Abraham Vita de Cologna was born in Mantua, Italy, on 25 September, 1754. His father Samuel, chief Jew in the Mantua from 1758 to 1788, gave him a thorough education from an early age in Judaic theology and philosophy, which naturally lead to his becoming a rabbi. He was to become Great Rabbi of Mantua and then member of the town's prestigious electoral college known as the Dotti or Wisemen. He was also part of the legislative corps of the Cisalpine Republic created Napoleon Bonaparte in July 1797. In 1794 he married Benedetta Norsa, with whom he had one son and three daughters.
Napoleon took but little interest in the Jews when he came to power. It was only in 1806 that, when faced with mounting hostility to the Jews in France, Napoleon turned to the problem of Jewish integration in the Empire. Having already built the Empire on the religious peace brought about by the Concordat, Napoleon then decided to form an assembly of Jewish notables who would represent the Jewish community and be a consultative body with the aim of bringing Jews over to his policies. Abraham de Cologna participated in this assembly.
In 1808, Abraham became one of the three rabbis of the first Central Consistory, of which he was president from 1812 to 1826. On the deaths of the two other rabbis, Sinzheim and Segre, Abraham became Great Rabbi of France, a post he was to hold until 1826. He resigned suddenly, retiring to Trieste where he died on 24 March, 1832.