The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vercelli (in Latin, ''Archidioecesis Vercellensis'') is a

Latin rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

Metropolitan see in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which, together with their suffragan dioceses, form the

ecclesiastical region An ecclesiastical region () is a formally organised geographical group of dioceses, ecclesiastical provinces or parishes, without a proper Ordinary as such, in Catholic or Protestant Churches. Catholic Church Apart from historical other uses, the ...

of Piedmont. The archbishop's seat is in Basilica Cattedrale di S. Eusebio, a minor basilica dedicated to its canonized first bishop, in

Vercelli Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...

, Piemonte (Piedmont). The city also has two

Minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

s: Basilica di S. Andrea and Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore

Ecclesiastical province

The

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 ...

s under the Metropolitan of Vercelli are: *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Alessandria The Diocese of Alessandria ( la, Dioecesis Alexandrina Statiellorum) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.Roman Catholic Diocese of Biella *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Casale Monferrato The Diocese of Casale Monferrato (Latin: ''Dioecesis Casalensis'') is a Roman Catholic diocese in northwest Italy, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli which forms part of the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Novara The Diocese of Novara ( la, Dioecesis Novariensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.Diocese of Casale Monferrato and on 1772.06.01 to establish Diocese of Biella * Gained territory (back) on 1803.06.01 from the suppressed Diocese of Biella * Promoted on 1817.07.17 as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Vercelli / Vercellen(sis) (Latin), having lost territory to (re-)establish Diocese of Biella * Lost territory on 1874.08.01 to suffragan daughter Diocese of Casale Monferrato According to an ancient

lectionary A lectionary ( la, lectionarium) is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christianity, Christian or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion. There are sub-types such as a "gospel lectionary" or evang ...

the Gospel was first preached in

in the second half of the third century by Saints Sabinianus (Savinian) and Martialis, bishops from Gaul, when they were returning to their dioceses. The episcopal see was not established till after the

Peace of Constantine The Edict of Milan ( la, Edictum Mediolanense; el, Διάταγμα τῶν Μεδιολάνων, ''Diatagma tōn Mediolanōn'') was the February 313 AD agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire.W. H. C. Frend, Fr ...

. The first bishop was Saint Eusebius (354–370), a

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

n lector of the Roman Church and a strenuous opponent of

Arianism Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

. From Vercelli the Gospel spread through the valley of the Po and its environs; towards the end of the fourth century, perhaps even during the episcopate of Saint Eusebius, new dioceses were erected. From Eusebius to Nottingo (830) there were forty bishops, whose images were preserved in the Eusebian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

, predecessor of the present cathedral, so called because Saint Eusebius, who dedicated it to the martyr Saint Theonestus, was interred in it. He introduced the common and monastic life among his clergy, from whom bishops for the surrounding territory were often selected. In 1817 the Diocese of Vercelli, then

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

archbishopric of Turin The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.archbishopric of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

) was made an

archdiocese In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

, the first archbishop being Giuseppe di Grimaldi. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, SDB, Secretary of State (2006 onwards) served as archbishop of Vercelli (1991–1995). * It enjoyed a

Papal visit Papal travel outside Rome has been historically rare, and voluntary travel of the pope was non-existent for the first 500 years. Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) undertook more pastoral trips than all his predecessors combined. Pope Francis (2013� ...

from

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in May 1998.

Bishops and archbishops

Bishops of Vercelli

*St.

Eusebius of Vercelli Eusebius of Vercelli (c. March 2, 283 – August 1, 371) was a bishop from Sardinia and is counted a saint. Along with Athanasius, he affirmed the divinity of Jesus against Arianism. Biography Eusebius was born in Sardinia, in 283. After his fat ...

(343 – 1 Aug 371 Died) * ... * Saint Simenus (370–396), who baptized and consecrated Saint Ambrose * Saint Honoratus (396), who administered the

Viaticum Viaticum is a term used – especially in the Catholic Church – for the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion), administered, with or without Anointing of the Sick (also called Extreme Unction), to a person who is dying; viaticum is thus a part ...

Saint Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

* Saint Justinianus (living in 451) * Saint Æmilianus (about 500) built an aqueduct for the city at his own expense * Saint Flavianus (541), who decorated the apse of the original basilica * Saint Celsus (638–665) * Norgaudus (844), who restored common life among the canons * Liutuardus (880–899), who had been

archchancellor An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...

Charles the Fat Charles III (839 – 13 January 888), also known as Charles the Fat, was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 888. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandso ...

