Colocci, Angelo (1474-1547)

Italian cleric, poet, and humanist. One of the leading figures in the development of humanism in Rome, he combined an interest in Greek and Roman literature with a lively involvement in vernacular poetry, particularly the study of the origins of Italian poetry in Provence. He was himself a poet in both Latin and Italian and his house in Rome was a centre for the discussion of literary theory and scholarship.

Colocci was born at Iesi and from 1497 was a papal secretary, first to Leo X and then to Clement VII. In 1537 he was made bishop of Nocera Umbra.

He collected many manuscripts and inscriptions, but his collections suffered in the Sack of Rome in 1527. The surviving manuscripts are now in the Vatican library but the collection of inscriptions was dispersed.

Colocci is a good example of the humanists' ability to reconcile the demands of religious orthodoxy with allegiance to the values of the classical world.