Cecilia Contarini (fl. 1578) was the

Dogaressa Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the head of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the wives of the Doges of Genoa were not called ''Dogaressa'', nor did t ...

of Venice by marriage to the Doge

Sebastiano Venier Sebastiano Venier (or Veniero) (c. 1496 – 3 March 1578) was Doge of Venice from 11 June 1577 to 3 March 1578. He is best remembered in his role as the Venetian admiral at the Battle of Lepanto. Biography Venier was born in Venice around 1496. H ...

(r. 1577-1578). She married the future doge in 1544. Along with her spouse, she reportedly preferred to avoid ceremony and public life and lived secluded in the palace. She greeted officials in the doge's stead, such as when that Brescian embassy came full of "gratitude for precious services and in token of the devotion and infinite love felt for his Serenity by all the citizens of our city"; they were received by the dogaressa without ceremony, who told them: "I much fear he will be unwilling to accept your offering but I will go and hear what he says."Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges
', London : T. W. Laurie Unlike other dowager dogaressas she was not expected to become a nun but provided with a pension and provisions similar to that of Zilia Dandolo, and was one of three dogaressas depicted in the ''Cerimoniali'' (1464- 1592) alongside Zilia Dandolo and Loredana Marcello.

References

{{Reflist * Staley, Edgcumbe
''The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges''
London: T. W. Laurie, 1910 16th-century Venetian people Year of death unknown Dogaressas of Venice

Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...

Year of birth unknown 16th-century Venetian women