The Diocese of Castello, originally the Diocese of Olivolo, is a former Roman Catholic diocese that was based on the city of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
in Italy.
It was established in 774, covering the islands that are now occupied by Venice. Throughout its existence there was tension between the diocese, the
Patriarchate of Grado
This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado (north-eastern Italy). ''
Doge of Venice. Eventually in 1451 the diocese and the patriarchate were merged to form the
Archdiocese of Venice
The Patriarchate of Venice ( la, Patriarchatus Venetiarum), also sometimes called the Archdiocese of Venice, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Venice, Italy. In 1451 the Patriarchat ...
.
History
Foundation
The diocese has its origins in the Patriarchate of Aquileia, founded during the Roman Empire. Hilarius of Panonia is recorded as bishop of Aquileia from about 276–285. As the empire fell into decline, Aquileia was sacked in turn by Visigoths (403), Huns (452) and Lombards (659). During these times of trouble some of the people would take refuge on the offshore islands. By 630 an independent
Patriarch of Grado
This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado (north-eastern Italy). ''
Grado.
The islands of Venice had originally been subject to the
Diocese of Padua
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Padua ( it, Diocesi di Padova; la, Dioecesis Patavina) is an episcopal see of the Catholic Church in Veneto, northern Italy. It was erected in the 3rd century.Pope Adrian I and John IV, Patriarch of Grado, authorized the establishment of an episcopal see on the island of Olivolo; the island is now called San Pietro di Castello.
The bishopric was established in 774–775 by the Duke of
Malamocco
Malamocco ( vec, Małamoco) was the first, and for a long time, the only settlement on the Lido of Venice barrier island of the Lagoon of Venice. It is located just south of the island's center and it is part of the Lido-Pellestrina borough of t ...
, who gave it his protection. Its cathedral was dedicated to Saint Peter.
The Bishop of Olivolo was subordinate to Grado and had jurisdiction over the islands of Gemini, Rialto, Luprio and Dorsoduro, the main islands of the city of Venice.
The bishopric, taken from the Diocese of Malamocco (Methamancus), formed a small new state, the nucleus of the state of Venice.
Olivolo
The first bishop was Obelerius. He was invested and enthroned by the doge, and consecrated by the Patriarch of Grado.
In 798 the doge nominated Cristoforo as his successor. Giovanni, patriarch of Grado, refused to consecrate Cristoforo due to his youth.
Giovanni was killed for his disobedience and his successor consecrated Cristoforo.
From his name, which is Greek, Cristoforo may have been Byzantine.
At that time Italy was the seen of a struggle between the Lombards and Byzantines, and many in Venice were loyal to Byzantium.
The Franks rose to power in the last half of the 8th century, and in 800
Pope Leo III
Pope Leo III (died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position b ...
crowned Charlemagne as Emperor.
In 802 a faction that was friendly to the Franks came to power in Malamocco, and sent the Doges Giovanni and Maurizio II into exile, along with the bishop of Olivolo.
In 810 a Byzantine fleet helped restore the party that favored Byzantium, and Angelo I Participazzo was made doge.
An attempt by the Franks to conquer the Venetian Lagoon failed, and after long negotiations it was agreed that Venice fell in the Byzantine sphere, while Venetian merchants could trade throughout the western empire. The Doge made his seat on the island of Rialto, and with the surrounding islands including Olivolo the new state started to take the name of Venetiae.
In the ninth century the relics of saints Sergios and Bacchus were placed in the cathedral at Olivolo by the pro-Greek faction.
The church of San Pietro di Castello was built by Orso Participazio, the fourth bishop of Olivolo. It was burned down several times.
In 828, the second year of the Doge Giustiniano Participazio, the Caliph had ordered that the Christian churches of Alexandria, Egypt, be pulled down so their marble columns could be used for his palace.
The body of Saint
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Acco ...
was smuggled out from the church of Saint Mark to Venice.
To discourage the "Saracens" from examining the coffin, it was filled with pork.
When the ship reached Olivolo island in Venice, the saint made signs that showed he did not want to be placed in the custody of the bishop. Instead, he was taken to the Doge's chapel, and planning began to create a magnificent new temple suitable for such important relics.
The motives for the robbery of the saint's body were in part to establish the importance of the city of Venice, as opposed to the sees of Grado and Olivolo, relative to the patriarchate of Aquileia.
In 853 Orso, bishop of Olivolo, left his property to his sister Romana, She was to guard it from future bishops who might not be worthy.
He decreed that if his successor mismanaged the property of the diocese, after his death she should have the power to ordain the basilica of St. Laurence to whomever she chose.
The new state fought off challenges from Croats, Saracens and Hungarians, and under Pietro II Candiano (932–939) began to expand on the mainland.
Under Pietro IV Candiano (959–976) the Great Council of Venice appeared, a body that included the bishops of the Venetian territories and that approved all laws.
The Latin cities of the
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...
n and
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
n coast, threatened by
Slavs
Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...
, placed themselves under the authority of Venice, and the Byzantine emperor consented to the Doge assuming the title of Duke of Dalmatia.
In 1001 the bishop Peter Martuseo, of the Quinta Bella family, built the church of San Agostino.
