The Roman Catholic Diocese of Acqui ( la, Dioecesis Aquensis) straddles the (civil) regions of
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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and
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
, in northwest Italy. The ancient Roman name of the place was ''Aquae Statiellae'', which was sometimes confused with ''Aquae Sentiae'' (Aix-en-Provence), and ''Aquae Augustae'' (Dax), where there were also bishops. Acqui had always been subordinate to the Province of Milan, down until 1817, when
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...
assigned it to the Province of Turin. As a
suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
of the
Archdiocese of Turin,
["Diocese of Acqui"]
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016.["Diocese of Acqui"]
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 9, 2016. it falls within the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont.
History
It is probable that the
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
of
Acqui
Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...
was established at the end of the fourth century, about the same time, it would appear, as the dioceses of Novara, Turin, Ivrea, Aosta and perhaps, Asti and Alba.
The first undoubted bishop of
Acqui
Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...
was Ditarius. A tablet found in 1753 in the church of St. Peter, indicates that Ditarius, bishop of Acqui, died on 25 January 488, in the Consulate of Dinamias and Syphidius.
Popular tradition gives Deusdedit, Andreas, Severus, Maximus, and, earliest of all,
Majorinus
Majorinus was the leader of a schismatic Christian sect in Roman North Africa known as the Donatists.
Life
Very little is known of his early life, as Donatist writings were mostly destroyed in the following years. What we can garner of his lif ...
, as bishops prior to him. Majorinus probably lived either at the end of the fourth, or in the beginning of the fifth, century. The name was very common in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries. Veneration was offered to the saint from time immemorial by the church in Acqui, shown by his statues and relics. This veneration, however, has ceased since a decree of the
Congregation of Rites (8 April 1628) prohibited the veneration of saints whose sanctity had not been declared by the Holy See.
In the list of the bishops of Acqui appears Saint
Guido
Guido is a given name Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Switzerland. The mea ...
(1034–70), who was said to be a member of the family of the
Counts of Acquesana
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...
, under whose patronage the cathedral was erected. He is the patron saint of Acqui.
Acqui and Alessandria
In 1068 the new city of Alessandria, named in honor of Pope Alexander III, was created, with the object of countering the political maneuvers of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. In 1070 a delegation was sent to Rome, which presented the city to the Pope as a vassal of the Holy Roman Church. In 1075, Pope Alexander erected a new diocese at Alessandria, and provided its first bishop, Arduinus. The territory of the new diocese was taken from that of the diocese of Acqui. In 1180, Archbishop Algisius of Milan, acting on authority delegated to him by Pope Alexander, decreed the union of the two dioceses in the person of Bishop Uberto Tornielli of Acqui, who would take the title of Bishop of Alessandria, but the arrangement was acceptable neither to the people of Acqui nor to Bishop-elect Otto of Alessandria, and therefore the union did not take effect.
The new diocese of Alessandria, however, supported the Emperor Otto IV against the Papacy, and therefore in 1202
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...
suppressed the diocese of Alessandria and reunited its territory to the jurisdiction of the diocese of Acqui. The bishop was ordered to live six months at Acqui and six months at Alessandria.
Friction developed between Bishop Uberto, who was in favor of the union, and the Chapter of the Cathedral of Acqui, who envisioned the loss of their status and prerogatives if the bishop should move to Alessandria. Bishop Uberto therefore appealed to the Pope on 16 February 1205. On 16 May, Pope Innocent III sent representatives to Piedmont to bring about the union, deciding that the bishop would be called the Bishop of Alessandria and Acqui. Their work was ratified by the Pope. Bishop Uberto began to use the double title. Bishop Uberto, however, was caught in some simonical transactions with regard to churches in both dioceses which were not under episcopal control, and he was suspended by Innocent III from his functions on 12 October 1211. His repentance was apparently unsatisfactory, since Pope Innocent accepted his resignation from his episcopal functions on 12 November 1213.
Acqui and Alessandria were united until 1405, until the diocese of Alessandria was re-erected. Pope Innocent VII (Roman Obedience) appointed Fra Bertolino of Alessandria as the new bishop on 14 April 1405.
Synods
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.
[ John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica ''de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis'' (March 19, 1997)]
''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' 89
(1997), pp. 706-727.
A set of canons ('capitula') was issued jointly by Archbishop Ottone Visconti (1262–1295) of Milan and Bishop Alberto (1258–c. 1270) of Acqui in 1265, perhaps in connection with a provincial or diocesan synod, or both. Bishop Oddonus (1305–c. 1340) held a diocesan synod which concluded on 10 April 1308, and issued, with the consent of the Cathedral Chapter, a set of canons which were concerned mostly with clerical conduct and the proper administration of the sacraments, as well as limitations on the participation of lay persons in the election or installation of clergy.
Bishop Bonifacio de Sismondi (1427–1450) conducted three diocesan synods during his term: the first opened on 10 February 1429; the second in 1432, which dealt with financing the attendance of the bishop at the
Council of Basel
The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1449. It was convoked as the Council of Basel by Pope Martin V shortly before his death in February 1431 and took place in ...
