Matteo Zane was the Patriarch of Venice

Patriarch of Venice

The Patriarch of Venice is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few Patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church...

 from 1600 to 1605.

Prior to his election as Patriarch Zane had served the government of Venice. He had been ambassador or holder of similar office to Urbino

Urbino

Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 and the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. In the case of the Ottoman Empire he held the office of Bailo

Bailo

Bailo is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 256 inhabitants.-Villages:*Bailo*Larués*Arrés*Alastuey*Arbués*Paternoy*Especiello*Gabás*Huértalo...

, which was considered the key position in the Venetian foreign service. The bailo acted as both ambassador and consul, not only representing the political interests of Venice but seeking the protection and stability of Venice's merchants in Constantinople. He also supervised all other consuls of Venice throughout the Ottoman Emprie. While serving as Bailo Zane expanded the number of consuls under his direction from nine to 10.

Zane lacked the degree in either theology or canon law mandated by the Council of Trent

Council of Trent

The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...

. Negotiations by Venice got this requirement waived and managed to postpone Zane's examination on theology by the Pope and panel of cardinals, as required of all Italian bishops at that time, until 1601. Zane was able to pass the examination at that time.

Sources

• Laven, Mary. Virgin's of Venice: Broken Vows and Cloistered Lives in the Renaissance Convent. New York: Penguis Books, 2002.
• Catholic Hierarchy entry for Zane
• Eric Dursteller. "The Bailo in Constantinople: Crisis and Career in Venice's Early Modern Diplomatic Corps" in Mediterranean Historical Review Vol. 16 (2001) p. 1-25.