Silvano Piovanelli was born in
Borgo San Lorenzo, in the
province of Florence, on 21 February 1924. He studied at the
seminary of
Florence from 1935 to 1947, and was
ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal
Elia Dalla Costa on 13 July 1947. He then served as a
curate in the industrial town of Rifredi until October 1948, when he became vice-
rector of
minor seminary of Florence. He resumed his pastoral ministry in 1961 as a
parish priest in
Castelfiorentino, and was raised to the rank of
Chaplain of His Holiness on 26 October 1966. Following the unexpected death of Cardinal Benelli in October 1982, Piovanelli was promoted to
Archbishop of Florence on 18 March 1983. Days before his death, he was telephoned by
Pope Francis on the pontiff's visit to the city. His funeral Mass was celebrated in the late afternoon of 12 July 2016 by cardinal
Giuseppe Betori and his remains were buried in Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. ==References==