Angelo Mai

Italian ecclesiastic, a Roman Catholic priest, cardinal and classical scholar. He discovered and published many valuable manuscripts, and one of his most acclaimed finds was Cicero’s "De republica," 1822.

At an early age, Mai entered the Society of Jesus. In 1799, he was a novice, and in 1804, he was sent to Naples. Due to his proficiency in deciphering and identifying the origin of ancient writings, he was sent to work in the Ambrosian Library in Milan in 1811 where he made his initial discoveries. The unveiling of these texts drew worldwide attention to Mai, and in 1819, he left the Society at the request of the Pope to continue his work at the Vatican Library.

Mai was criticized for being unwilling to share his literary finds as he much preferred to enjoy them alone; however, his passion for learning and literature gifted the world with unpublished writings from more than 350 authors. In 1838, the pope made him a cardinal, but he continued his work, searching for more treasures from the past.

Cardinal Mai died on 8 September 1854, Albano, Italy.