(deposed later) and was slain during the invasion of the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

(899), like * Regenbertus (904–924), even though only a bishop, Pope Anastasius III granted him the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

for life * Atto II of Vercelli, (924–960), son of Aimone, Count of Vercelli, reformer of ecclesiastical discipline, and chancellor for Lothair II; he ordered schools to be set up in every parish of the diocese * Petrus I (978–997) a German attached to Otto II with whom he fought the Saracens in southern Italy; defeated and enslaved, he was sent to Egypt. He returned only to be killed by Arduino, the marquess of Ivrea who hoped to be King of Italy himself; he burnt the cathedral of Vercelli and scattered those buried there * Leo I (999–1024), another German prelate who became chancellor of

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

and Henry II; :... * Anselmo Avogadro (1124–1127) the first bishop of Vercelli to also hold the title of count * Gisulfus II Avogadro (1132–1151) re-established common life among the canons in 1144 * Uberto Crivelli (Dec 1182 – 9 May 1185), also

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has l ...

Uberto Crivelli (1182–1185) held both Vercelli and Milan at the same time, until elected Pope Urban III * Saint Albert Avogadro (1185–1204), a Canon Regular at Mortara, then elected bishop of Bobbio, but translated to Vercelli; made Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (''Reichsfürst'') in 1191; founder of the cathedral chair of theology, elected

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem ( la, Patriarchatus Latinus Hierosolymitanus) is the Latin Catholic ecclesiastical patriarchate in Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was originally established in 1099, wit ...

(1204–1214); approved the Rule of the Carmelite Order * Ugo di Sessa (1214–1235) * Martino Avogadro de Quaregna (1243–1268) * Rainerio Avogadro (1305–1310) originally refused his election; he opposed the partisans of

Fra Dolcino Fra Dolcino (c. 1250 – 1307) was the second leader of the Dulcinian reformist movement who was burned at the stake in Northern Italy in 1307. He had taken over the movement after its founder, Gerard Segarelli, had also been executed in 1300 on ...

* Uberto Avogadro (1310–1326), sixth and last of a long line of Avogadro count-bishops of Vercelli :... * Jacques de' Cavalli (1 June 1379 – ) *

Ludovico Fieschi Ludovico Fieschi (died 3 April 1423) was a cardinal during the Western Schism. Life Fieschi came from Genoa, from the family of the counts of Lavagna, a family from which the 13th-century Pope Adrian V and some other cardinals came. On 29 March 1 ...

(29 March 1382 – 31 Oct 1406), next Administrator of

Diocese of Carpentras Carpentras (''Lat.'' dioecesis Carpentoratensis) was a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Provence region (later part of France), from the later Roman Empire until 1801. It was part of the ecclesiastical province under the Metropolitan ...

) * Guglielmo Didier (1437), an elector of the

Antipope Felix V Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451), nicknamed the Peaceful, was Count of Savoy from 1391 to 1416 and Duke of Savoy from 1416 to 1440. He was the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was a claimant to the papa ...

Giovanni Stefano Ferrero Giovanni Stefano Ferrero (1474–1510) (called the Cardinal of Bologna) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Giovanni Stefano Ferrero was born in Biella on May 5, 1474, the son of Sebastiano Ferrero and Tomena Avogadro. ...

(16 July 1499 – 21 Jan 1502 Resigned), former Coadjutor Bishop (1493.04.24 – 1499.07.16); later created Cardinal *) *

Giuliano della Rovere Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

(24 Jan 1502 – 1 Nov 1503), Elected

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

(1503 * ). *

(31 Oct 1503 – 5 Nov 1509), Administrator of

Ivrea Ivrea (; pms, Ivrèja ; ; lat, Eporedia) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it stradd ...

) * Bonifacio Ferrero (5 Nov 1509 – 17 Sep 1511), next

Bishop of Ivrea The Italian Catholic Diocese of Ivrea ( la, Dioecesis Eporediensis) is in Piedmont. For a time the diocese included the territory which had once been the diocese of Aosta, suppressed in 1803 but restored in 1817. Up until 1517 Ivrea was a suffra ...

) * Agostino Ferrero (17 Sep 1511 – 1536 Died) * Pier Francesco Ferrero (20 Dec 1536 – 2 March 1562 Resigned) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Melchiore Cribelli, O.P. (1540.02.20 – ?) * Cardinal Guido Luca Ferrero (2 March 1562 – 17 Oct 1572 Resigned), founder of the seminary, embellished the cathedral and introduced the

Tridentine reform The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as ...

