Gian Francesco Albani
Encyclopedia
Gian Francesco Albani was a Roman Catholic Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

. He was a member of the Albani family
Albani (family)
The Albani were an aristocratic Roman family, members of which attained the highest dignities in the Roman Catholic Church, one, Clement XI, having been Pope. They were Albanians who originally moved to Urbino from the region of Malësi e Madhe in Albania...

.

Albani was born in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, the son of Carlo Albani, Duke of Soriano; his grand-uncle was Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...

 (Gianfrancesco Albani). Furthermore, two of his uncles Annibale Albani
Annibale Albani
Annibale Albani was an Italian Cardinal.Albani was born in Urbino, to Albanian parents. A cousin of Pope Clement XI, he became Cardinal Bishop of Sabina ....

 and Alessandro Albani were cardinals, and was himself uncle of cardinal Giuseppe Albani (with whom he was, for two years, concurrently cardinal).

In October 1740 he was made Protonotary apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...

, quickly followed by being made the vicar of the patriarchal Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major , known also by other names, is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy.There are other churches in Rome dedicated to Mary, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greater size of the...

 in March 1742. Later in the same year, in November, he was made president of the Papal chamber; and also cleric of the Apostolic Chamber less than a year later (September 1743). He further became relator of the S. C. of Indulgences and Sacred Relics in 1743.

On 10 April 1747 he was elevated to cardinal deacon in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....

 and was ceremonially elevated and given the deaconry of San Cesareo in Palatio
San Cesareo in Palatio
San Cesareo in Palatio or San Caesareo de Appia is a titular church in Rome, near the beginning of the Appian Way. It is dedicated to Saint Caesarius of Africa, a 2nd century deacon and martyr.-Origins:...

 on 15 May. He went on to receive the subdiaconate (November 1747) and the diaconate (31 March 1748). He acted as Protector of the Kingdom of Poland in Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...

. In 1758 he participated in the Papal conclave
Papal conclave, 1758
The Papal conclave, May 15 – July 6, 1758, convoked after the death of Pope Benedict XIV, was the conclave that elected Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico of Venice, who under the name of Clement XIII became 248th pope of the Catholic Church.-List of participants:...

.

He went on to the presbyteral order on 12 February 1759 over S. Clemente; and the episcopal order on 21 July 1760 over the suburbicarian see of Sabina. He further opted for the see of Porto e Santa Rufina on 17 March 1773 and Ostia e Velletri on 18 December 1775. He became Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals in March 1774. He further participated in the Papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...

s of 1769
Papal conclave, 1769
A papal conclave which lasted from 15 February to 19 May 1769 was convoked after the death of Pope Clement XIII. It elected as his successor Cardinal Lorenzo Ganganelli, who took the name Clement XIV.- Death of Clement XIII :...

, 1774–1775, and 1799–1800
Papal conclave, 1800
The Papal conclave of 1799–1800 followed the death of Pope Pius VI on 29 August 1799 and led to the selection as pope of Giorgio Barnaba Luigi Chiaramonti, who took the name Pius VII, on 14 March 1800. This conclave, the last conclave to take place outside Rome, was held in Venice...

. He was also made archpriest
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...

 of the patriarchal Liberian basilica and Prefect of the S. C. ceremonial.

His political orientation appeared to be pro-Austrian, anti-French and, with the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...

 invasion of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

 in 1798 he absconded to Naples, before moving to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 where the Papal conclave of 1800
Papal conclave, 1800
The Papal conclave of 1799–1800 followed the death of Pope Pius VI on 29 August 1799 and led to the selection as pope of Giorgio Barnaba Luigi Chiaramonti, who took the name Pius VII, on 14 March 1800. This conclave, the last conclave to take place outside Rome, was held in Venice...

 took place. He died in Rome on the 15 September 1803—his funeral was held in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella
Santa Maria in Vallicella
Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele...

, Rome and was buried in the patriarchal Liberian basilica.
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