Cardinal Virgilio Noè, Archpriest emeritus of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, Vicar General emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City State, President emeritus of the Fabric of St. Peter, was born on 30 March 1922 in Zelata di Bereguardo, diocese of Pavia. He was ordained a priest on 11 October 1944. He began his pastoral ministry at the parish of SS. Salvatore, in the outskirts of Pavia, creating a youth movement, centered especially on the participation in the liturgy.

In 1948 he was sent to Rome and attended the Gregorian University, where in 1952 he obtained a doctorate in ecclesiastical history with a thesis entitled La politica religiosa dei re longobardi.

He was a teacher of ecclesiastical history, patrology, liturgy, history of the arts in seminaries of Pavia and of Tortona, and was at the same time spiritual director of the Collegio di S. Agostino and at the Collegio di S. Giorgio, chaplain to Catholic university graduates, president of the diocesan liturgical commission.

In 1964, he was called to Rome as Secretary of the Center of Liturgical Action, which in that same year was taken on by the Italian Episcopal Conference as its Institutum Liturgicum Pastorale. Also, from 1964 to 1968 he was professor of sacred art at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm in Rome.

On 7 May 1969, Paul VI appointed him Undersecretary of the new Congregation for Divine Worship. In January 1970, he was nominated Master of Pontifical Ceremonies.

He also served as Chaplain to the Pontifical Gendarmerie in 1970 and was member of the 1973 Holy Year committee.

On 14 July 1975, with the creation of the new Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, he was confirmed as Undersecretary of the divine worship section and on 21 October 1977 he was named Adjunct Secretary of the same.

In recognition of his work, on 30 January 1982, he was named Archbishop and Secretary of the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship – divine worship section. In May 1989 he was named Coadjutor of the Cardinal Archpriest of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, delegate of the Fabric of St. Peter and President of the Permanent Commission for the Protection of Historic and Artistic Monuments of the Holy See.

In 1991 he became Archpriest of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, Vicar General for Vatican City State, President of the Fabric of St. Peter. In September 1993 until 1996, he was President of the Commission of Cardinals for the Pontifical Sanctuaries of Pompei, Loreto and Bari.

Archpriest emeritus of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, Vicar General emeritus of His Holiness for Vatican City State, President emeritus of the Fabric of St. Peter, 24 April 2002.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the consistory of 28 June 1991, of the Title of Regina Apostolorum.

Cardinal Virgilio Noè died on 24 July 2011.