Diocese of Alessandria Dioecesis Alexandrina Statiellorum | |
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Location | |
Country | Italy |
Ecclesiastical province | Vercelli |
Statistics | |
Area | 740 km2 (290 sq mi) |
Population
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|
Parishes | 74 |
Information | |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 1175 |
Cathedral | Cattedrale di S. Pietro Apostolo |
Patron saint | Saint Baudolino [1] |
Secular priests | 46 (diocesan) 11 (Religious Orders) 7 Permanent Deacons |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Sede vacante |
Bishop | Guido Gallese |
Map | |
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Website | |
www.diocesialessandria.it (in Italian) |
The Diocese of Alessandria (Latin : Dioecesis Alexandrina Statiellorum) (Alessandria della Paglia) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Piedmont, northern Italy. Originally a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan, since 1817 it has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli. [2] [3]
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In 1168, in response to the aggression of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the leaders of Milan, Cremona and Piacenza, established a new town in order to discomfit Frederick's ally Pavia. The new city was to be made up of the inhabitants of the villages of Quargnento, Solero, Oviglio, Foro, Bergoglio, Rovereto, Marengo and Gamondio. Seeking support for their undertaking, they sent ambassadors to Pope Alexander III (1159–1181) in January 1170, announcing that they had named the new city Alessandria in his honor, and begging for his support. They offered the city to the Papacy to be forever the vassal of the Holy Roman Church. [4] They set aside three jugera ("moggi") of land at the junction of the Quartiere di Marengo and the Quartiere di Gamondo, thanks to the generosity of the Marchesi del Bosco, for the construction of a "Chiesa maggiore" under the title of S. Pietro, who had been declared their patron saint two years earlier. [5] The church, originally a collegiate church, was begun immediately, and was completed by 1178. It had been raised to the dignity of a cathedral church in 1175. [6] It was small, too small for the growing population, and needed to be rebuilt. [7] A new cathedral was under construction in 1289, and was completed in 1297. [8]
Alessandria was made a diocese in 1175 by Pope Alexander III, with territory removed from the diocese of Acqui, Asti, Pavia, Tortona, and Milan. [9] The diocese was declared to be a suffragan of the metropolitan of Milan. [10]
In a Brief of 30 January 1176, Pope Alexander declared that he had selected Alessandria's first bishop, though he did so without any prejudice to the rights of the Chapter for the future to elect their bishop, just as the other suffragans of Milan did. [11] The new bishop, Arduinus, died before he could be consecrated, and another candidate was substituted, who also did not receive an episcopal consecration. [12] Archbishop Galdinus of Milan, who had been appointed to carry out the episcopal consecration, died on 18 April 1176. [13]
On 28 May 1176, the Lombard League, of which Alessandria was a member, and of which Pope Alexander III was the nominal head, defeated Frederick Barbarossa in the Battle of Legnano, ending the emperor's fifth and last attempt to subdue the cities of Lombardy and Piedmont. [14]
At the Third Lateran Council, held by Pope Alexander in March 1179, Archbishop Algesius and twelve of his suffragan bishops attended and subscribed the acts, including Bishop Ubertus of Aqui. No bishop of Alessandria was present. [15]
On 18 July 1180, Pope Alexander III confirmed the election of Bishop Otto by the cathedral chapter of S. Pietro (which was already in existence and operating), with the agreement of the clergy and people, [16] and also confirmed in their dignities Magister Hugo the Provost, Magister Cataldo the Archpriest, and Magister P(etrus?) the Cantor. He also confirmed the assignment of seven churches in the diocese for the use of the canons. [17]
