Who he was
The son of a count of Cesena, he became a Benedictine monk at sixteen, taking the name Gregory, and taught theology in his order before Pius VI made him an abbot, Bishop of Tivoli and Imola, and a cardinal. After Pius VI died in exile, he was elected in a conclave held at Venice. He was a gentle man who bore great trials with patience.
What he is remembered for
He signed the Concordat of 1801 that restored the Church in France and anointed Napoleon as emperor at Notre-Dame in 1804, but when Napoleon annexed the Papal States in 1809 he refused to yield and was held prisoner at Savona and Fontainebleau until 1814. Back in Rome he restored the Society of Jesus to the whole Church in 1814, recovered the Papal States, set up new dioceses in the United States, and gave a home in Rome to Napoleon's family after his fall. He is a Servant of God, and his cause for beatification was opened in 2007.
He is honoured by the Church as Servant of God. Read his page in the dictionary of saints.
Sources
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