Marco Antonio Colonna (1523–1597) was anItalianRoman Catholicbishop andcardinal.
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A member of theColonna family, Marco Antonio Colonna was born inRome in 1523, the son of Romannobles Camillo Colonna and Vittoria Colonna.[1] He was the grand-nephew of CardinalPompeo Colonna.[1] He studiedphilosophy andChristian theology under Felice Peretti, who becamePope Sixtus V in 1585.[1]
On 9 July 1560 he was elected to beArchbishop of Taranto.[1] He was active in theCouncil of Trent in 1562-63.[1]
Pope Pius IV made him acardinal priest in theconsistory of 12 March 1565.[1] He received thered hat and thetitular church ofSanti Apostoli on 15 May 1565.[1]
He participated in thepapal conclave of 1565-66 that electedPope Pius V.[1] On 13 October 1568 he was transferred to themetropolitan see of Salerno.[1] In 1572 he participated in thepapal conclave that electedPope Gregory XIII.[1] He resigned the government of the Archdiocese of Salerno sometime before 25 June 1574.[1]
During theJubilee of 1575, he opened theholy door of theArchbasilica of St. John Lateran.[1] He was theCamerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 8 January 1579 to 8 January 1580.[1] On 5 December 1580 he opted for the titular church ofSan Pietro in Vincoli.[1] He was namedpapal legate inMarche on 25 October 1581.[1]
He participated in thepapal conclave of 1585 that electedPope Sixtus V.[1] On 13 October 1586 he opted for the titular church ofSan Lorenzo in Lucina upon became cardinalprotopriest.[1] Under Pope Sixtus V, he was aprefect of theSacred Congregation of the Index.[1] On 11 May 1587 he opted for the order ofcardinal bishops, taking thesuburbicarian see of Palestrina.[1] He was namedpapal legate to theCampagne and Maritime Province on 13 May 1587.[1]
He was a participant in the1st papal conclave of 1590 that electedPope Urban VII; the2nd papal conclave of 1590 that electedPope Gregory XIV; thepapal conclave of 1591 that electedPope Innocent IX; and thepapal conclave of 1592 that electedPope Clement VIII.[1] He was the Librarian of theVatican Library from 1591 to 1597.[1]
He died inZagarolo on 13 March 1597.[1] He was buried in theFranciscan church there.[1]
While bishop, he was theprincipal consecrator ofLelio Giordano,Bishop of Acerno (1570) andCésar Alamagna Cardona,Bishop of Cava (1572); and theprincipal co-consecrator ofGabriele Paleotti,Bishop of Bologna (1566).[2]
