Birth. June 20, 1796, Sinnai, archdiocese of Cagliari, Sardinia.
Education. University of Cagliari, Cagliari, 1815-1818 (doctorate in law); Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles, Rome, 1818; La Sapienza University, Rome (doctorate in utroque iuris, both civil and canon law, December 4, 1826).
Priesthood. Ordained, December 24, 1826. Domestic prelate of His Holiness. Protonotary apostolic supernumerary. Canon of the cathedral chapter of Cagliari. Vice-legate in Bologna, 1819; in Benevento, 1822; in Spoleto, 1823; in Rieti, 1825.
Episcopate. Elected titular archbishop of Nicea, April 9, 1827. Consecrated, April 22, 1827, Rome, by Cardinal Giuseppe Spina. Nuncio in Sicily, April 24, 1827. Nuncio in Spain, November 13, 1832; expelled in 1835 when the diplomatic relations were broken.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of May 19, 1837; received the red hat, May 22, 1837; and the title of S. Maria in Via, October 2, 1837. Apostolic legate in Ravenna, December 19, 1837. Prefect of economy of the S.C. of Propaganda Fide, December 26, 1843. Participated in the conclave of 1846, which elected Pope Pius IX. Apostolic legate in Bologna, December 22, 1846. Commissary extraordinary of four legations, August 17, 1848. Ceased as legate in Bologna, October 28, 1848. Opted for the order of cardinal bishops and the suburbicarian see of Palestrina, March 15, 1852. Vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, sommista of apostolic letters, and commendatario of the title of S. Lorenzo in Damaso, September 27, 1852 until his death. Archpriest of the patriarchal Liberian basilica, September 21, 1867. Opted for the suburbicarian see of Porto e Santa Rufina, October 8, 1870. As dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, opted for the suburbicarian see of Ostia and Velletri, March 12, 1877. Prefect of the S.C. Ceremonial. Participated in the conclave of 1878, which elected Pope Leo XIII.
Death. March 30, 1878, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Maria in Vallicella, Rome, and buried, temporarily, in Campo Verano cemetery, Rome. Transferred to the church of S. Lorenzo in Damaso, Rome.
Bibliography. Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 29, 43 and 282; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VIII (1846-1903). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1979, pp. 44.
(35) 2. MAI, Angelo (1782-1854)
Birth. March 7, 1782, Schilpario, diocese of Bergamo.
Education. First studies Schilpario and Clusone; Seminary of Bergamo, Bergamo, 1796-1797. Entered the Society of Jesus in Colorno, Parma, 1799. Jesuit houses of study in Naples (1804); Orvieto and Collegio Romano, Rome.
Priesthood. Ordained, October 10, 1806, Orvieto. Scrittore of Oriental languages, at the Ambrosian Library, Milan, August 9, 1810 until 1819. Left the Society in 1819 at the Pope's request and with the authorization of the superior general of the order. Custodian of the Vatican Library from the end of 1819 until April 15, 1833. Secretary of the S.C. of Propaganda Fide, April 15, 1833. Consultor of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, May 1, 1833.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal and reserved in pectore in the consistory of May 19, 1837; published in the consistory of February 12, 1838; received the red hat and the title of S. Anastasia, February 15, 1838. Prefect of the S.C. of the Index, March 11, 1843 until 1848. Honorary member of the Division of Historical Sciences and Philology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, December 16, 1843. Participated in the conclave of 1846, which elected Pope Pius IX. Prefect of the S.C. of the Tridentine Council, 1851 until July 1853. Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, June 27, 1853. A celebrated philologist and paleographer, considered one of the most learned men of his time, he continued his research and publications until his death.
Death. September 9, 1854, Castelgandolfo, diocese of Albano. Exposed and buried in his title.
Bibliography Del Re, Niccolò. "I cardinali prefetti della Sacra Congregazione del Concilio dalle origini ad oggi (1564-1964)." Apollinaris, XXXVII (1964), pp. 136-137; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 29 and 40.
Links. Biography, in English; another biography, in German; his portrait in the Vatican Library; and his tomb by Giovanni Maria Benzoni, S. Anastasia, Rome.
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