; and the third in 1440. He also began the construction of the episcopal palace, for which money had been left by his predecessor, Bishop Enrico.
Pope Sixtus IV was committed to the idea of yet another crusade against the Turks. He launched his project in the spring of 1475 by demanding a 10% tax on the income of the clergy. On 13 April 1475 he wrote to Bishop Thomas de Regibus of Acqui, naming him papal Nuncio and Collector of Papal Revenues in the entire Marquisate of Monferrat, and granting him the powers necessary to make the collection from all church institutions (including Chapters, monasteries, Priories, and convents) and persons (from Patriarchs and Archbishops down to simple clerics), administrators, and officials, both exempt from normal episcopal jurisdiction and not exempt; lay persons were to contribute 3 ⅓%, and Jews 5%.
In 1477 Bishop de Regibus held a diocesan synod in the Cathedral of Acqui, from the 3rd to the 19th of October.
In 1480 Bishop Thomas de Regibus was compelled to appeal to the pope when three of the castles in his diocese which formed part of the episcopal income were seized by Antoniotto Malaspina, a layman of the diocese of Acqui.
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...
in response ordered the Archpriest of the neighboring diocese of Asti to investigate the matter.
A diocesan synod was held by Bishop Ludovico Bruni (1499–1508), and a set of thirty-nine canons of entirely traditional content was published from the Cathedral of Acqui on 22 August 1499.
Bishop Giuseppe Maria Sciandra (1871–1888) held a diocesan synod on 5–7 September 1876.
Cathedral and Chapter
The original cathedral of the diocese of Acqui was at the church of S. Pietro. The new cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was begun by Bishop Primus (c. 989–1018) in the Lombard style, and became the cathedral of the diocese under Bishop Dudo (c. 1024–1033), who transferred the Canons from S. Pietro, and converted S. Pietro into a monastic foundation. A donation charter of 1042 mentions both the monastery of S. Pietro and the Chapter house of S. Maria. Work on the cathedral was completed in 1167, and Bishop Guido (1034–1070) consecrated the entire edifice. His hagiographical life, with perhaps some exaggeration, says that he built the Cathedral of S. Maria with his own funds, and had Bishop Petrus of Tortona and Albertus (Obertus) of Genoa consecrate the edifice on 11 (or 13) November 1167.
The Cathedral of Acqui was served by a Chapter, composed of three dignities and (in 1675) nine Canons. In 1744 there were twelve Canons. By 1844 there were fifteen Canons. The dignities were: the Provost, the Archdeacon, and the Archpriest.
In the 15th century there were evidently problems with the Chapter in maintaining a regular system of public worship in the Cathedral. An agreement was entered into in 1455 by the Canons with Bishop Thomas de Regibus, but the provisions had not been carried out. A new agreement to prevent this dereliction of duty was sworn to with Bishop Constantinus Marenchi on 11 October 1486, binding both those canons who were present and those who happened to be absent from the meeting.
In 1495 Bishop Marenchi dedicated the new cathedral cloister and houses for the Canons and other clergy who served the Cathedral.
Bishops of Acqui
to 1300
:...
: ? Majorinus (Majorianus)
:
eusdedit* Ditarius (c. 488)
:...
*Valentinus (c. 680)
:...
*Odelbertus (c. 844)
*Raganus (c. 864)
* Bado (Bodone) (c. 875–after 891)
*? Thedaldus (Sedaldus)
:
odo (Dodone)*Restaldus (c. 936)
*Adalgisus (c. 945, c. 952)
*Gotofredus (c. 968)
*Benedictus (c. 978)
*Arnaldus (c. 978–989)
*Primus (c. 989–1018)
*Brunengus (c. 1022)
*Dudo (Dudone) (c. 1024–1033)
*Guido (1034–1070)
*Alberto (c. 1073–1079)
:...
*Azzo (Azone) (c. 1098–c. 1122)
*Uberto (c. 1136–c. 1148)
*Enrico (c. 1149)
*Guglielmo (c. 1164)
*Galdino (c. 1167–c. 1176)
*Uberto (1177–1181)
*Ugo (1183–1213)
*Anselmo (1215–after 1226)
*Otto (Ottone) (by 1231–1238)
*Giacomo (1239)
*Guglielmo (1239–1251)
*Alberto de Incisa (1251)
*Enrico (1252–1258)
*Alberto Sivoleto(1258–c. 1270)
*Baudicius (c. 1271–c. 1277)
: ''Sede Vacante''
*Olgerio (1283–1304) Bishop-Elect
1300–1600
*Oddonus (1305–c. 1340)
*Ottobono (c. 1340–1342)
*Guido de Ancisa (1342–1373)
*Jacobus (Jacobinus) (1373)
*Franciscus (1373–1380)
*Conradus Malaspina, O.Min. (1380–c.1382?) (Avignon Obedience)
*Enrico Scarampi (1383–1403) (Roman Obedience)
**Beroaldus (c. 1382) (Roman Obedience)
**Valentinus (c. 1388) (Roman Obedience)
*Bonifacio de Corgnato, O.Min. (1403–1408) (Roman Obedience)
*Percival de Sismondi (1408–1423) (Roman Obedience)
*Matteo Giselberti (1423–1427)
*Bonifacio de Sismondi (1427–1450)
*Thomas de Regibus (1450–1483)
*Constantinus Marenchi (1484–1498)
*Ludovico (Enrico) Bruni (1499–1508)
* Dominicus Schelinus de Filonariis (1508–1533?)
