BARBARIGO, MARCO ANTONIO. – Cardinal, archbishop of Corfu from 1678 to 1685, bishop of Montefiascone and Corneto (Tarquinia) from 1687 to 1706. Born in Venice to Agostino and Chiara Barbarigo on 6 March 1640, he died at Montefiascone on 26 May 1706. At the age of twenty-five he entered the Great Council; but his inclination toward a more perfect life led him to enter the priesthood in 1671. The blessed Gregorio Barbarigo, a distant relative of his, summoned him, appointed him a canon of the cathedral of Padua, and under his guidance he became a zealous and charitable priest. He accompanied the blessed Gregorio to the Conclave in 1676 and, at the wish of Innocent XI, remained with him in Rome for more than a year. When the see of Corfu became vacant, he was elected to it and took possession on 24 September 1678.
The tranquil and fruitful administration of B. was interrupted in 1685 by a serious incident provoked by Francesco Morosini, commander-in-chief of the Venetian fleet; the Republic condemned the archbishop, confiscated his property, and forced him to take refuge in Rome. Once the matter had been clarified, Innocent XI appointed B. cardinal (2 September 1686) and then bishop of the united sees of Montefiascone and Corneto (Tarquinia), of which he took possession on 20 October 1687. His gifts of administration earned him the reputation of another Carlo Borromeo, a reputation that remains immortalized above all by two grandiose works. The first is the celebrated “Barbarigo” seminary, in which he promoted sound learning, generously endowing it and enriching it with a magnificent library. The second was the establishment of the Institute of Schools and Pious Teachers for girls of the people, who for the most part grew up without instruction or a genuine Christian education. For this purpose he enlisted the help of the venerable Rosa Venerini, founder of the Pious Teachers of Viterbo, who opened about ten schools in the principal centers of the diocese and trained a good number of teachers, among them s. Lucia Filippini (v.), who later, at Venerini’s direct proposal, became superior of the institute at Montefiascone. The indefatigable bishop earned the special praise of Clement XI and of his contemporaries, who regarded him as a saint. The cause of his beatification and canonization is in fact being prepared.