years nuncio to Spain; his election to the papacy was largely backed by the Spanish faction.

Urban VII's short passage in office gave rise to the world's first known public smoking ban, as he threatened to excommunicate anyone who "took tobacco in the porchway of or inside a church, whether it be by chewing it, smoking it with a pipe or sniffing it in powdered form through the nose".