Unhappy with the situation in Piedmont, however, and since Alexandria was already larger than Acqui, Pope Alexander in 1180 ordered that the seat of Acqui should be transferred to Alessandria. [18] It was apparently intended that the bishop who was to reside in Alessandria was to govern both the dioceses, [19] aeque personaliter. [20] Archbishop Algisius of Milan wrote to the clergy and people of Alessandria that he was acting in accordance to a mandate from the pope to transfer the seat of the bishop of Aqui to the city of Alessandria. [21] He also absolved them of the oath of fidelity which they had sworn to bishop-elect Otto. [22] The clergy of Acqui objected to the loss of the presence of the bishop in their city, and the people of Alessandria refused to admit Bishop Ubertus of Acqui. Alessandria was therefore left without a bishop down to 1205. [23] The Papacy was therefore faced with the need to sort out conflicts between the Chapter of Alessandria and the Chapter of Acqui. [24] Pope Innocent III, therefore, in a letter of 12 May 1205, not only restated the terms of the bull of Pope Alexander III which transferred the seat of the bishop of Acqui to Alessandria, but also determined that there was to be a union of the two dioceses. He ordered Bishop Opizzo of Dertona and Canon Bongiovanni of Vercelli to carry out his mandate. [25] Bishop Ugo Tornelli, who had been Bishop of Acqui since 1183, therefore was confirmed as bishop of Alessandria as well, and transferred his seat. [26]
The diocese was suppressed in 1213 by Pope Innocent III, due to the support of the Alessandrians for Emperor Otto IV. [27] The Church of Alessandria had also been refusing to pay the annual tax due to the Roman see, according to a letter of Innocent III of 4 June 1214. [28]
It was restored on 10 May 1240 by Pope Gregory IX, with the bull "Regina Mater", as part of his strategy to defeat Frederick II. [29]
In 1334, the diocese of Alessandria was subjected to an official Visitation by the Vicar General of Archbishop Aicardus of Milan, Canon Eusebius de Tronzano of Vercelli. He collected all the decrees of various synods, and issued them to the canons of Alessandria. [30]
The territory of the diocese of Acqui was united with that of Alessandria until 1405, when Acqui again received its own bishop. [31] In 1287, the archdeacon of Alessandria, Ascherius, attended the provincial synod of Milan, held by Archbishop Otto. [32]
A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See. [33]
Bishop Pietro Giorgio Odescalchi (1598–1610) held diocesan synods in 1602, 1605, and 1606. [34] Diocesan synods were held in 1613 and 1617 by Bishop Erasmo Paravicini (1611–1640). [35] In 1652, Bishop Deodato Scaglia (1644–1659) presided over a diocesan synod. [36] Bishop Alberto Mugiasca (1680–1694) held a diocesan synod in 1684. [37]
On 16 May 1702, Bishop Carlo Ottaviano Guasco (1695–1704) held a diocesan synod. [38] In October 1711, Bishop Francesco Arborio di Gattinara (1706–1727) held a diocesan synod. [39] On 1–3 May 1732, Bishop Gian Mercurino Antonio Gattinara (1730–1743) presided over a diocesan synod. [40] Bishop Giuseppe Tomaso de Rossi (1757–1786) held a synod in the cathedral on 10–12 June 1771. [41]
Bishop Alessandro d'Angennes (1818–1832) presided over a diocesan synod on 2–4 June 1829. [42]
The armies of revolutionary France overran northern Italy in 1796. Brief puppet states were established. In 1802, Piedmont was directly annexed by the French state, and French-style départements were established. The territory of Alessandria became part of the Department of Marengo in 1802, and Alessandria itself was named its capital. [43]
One of the policies of the Franch government was the reduction in the number of dioceses both in metropolitan France and in its annexed territories. The French pointed out that there were sixteen dioceses and one metropolitan (Turin) in the Piedmont, of which five were without bishops at the time and three whose bishops had just resigned. They demanded that the sixteen be reduced to eight with one metropolitan. [44] In the bull "Gravissimis Causis" of 1 June 1803, Pope Pius VII authorized the papal legate to First Consul Bonaparte, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Caprara, to suppress a number of dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Piedmont. [45] Caprara carried out his instructions in a decree of 23 January 1805. [46] The assets of the dioceses of Tortona, Bobbio, and Casale, human and material, were transferred to the diocese of Alessandria.
