FLANGINI, LUIGI. - Cardinal, b. in Venezia on 26 July 1733, d. there on 29 Feb. 1804. He belonged to a most noble family and held important offices with activity and zeal. He was a judge of the Quarantia, « avogador de Comun », censor, senator, councillor, and extraordinary corrector. In 1762, upon the death of his wife Laura Maria Donato, he devoted himself to the service of the Holy See, and in 1777 he was appointed auditor of the Rota for Venezia; this was the first time that the Venetian Republic made use of the privilege granted by Clemente XIII of appointing an auditor to that tribunal.
Created cardinal by Pio VI in the Consistory of 30 Aug. 1789, he received the deaconry of SS. Cosme e Damiano; after being ordained priest, he passed to the priestly order and subsequently held the titular churches of S. Marco and S. Anastasia. In 1801 he was elected patriarch of Venezia by Pio VII, but during his very brief episcopate, owing to ill health, he was unable to carry out any notable pastoral activity.
Endowed with profound humanistic learning, he published numerous works, among which may be mentioned: Annotations to the poetic crown of Quirino Telpasinio in praise of the Republic of Venezia; Poems of Bernardo Capello with annotations; Oration for the elevation of Doge Marco Foscarini; Apology of Socrates written by Plato (translated from Greek and included in Melchiorre Cesarotti’s Reasoned Course of Greek Literature); Argonauts of Apollonio Radio (verse translation with notes).