:
ardinal Giovanni Vincenzo Carafa (1533?–1534)*
Pierre van der Vorst (1534–1549 Died)
*
Bonaventura Fauni-Pio,
O.F.M. Conv.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites.
Dating back to ...
(1549–1558 Resigned)
*
Pietro Fauno Costacciaro
Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
People
* Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice
* Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death
* Pietro II Can ...
(1558–1585 Resigned)
*
Gian Francesco Biandrate di San Giorgio Aldobrandini
Gian Francesco Biandrate di San Giorgio Aldobrandini (1545–1605) was a Roman Catholic cardinal.
Biography
On 3 Nov 1585, he was consecrated bishop by Giovanni Antonio Serbelloni, Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, with Gaspare Cenci, Bishop of Melf ...
(1585–1598 Resigned)
1600–1800
*
Camillo Beccio
Camillo Becci (died 1620) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Acqui (1598–1620). ,
O.S.A. (1598–1620)
*
Gregorius Pedrocca,
O.F.M. (1620–1632)
*
Felix Crocca,
O.F.M. Conv.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites.
Dating back to ...
(1632–1645 Died)
*
Giovanni Ambrogio Bicuti (1647–1675)
*
Carlo Antonio Gozzani (1675–1721)
*Giovanni Battista Rovero (Rotario da Pralormo) (1727–1744)
*Alessio Ignazio Marucchi (1744–1754 Died)
*Carlo Giuseppe Capra (1755–1772 Died)
*Giuseppe Maria Corte (1773–1783)
*Carlo Luigi Buronzo del Signore (1784–1791)
*Giacinto della Torre,
O.E.S.A.
The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...
(1797–1805)
since 1800
*
Maurice-Jean-Madeleine de Broglie (1805–1807)
*Luigi Antonio Arrighi de Casanova (1807–1809)
: ''Sede vacante'' (1809–1817)
*Carlo Giuseppe Maria Sappa de Milanes (1817–1834)
*Modesto (Luigi Eugenio) Contratto,
O.F.M. Cap. (1836–1867)
: ''Sede Vacante'' (1867–1871)
*Giuseppe Maria Sciandra (1871–1888)
*
Giuseppe Marello,
O.S.I. (1889–1895)
*Pietro Balestra,
O.F.M. Conv.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites.
Dating back to ...
(1895–1900)
*Disma Marchese (1901–1925 Died)
*Lorenzo Del Ponte (1926–1942 Died)
*Giuseppe Dell'Omo (1943–1976 Retired)
*Giuseppe Moizo (1976–1979 Died)
*
Livio Maritano (1979–2000 Retired)
*
Pier Giorgio Micchiardi (2000–2018 Retired)
*Luigi Testore (2018–present)
Parishes
The diocese, which covers an area of 1,683 km², is divided into 115 parishes. The majority are in the
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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region (provinces of
Alessandria and
Asti
Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...
), the rest are in
Liguria
Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
(provinces of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
and
Savona). A list of parishes by province and
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
follows
Notes and references
Bibliography
Reference works
* pp. 808–809. (in Latin)
* (in Latin)
* (in Latin)
* (in Latin)
* (in Latin)
*
* (in Latin)
*
*
*
Studies
*
*
*
*
* Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1914).
Italia pontificia: sive, Repertorium privilegiorum et litterarum a romanis pontificibus ante annum 1598 Italiae ecclesiis, monasteriis, civitatibus singulisque personis concessorum.'' Vol. VI. pars ii. Berolini: Weidmann. pp. 190–191.
* Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)'. Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 827–828.
*
*
*
*
* Ravera, Pompeo (1997). ''I vescovi della chiesa di Acqui dalle origini al XX secolo''. Acqui: Editrice Impressioni Grafiche 1997.
* Ravera, Pompeo, et al. Archivio vescovile di Acqui (1998). ''I Vescovi acquesi pastori nel mondo dall’XI al XX secolo''. Acqui Terme: Impressioni Grafiche, 1998.
*
*
Acknowledgment
::
{{authority control
Acqui
Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...
Acqui
Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...
Province of Alessandria
Province of Asti
Province of Genoa
Province of Savona
Acqui
Acqui Terme (; pms, Àich ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is about south-southwest of Alessandria. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d'A ...