First Consul Bonaparte had remarked to General Louis-Alexandre Berthier, With Alessandria in my possession I should always be master of Italy. It might be made the strongest fortress in the world; it is capable of containing a garrison of 40,000 men, with provisions for six months. Should insurrection take place, should Austria send a formidable force here, the French troops might retire to Alessandria, and stand a six months' siege.
[47] The medieval cathedral was closed on 6 January 1803 (17 Nivoise XI), and destroyed, on instructions issued in November 1802, to make way for the "Piazza della Libertà". [48]
On 17 March 1805, Napoleon established the Kingdom of Italy, and on 23 May he had himself crowned King of Italy by Cardinal Caprara in the cathedral of Milan. During the rest of the year, he continued to adjust the political arrangements of Piedmont and Lombardy. Having decided that Alessandria needed to be strengthened as a military stronghold and arsenal for his control of the area, he announced on 17 May 1805, his decision to transfer the seat of the bishop of Alessandria to Casale. On 7 July 1805, Cardinal Caprara obligingly carried out a new circumscription, restored the cathedral in Casale to its cathedral status, and moved the bishop to Casale. [49] On 23 December 1805, Bishop Villaret was officially transferred to Casale, and the diocese of Alessandria was suppressed. [50]
The diocese of Alessandria was re-established as an independent ecclesiastical entity by Pope Pius VII on 17 July 1817, as a suffragan of the newly created metropolitan archdiocese of Vercelli. [51]
The diocese was vacant from 1854 to 1867. [52]
1175 | Arduinus, bishop-elect [53] |
1180 | Otto [54] |
[1180] | [Ubertus] [55] |
1205–1213 | Ugo Tornielli [56] |
1213–1235 | Diocese suppressed |
Bonifacius, archdeacon (1235–1280) [57] | |
Ascherius, archdeacon (1280–1300) [58] | |
Bertholinus, archdeacon (1300–1321) [59] | |
Oddo Guasco, archdeacon (1321–1347) [60] | |
Antonio Guasco, archdeacon (1347–1351) [61] | |
Francesco dal Pozzo, archdeacon (1351–1375) [62] | |
Franceschino dal Pozzo, archdeacon (1375–1400) [63] | |
Arpino Colli, archdeacon (1400–1405) [64] | |
1405–1417 | Bertolino Beccari, O.E.S.A. [65] |
1418–1432 | Michele Mantegazza, O.E.S.A. [66] |
1432–1441 | Sede vacante |
1441–1457 | Marco Marinoni [67] |
1457–1478 | Marco de Capitaneis, O.P. [68] |
1478–1509 | Giovanni Antonio Sangiorgio [69] |
1500–1517 | Alessandro Guasco [70] |
1518–1534 | Pallavicino Visconti [71] |
1534–1564 | Ottaviano Guasco [72] |
1565–1568 | Girolamo Gallarati [73] |
1569–1571 | Agostino Baglioni [74] |
1571–1584 | Guarnero Trotti [75] |
1584–1596 | Ottavio Pallavicini [76] |
1596–1610 | Pietro Giorgio Odescalchi [77] |
1611–1640 | Erasmo Paravicini [78] |
1641–1643 | Francesco Visconti [79] |
1644–1659 | Deodato Scaglia [80] |
1659–1680 | Carlo Ciceri [81] |
1680–1694 | Alberto Mugiasca |
1695–1704 | Carlo Ottaviano Guasco [82] |
1704–1706 | Filippo Maria Resta [83] |
1706–1727 | Francesco Arborio di Gattinara [84] |
1727–1729 | Carlo Vincenzo Maria Ferreri Thaon (resigned) [85] |
1730–1743 | Gian Mercurino Antonio Gattinara [86] |