* Giovanni Francesco Bonomigni (17 Oct 1572 – 26 Feb 1587 Died), continued the reform and replaced (1573) the Eusebian Rite by the

Roman rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

Costanzo de Sarnano Costanzo de Sarnano, O.F.M. Conv. or Gasparo Torri (1531–1595) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography On 12 Jul 1587, he was consecrated bishop by Girolamo Bernerio, Bishop of Ascoli Piceno, with Giovanni Battista Albani Giovanni Battis ...

(Torri), O.F.M. Conv. (6 April 1587 – 29 May 1589 Resigned) * Corrado Asinari (29 May 1589 – 1590 Died) * Marcantonio Visia (Vitia) (13 Aug 1590 – 1599 Resigned) *

Juan Esteban Ferrero Juan Esteban Ferrero, O. Cist. or Giovanni Stefano Ferrero (1568–1610) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Vercelli (1599–1610) and Apostolic Nuncio to Emperor (1604–1607). ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)'' Biography Juan Este ...

(Giovanni Stefano Ferrero), O. Cist. (29 March 1599 – 21 Sep 1610 Died) * Giacomo Goria (17 Aug 1611 – 3 Jan 1648 Died) *

Girolamo della Rovere Girolamo is an Italian language, Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English language, English equivalent is Jerome (given name), Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, ast ...

(5 May 1660 – 20 Jan 1662 Died) * Michael Angelus Broglia (30 Jul 1663 – May 1679 Died) * Victor Augustinus Ripa (27 Nov 1679 – 3 Nov 1691 Died) * Giovanni Giuseppe Maria Orsini, C.R.L. (24 March 1692 – August 1694 Died) *

Giuseppe Antonio Bertodano Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giusep ...

(3 June 1697 – 4 May 1700 Died) *Gerolamo Francesco Malpasciuto (30 July 1727 – 9 August 1728 Died) *Carlo Vincenzo Maria Ferreri, O.P. (23 Dec 1729 – 9 Dec 1742 Died) *Gian Pietro Solaro (15 July 1743 – Jan 1768 Died) *Vittorio Maria Baldassare Gaetano Costa d'Arignano (11 Sep 1769 – 28 Sep 1778), Confirmed,

Archbishop of Turin The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.Apostolic Nuncio to Austria The Apostolic Nuncio to Austria is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. It originated as t ...

) *Giovanni Gamberoni (22 March 1917 – 17 February 1929 Died) *Giacomo Montanelli (17 February 1929 – 6 May 1944 Died), former Coadjutor Archbishop (1928.11.23 – 1929.02.17) * Francesco Imberti (10 October 1945 – 5 September 1966 Retired) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Giovanni Picco (15 November 1962 – 1967) *Albino Mensa (12 October 1966 – 4 June 1991 Retired) * Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone, S.D.B. (4 June 1991 – 13 June 1995 Appointed, Secretary of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

) *

Enrico Masseroni Enrico Masseroni (20 February 1939 – 30 September 2019) was an Italian Roman Catholic archbishop. Masseroni was born in Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern ...

(10 February 1996 – 27 February 2014 Retired) *Marco Arnolfo (27 Feb 2014 – present)

Statistics

As per 2012, it pastorally served 174,200 Catholics (96.9% of 179,800 total) on 1,658 km² in 117 parishes with 103 priests (87 diocesan, 16 religious; i.e. a priest for every 1,691 Catholics), 13 deacons, 302 lay religious (20 brothers, 282 sisters) and 2 seminarians.

Parishes

The 118 parishes are divided between the Lombard

province of Pavia The province of Pavia ( it, Provincia di Pavia) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy; its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205. ...

and the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

ese provinces of

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

Biella Biella (; pms, Biela; la, Bugella) is a city and ''comune'' in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of Turin an ...

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...

and

.Source
Parishes of the diocese of Vercelli
(retrieved:2016-10-02)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic, with Google map - data for all sections

Books

* * * (in Latin) * * * * * * *

acknowledgment

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vercelli, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Piedmont Vercelli Dioceses established in the 3rd century

Province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...

Province of Biella The Province of Biella ( it, Provincia di Biella, Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Provincia ëd Biela'') is a Provinces of Italy, province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella. It has an ...

Province of Novara Novara (It. ''Provincia di Novara'') is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara. In 1992, the new Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola was created through the fusion of three geographical areas which had previou ...

Province of Vercelli A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outs ...