Marco Cornaro (cardinal)

A member of the House of Cornaro, Marco Cornaro was born in Venice in 1482, the son of Giorgio Cornaro and Elisabetta Morosini.[1] He was the nephew of Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus.[1] He was ordained a priest by Pope Clement VII.[2] His older brother Francesco Cornaro was also a cardinal.[1] Early in his life, Marco Cornaro was a protonotary apostolic.[1]

Pope Alexander VI made Cornaro a cardinal deacon in the consistory of 28 September 1500.[1] He received the deaconry of Santa Maria in Campitelli on 5 October 1500.[1]

He arrived in Rome on 1 September 1503 and then participated in both the papal conclave of September 1503 that elected Pope Pius III, and the papal conclave of October 1503 that elected Pope Julius II.[1]

On 29 November 1503 he became apostolic administrator of the see of Verona, occupying this post to his death.[1] He was elected Bishop of Famagusta on 11 December 1503; he resigned this see on 1 July 1504.[1] In July 1506, he was named titular Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, holding this see until 30 October 1507, and then again from 11 June 1521 until his death.[1] In January 1511, he accompanied Pope Julius II during the siege of Mirandola.[1] The pope then named him papal legate to the Patrimonium Sancti Petri, holding this position until 1514.[1] He was also involved in the negotiations to reconcile the Republic of Venice with Pope Julius II.[1]

He participated in the papal conclave of 1513 that elected Pope Leo X.[1] On 19 March 1513 he opted for the deaconry of Santa Maria in Via Lata.[1]

During the Fifth Council of the Lateran, he served on the Commission of Reform.[1]

He became a canon of Treviso Cathedral on 23 April 1513.[1] On 11 December 1513 he became chancellor of the metropolitan see of Nicosia.[1] On 4 April 1514, he was elected Bishop of Nemosia; he resigned this see on 22 March 1516.[1] On 9 March 1517 he became Bishop of Padua, occupying that see until his death.[1] On 4 November 1517 he became a member of the commission of cardinals on war with the Ottoman Empire.[1] He became administrator of the see of Nardò and legate to the Patrimonium Sancti Petri on 24 January 1519, holding this office until 20 February 1521.[1]

He became cardinal protodeacon on 20 December 1520.[1] He participated in the papal conclave of 1521–22 that elected Pope Adrian VI.[1] As cardinal protodeacon, he announced Adrian VI's election to the people of Rome on 9 January 1522 and crowned the pope in the papal coronation held in St. Peter's Basilica on 31 January 1522.[1]

He participated in the papal conclave of 1523 that elected Pope Clement VII.[1] As cardinal protodeacon, he crowned the new pope on 26 November 1523.[1] Cardinal Cornaro was one of three cardinals whom the new pope named to inquire about the Lutherans.[1]

On 14 December 1523 he opted for the order of cardinal priests and the titular church of San Marco.[1] On 20 May 1524 he opted for the order of cardinal bishops and the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano.[1] He opted for the Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrina on 15 June 1524.[1]

He died in Venice on 24 July 1524.[1] He was initially buried in the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.[1] In 1570, his remains, along with those of the other cardinals of his family, were transferred to St Mark's Basilica.[1]