LUIGI FLANGINI. — Cardinal, born in Venice on 26 July 1733, died there on 29 February 1804. He belonged to a most noble family and held important offices with zeal and diligence. He served as giudice della quarantina, avogador de Comun, censor, senator, consigliere, and correttore straordinario. In 1762, upon the death of his wife Laura Maria Donato, he dedicated himself to the service of the Holy See, and in 1777 he was appointed auditor of the Rota for Venice, marking the first time the Venetian Republic availed itself of the privilege granted by Clement XIII to nominate an auditor to that tribunal.
Created cardinal by Pius VI in the Consistory of 30 August, he was assigned the deaconry of SS. Cosma e Damiano; upon his priestly ordination, he was transferred to the order of priests and subsequently held the titular churches of S. Marco and S. Anastasia. In 1807 he was elected patriarch of Venice by Pius VII, but during his very brief episcopate he was unable, due to frail health, to carry out significant pastoral activity.
Endowed with profound humanistic culture, he published numerous works, including: Ammazzioni alla corona poetica di Quirino Telpisino in lode della Repubblica di Venezia; Rime di Bernardo Capello con annotazioni; Orazione per l'esaltamento del doge Marco Foscanini; Apologia di Socrate scritta da Platone (translated from the Greek, included in the Corso ragionato di letteratura greca by Melchiorre Cesarotti); Argonauti di Apollonio Rodio (translated into verse with notes).