The Archdiocese of Lucca ( la, Archidioecesis Lucensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese dates back as a diocese to the 1st century; it became an archdiocese in 1726. The
episcopal see
An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...
During the Gothic Wars the city of Lucca was besieged and taken by Totila in 550. Hoping for assistance from the Franks, the Lucchesi obstinately resisted the attack of Narses, surrendering only after a siege of seven months (553). It later fell into the hands of the Lombards, was thenceforward a place of great importance, and became the favourite seat of the
Marquesses of Tuscany
The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region.
Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface
:These were origin ...
.
In 981
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
bestowed on its bishop civil jurisdiction over the entire diocesan territory; but in 1081
Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...
made it a free city and conferred other favours upon it, especially in the way of trade. This was the origin of the Republic of Lucca. Lucca was generally on the side of the pope against the emperor, and hence joined the
League of S. Ginesio
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
(1197).
There is a legend that the Gospel was preached at Lucca by St. Paulinus, a disciple of
St. Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupation ...
, and the discovery in 1197 of a stone, recording the deposition of the relics of Paulinus, a holy martyr, apparently confirmed this belief. On the stone, however, St. Paulinus is not called Bishop of Lucca, nor is there any allusion to his having lived in Apostolic times.
The first bishop of certain date is Maximus, present at the Council of Sardica (343). At the Council of Rimini (359),
Paulinus, Bishop of Lucca
Saint Paulinus was an early Christian, who, along with a priest, deacon and soldier—all of whose names were forgotten through time—suffered martyrdom in 67. Paulinus is believed to have been converted and sent by St. Peter, whom he met at A ...
, was present. Perhaps the above-mentioned legend arose through a repetition of this Paulinus. Remarkable for sanctity and miracles was St. Fridianus (Frediano) (560–588), son of Ultonius,
King of Ireland
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
, or perhaps of a king of Ulster (Ultonia), of whom in his "Dialogues" (III, 10) Gregory the Great relates a miracle.
In 739, during the episcopate of Walprandus,
Richard, King of the Angles
Richard the Pilgrim or Richard of Wessex, herself quoting (died 720) was the father of the West Saxon saints Willibald, Winnibald, and Walpurga. He led his family on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but died en route in Lucca, where he was burie ...
and father of the Saints
Willibald
Willibald (; c. 700 – c.787) was an 8th-century bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria.
Information about his life is largely drawn from the Hodoeporicon (itinerary) of Willibald, a text written in the 8th century by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon nun fro ...
, Wunibald, and Walburga, died at Lucca and was buried in the church of S. Frediano. Under Blessed Giovanni (787) it is said the Volto Santo was brought to Lucca. Other bishops were:
*
Anselmo Badagio
Pope Alexander II (1010/1015 – 21 April 1073), born Anselm of Baggio, was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1061 to his death in 1073. Born in Milan, Anselm was deeply involved in the Pataria refor ...
(1073), later Pope Alexander II;
*succeeded as bishop by his nephew
Anselm of Lucca
Anselm of Lucca ( la, Anselmus; it, Anselmo; 1036 – 18 March 1086), born Anselm of Baggio ('), was a medieval bishop of Lucca in Italy and a prominent figure in the Investiture Controversy amid the fighting in central Italy between Matil ...
, a noted writer;
* Apizio (1227), under whom Lucca was deprived of its episcopal see for six years by Pope Gregory IX;
*the Franciscan Giovanni Salvuzzi (1383), who built the episcopal palace;
* Nicolò Guinigi (1394), exiled by his relative
Paolo Guinigi
Paolo Guinigi (c. 1372 - 1432) was a lord of Lucca from 1400 until 1430.
Biography
Paolo was born in Lucca in 1372. He was the youngest son of Francesco Guinigi, member of one of the most outstanding families of Lucca. He was sent to London in 13 ...
, Lord of Lucca.
In 1408 Pope Gregory XII went to Lucca to come to a personal agreement with the antipope Benedict XIII, and was there abandoned by his cardinals.
Also:
* the writer
Felino Maria Sandeo
Felino Maria Sandeo (1444–1503), often quoted under the Latin name of Felinus, was an Italian canonist of the fifteenth century.
Biography
He was born at Felino, in the Diocese of Reggio, in 1444. He taught canon law from 1466 to 1474 at Fe ...
Francesco Sforza Riario
Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include:
People with the given name Francesco
* Francesco I (disambiguation), sever ...
(1517)
*Cardinal
Bartolommeo Guidiccioni
Fra Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo (, , ; 28 March 1472 – 31 October 1517), also known as Bartolommeo di Pagholo, Bartolommeo di S. Marco, and his original nickname Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance painter of religious subjects ...
(1605), under whom the
Diocese of San Miniato
The Italian Catholic Diocese of San Miniato ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Miniati) is in Tuscany. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Florence.Girolamo Bonvisi (1657);
*
Bernardino Guinigi
Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to:
Given name
*Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer
*Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist
*Bernardi ...
(1723), the first archbishop (1726);
*the scholar
Gian Domenico Mansi
Gian (Giovanni) Domenico Mansi (16 February 1692 – 27 September 1769) was an Italian prelate, theologian, scholar and historian, known for his massive works on the Church councils.
Biography
He was born at Lucca, of a patrician family, and di ...
(1764–1769);
*
Benedetto Lorenzelli
Benedetto Lorenzelli (11 May 1853 – 15 September 1915) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies from 1914 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.
...
(1904-1910), last nuncio to Paris before the separation (resigned as nuncio to France in 1904) (Cardinal in 1907).
Parishes
The archdiocese has a total of 362 parishes, all of which fall within the (civil) region of Tuscany. 354 are in the Province of Lucca and 8 in the Province of Pistoia.Source for parishes: . For a listing of parishes by province and commune see
List of parishes of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lucca
List of parishes by province and commune for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lucca.Source for parishes: .
Tuscany
Province of Lucca
Province of Pistoia
;Pescia
:S. Frediano (Aramo (Pescia), Aramo)
:S. Bartolomeo (Collodi (Pescia), Collodi) ...
.
See also
*
Timeline of Lucca
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy.
Prior to 18th century
* 3rd C. BCE - Ligurian settlement.
* 180 BCE - Latin colony established.
* 90 BCE - Lucca becomes a municipium.
* 56 BCE - ...
Notes and references
Bibliography
* Guidi, P. "Serie cronologica dei vescovi e degli arcivescovi di Lucca," ''Schola Clericorum et Cura Animarum'', Vol. V, 1905, to Vol. XI, 1911. Lucca.
* Nicolai, U. (1966). ''I vescovi di Lucca.'' Lucca, 1966.