1744–1755 | Giuseppe Alfonso Miroglio [87] |
1757–1786 | Giuseppe Tomaso de Rossi [88] |
1788–1794 | Carlo Giuseppe Pistone [89] |
1796–1803 | Vincenzo Maria Mossi de Morano [90] |
1805–1814 | Gian Crisostomo Villaret [91] |
1818–1832 | Alessandro d'Angennes [92] (promoted Archbishop of Vercelli) |
1833–1854 | Dionigi Andrea Pasio (also known as Dionisio-Andrea Pasio) |
1854–1867 | Sede vacante |
1867–1872 | Giacomo Antonio Colli [93] |
1874–1897 | Pietro Giocondo Salvaj (Salvai) di Govone |
1897–1918 | Giuseppe Capecci [94] |
1918–1921 | Giosuè Signori [95] (promoted Archbishop of Genoa) |
1922–1945 | Nicolao (Nicola) Milone |
1945–1964 | Giuseppe Pietro Gagnor, O.P. |
1965–1980 | Giuseppe Almici |
1980–1989 | Ferdinando Maggioni |
1989–2007 | Fernando Charrier |
2007–2011 | Giuseppe Versaldi |
since 2012 | Guido Gallese |
The diocese has 74 parishes (2020), all within the Piedmontese province of Alessandria. [96] In 2020, there was one priest for every 2,491 Catholics.
dioecesi eius ex parochiis Aquensis, Astensis, Papiensis, Dertonensis. Mediolanensis episcopatuum instituta et ecclesia illa s. Petri in cathedralem erecta.Lanzavecchia (2000), pp. 15–16.
Volumus autem, ut predictus electus a venerabili fratri nostro G(aldino) Mediolanensi archiepiscopo apostolice sedis legato in diaconum et presbiterum ordineturs et de manu eius munus consecrationis percipiat et tam ipse quam successores ipsius ei et successoribus suis tamquam metropolitanis suis debitam obedientiam exhibeant et honorem, sicut alii suffraganei Mediolanensis ecclesie facere noscuntur.
Eodem vero electo, nondum in Episcopum consecrato, viam universae carnis ingresso, substitutus est alius, qui consecrationis munus similiter non percepit.
praeterea ecclesias usibus canonicorum deputatas, scil(icet) s. Mariae de Gamundio, s. Dalmatii de Maringo, s. Michaelis de Soleriis, s. Stephani de Bergolio, s. Trinitatis de Uvilia, s. Andreae de Rovoreto et s. Augustini de Foro.Livraghi (2011), "document 4."
ut quoniam Alexandrina civitas longe major est et populatior, quam Aquensis, Episcopalis sedis de illa, cui dioecesi est contigua, transferretur ad istam....
...Alessandro III... stabilì che ne avesse il governo il veswcovo d'Aqui, in modo che pur ritenendo nello stesso tempo il governo della sua diocesi, si chiamasse vescovo Alessandrino. Algisio [arcivescovo di Milano] stesso fu incaricato di far eseguire la volontà del Papa, il che fece nel 1180.
Habeat autem duplex sigillum, ab una parte continens imaginem et litteras Aquensis Episcopi, ab altera vero Alexandrini; cumque idem Episcopus scripserit de Aquen. rebus aut personis Aquen., scribat se tunc Aquen., porro cum scripserit, de aliis rebus aliisque personis, si fuerit in Alexandria dioecesi, scribat se tunc Alexandrinum : si vero in Aquen. dioeces., scribat se tantum Aquensem....
Sane cum ante hos dies a Domino Papa acceperimus in mandatis, ut saniori habito consilio venerabilem fratrem nostrum Aquensem Episcopum una cum sede sua in civitatem vestram transferemus, id opportunitate accepta curavimus effectui mancipare....The letter is dated 1180.
