Odet de Coligny (10 July 1517 - 14 February 1571), cardinal of Châtillon, bishop of Beauvais, son of Gaspard I de Coligny and Louise de Montmorency, and brother of Gaspard and François, Seigneur d'Andelot.

Life
His birth at Chatillon, as his parents' second son, was recorded in his mother's book of hours.

Birth
He occupied high church offices during this initial part of his career. He became prior of Saint-Stephan in Beaume in 1530. At the papal consistory of November 7, 1533 (at 16 and whilst still a layman) he was created cardinal deacon, receiving the red hat and the titular church of Santi Sergio e Bacco three days later. Soon afterwards he became Abbot of Saint Bénigne de Dijon, of Fleury, of Ferrière and of Vaux de Cernay.
In 1534 he became a Canon in Paris, participated in a papal conclave, and was made administrator of the metropolitan see of Toulouse on April 29, despite not yet having been ordained a priest. This he held until his resignation from that role on October 20, 1550. Meanwhile, on October 20, 1535, he had become administrator of the see of Beauvais, and Abbot of Saint-Lucien de Beauvais from 1537.
He opted for the deaconry of S. Adriano on February 25, 1549 and participated in the papal conclave of 1549-1550. He was placed in charge of the library of France's Royal Privy Council and, using this and his other offices, he protected his friends Ronsard and Rabelais (in 1550 obtaining for the latter a ten year monopoly on book-printing - Rabelais dedicated his Quart Livre to Odet in gratitude).
In 1556 he became abbot of Ferrières on the recommendation of Pope Pius IV and Henry II, and four years later, Pius named him grand inquisitor of France, though the French parliament's opposition to the inquisition prevented him taking up the post.
Sometime after 1560 he also became abbot of Grandchamps, of Quincy and (from 1560) of Vézelay. In sum, then, he was Abbot of St. Euvertius, of Fontainejean, Ferrières, and St. Benoît, and from 1554 to 1560 prior (and after 1560 provost) of St-Pierre de Mâcon.

Death

Article, and image of his tomb
Biography
Biography
Biography, in French
Another biography
An image of him as Neptune