Germonio, Anastasto

Germonio, Anastasto an Italian canonist and jurist, was born in Piedmont in March 1551. He belonged to the ancient and noble family of Cena. For some reason unknown he ceased his studies at the age of thirteen, and did not resume them until he was twenty-two. He studied civil and ecclesiastical law at the University of Padua, under John Manuce and Pancirole. He then went to Turin, where he received the doctorate at the hand of Pancirole himself. He was soon after called to the chair of canonical law. Germonio accompanied Jerome, archbishop of Turin, to Rome, and enjoyed great consideration at the pontifical court under popes Sixtus V, Urban VII, Gregory XIV, Innocent IX, and Clement VIII. He was charged with compiling and annotating the Decretals. Duke Charles Emmanuel recalled him to Piedmont, and appointed him, in 1608, archbishop of Taranto, and some years later sent him as ambassador to Philip III, king of Spain. Germonio died while on this mission, at Madrid, August 4, 1627. He wrote a number of works, and published one edition at Rome in 1623. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.