Ne quid igitur in hac parte deesse videatur, vos omnes tam clericos quam laicos a debito juramenti et obedientiae, quam 0. quondam electo vestro praestiteratis, auctoritate Apostolica ac nostra absolvimus: mandantes et firmiter praecipientes, ut non ei de caetero, sed praefato Episcopo vestro fidelitatem ac obedientiam, omnemque devotionem exhibeatis....
Ottone electo Alexandrino deposito et Uberto Aquensi episcopo ad Alexandrinam cathedram translato. Sed Aquenses renuerunt. Unde Alexandrini sine episcopo remanserunt ad annum usque 1205, quo Innocentius III statutum Alexandri III de unione utriusque ecclesiae confirmavit.
Miramur igitur, nec satis admirantes sufficimus admirari, quod conversi in arcum perversum et in reprobum sensum dati, sic cito recessistis a fidelitate nostra et sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae matris vestrae, cui non solum debita minime praestitistis, verum et in impiorum consilium abeuntès, facti estis inimici ejus, in capite impugnantes eam una cum persecutoribus ejus et Ottoni tyranno et excommunicato et maledicto in nostram injuriam et animarum ac rerum vestrarum periculum adbaerentes....
...omnino praeteritorum ingrati et improvidi futurorum, non solum debitum nobis censum, quem nonnisi semel recepimus, subtraxerunt, verum etiam in nostram injuriam et contemptum Ottoni reprobo adhaerentes....;p. 547:
Innocentius Papa, pro eo quod vos tunc temporis inimicis Ecclesiae adhaesistis ad ipsius redire mandatum temere contemnentes, civitatem vestram Episcopalis destituerit dignitatis honore.
de fratrum nostrorum Consilio dignitatem eandem civitati vestrae restituendam duximus de gratia speciali, vobis auctoritate Apostolica ut ipsa supradicti forma privilegii perpetuis futuris temporibus gaudeatis.
...praesentibus... Ascherio Archidiacono Alexandriae....The bishop-elect of Acqui was also present.
ab eodem gubernio postulari, ut Nos in hoc rerum statu apostolica auctoritate Nostra praefatas sexdecim ecclesias episcopales, atque unam metropolitanam ad octo redigere dignemur, nimirum a dunam metropolitanam et septem ejus suffraganeas....
supprimimus, annullamus, ac perpetuo extiguimus, titulum, denominationem, totumque statum præsentem, supradictarum ecclesiarum Secusina, Pineroliensis, Fossanensis, Albensis, Derthonensis, Bobiensis, Casalensis, Bugellensis et Augustana....
Canonicam quam fili electe in ecclesia s. Petri de accensu cleri et populi statuisti protectionis nostrae munimine roborantes et electioncm, quam de personis idoneis ad dignitates Ecclesiae tenendas fecisti, dilectis filiis nostris magistro Ugoni praeposituram, magistro Cataldo archipresbyteratum, magistro P. cantoriam provida deliberatione concedentes ratam habemus....Savio, pp. 67–68. He was elected bishop of Bobbio in 1185: Savio, p. 171.
archidiacono, & Ordinario dicta civitatis Alexandria D. Francisco de Putheo.Chenna I, pp. 233–234.
cubicularius, & secretarius noster, etiam litterarum apostolicarum abbreviator.Arpino Colli signed a codicil to his Testament in Rome on 21 September 1427, and another document on 23 March 1428. Pope Martin V appointed him abbot commendatory of the monastery of S. Pietro in Alessandria in 1427. Chenna I, pp. 236–238.
sacri palatii apostolici causarum auditor,which required his residence in Rome. Alexander named him a cardinal on 20 September 1493. He was transferred to the diocese of Parma on 6 September 1499, while retaining the diocese of Alessandria; and became suburbicarian Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati) on 22 December 1503. He died on 14 (or 28) March 1509. Chenna I, pp. 259–265. Eubel II, pp. 22 no. 3; 85 with note 3; 213.
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