A member of the
House of della Rovere, Cristoforo della Rovere was born in
Turin on 13 June 1434, the son of Giovanni della Rovere and Anna del Pozo. His younger brother,
Domenico della Rovere, also became a cardinal. He was educated at the
University of Bologna, receiving a
doctorate in
law. He then became a
jurisconsult and a
protonotary apostolic. On 3 August 1472, he was elected
Archbishop of Tarentaise.
Pope Sixtus IV confirmed his appointment on 15 September 1472, and he subsequently occupied the see until his death. The Pope later made him Governor of the ''
Castel Sant'Angelo'' in
Rome. In the
consistory of 10 December 1477, Pope Sixtus IV made him a
cardinal priest. On 12 December 1477, he received the
titular church of
San Vitale and the Pope dispatched one of the
conservators of Rome to the ''Castel Sant'Angelo'' to give him the
red hat. He was already ill when he became a cardinal and died shortly thereafter in Rome on 1 February 1478. He is buried in
Santa Maria del Popolo. ==References==