In 1046 Bishop Domenico Gradenigo and Patriarch Orso Orscolo participated in the council of bishops in Saint Mark's called by the Doge
Domenico Flabanico
Domenico Flabanico (died 1043) was the 29th Doge of Venice. His reign lasted from the abdication of Pietro Barbolano in 1032 until his death.
Before Domenico Flabanico took office, there was significant chaos in Venice. His predecessor had abd ...
.
The council made important decisions about organization and worship, including a decision that a priest could not be consecrated before the age of thirty, except in extraordinary circumstances.
Castello
In 1074, the Bishop of Olivolo began to be styled the Bishop of Castello.
Enrico Contarini
Enrico Contarini (died 15 November 1108) was a Venetian priest who was Bishop of Castello from 1074 to 1108.
Biography
Enrico Contarini was the son of the Doge Domenico Contarini of the aristocratic Venetian family (House of Contarini).
He was ...
was the first to hold this title.
He was the son of the Doge Domenico Contarini.
In 1084 the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in his Golden Bull recognized the full independence of Venice, along with freedom from tributes, trade restrictions and customs duties.
The Doge
Vitale Michiel
Vital I Michiel (died 1102) was a Doge of Venice; he was the 33rd traditional (30th historic) Doge of the Republic of Venice. A member of one of the so-called “twelve apostolic” families, he was married to Felicia Cornaro, who had influence o ...
(1096–1112) held back from participating in the First Crusade until he saw the amount of loot that the Genoese and Pisans were bringing back from Palestine.
In 1099 Enrico Contarini was the spiritual leader of the fleet of about 200 ships that Michiel sent to assist in the crusade in the Levant.
The fleet sailed to Rhodes, where it wintered.
The emperor of Byzantium asked the Venetians not to proceed, but the bishop overcame any who were inclined to listen to this request.
In the spring of 1100 the fleet went on to
Myra
Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...
in Asia Minor, where they obtained the remains of
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
, his uncle Nicholas and Saint
Theodore the Martyr
Theodore the Martyr refers to the two saints Theodore of Amasea (Theodore the Recruit) and Theodore Stratelates (Theodore the General), two important military saints of the Byzantine period.
The two saints are likely identical in origin, the ve ...
. They went on to the Holy Land, then returned to Venice, which they reached on 6 December 1100. With this acquisition, the Bishop obtained a patron saint to rival the Doge's Saint Mark.
Bishop Giovanni Polani (1133–1164) was a kinsman of the Doge of Venice,
Pietro Polani
Pietro Polani (died 1148) was the 36th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1130 to 1148.
Polani was elected Doge over the protests of the Dandolo and Bado families because of his first marriage to Adelasa Michele, who was the daughter of his predeces ...
(r. 1130–1148).
Polani became engaged in a dispute with Enrico Dandolo, the Patriarch of Grado.
Eventually these clashes, which also involved the Doge, would culminate in the exile of the patriarch.
In 1139, encouraged by Dandolo, the clergy of the ancient church of San Salvatore in central Venice decided to become canons regular under the
rule of St. Augustine
The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church.
The rule, developed b ...
. Polani was furious at what he saw as an attempt to take this important parish away from his control, and placed it under interdict.
In response, Dandolo placed it under his metropolitan protection.
On 13 May 1141
Pope Innocent II
Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...
lifted the interdict, placed San Salvatore under his personal protection and sent to canons to instruct the congregation in the rule.
The Republic of Venice began its golden age under the Doge Enrico Dandolo (1192–1205).
Under him the French crusading army of the
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
was used to bring Trieste and Zara under Venetian sway, and then to obtain a large part of the Latin Empire of Constantinople along the east coast of the Adriatic, most of the Peloponnese and settlements in the Sea of Marmora, the Black Sea and the Aegean.
The relationship between the bishop, the patriarch and the doge was complex.
The bishops of Olivolo, and then Castello, were technically suffragans of the Patriarch of Grado. From the middle of the 11th century the patriarchs took up residence for most of the time at
San Silvestro, Venice
San Silvestro is a church building in the sestiere of San Polo of Venice, northern Italy.
The church is located in the business district of Rialto. Originally, in the 12th century, it was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Grado. After re ...
, while the bishop was based at San Pietro on the east of the city. An important role was played by the ''primicerio'', based in Saint Mark's, who represented the Doge and the city government. The ''primicerio'' invested the bishops, abbots and patriarchs.
From the twelfth century the patriarch had a throne in Saint Mark's, which changed its role from the Doge's chapel to the state church.
In 1225 the Bishop Marco II Michel gained the exemption of the clergy from lay jurisdiction except when real property was involved.
In 1230 Michiel challenged the rights of the Doges over Saint Mark's.
In an effort to standardize the rites and ceremonies, in the mid-13th century the Bishop Pietro Pino (1235–1255) made an ''Ordinary'' for the year's divine offices and holy ceremonies, with the concurrence of all the parish priests and the canons of San Pietro di Castello. This became the rule of the diocese from that date.
Bishop Jacopo Albertini (1311–1329) supported
Louis of Bavaria Ludwig of Bavaria or Louis of Bavaria may refer to:
Dukes
*Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (1173–1231), Duke of Bavaria in 1183 and the Count of Palatinate of the Rhine in 1214. He was a son of Otto I
*Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (1229–1294), Duke of Ba ...
, whom he crowned as King of Italy in 1327, and was therefore deposed. Under Bishop Nicolo' Morosini (1336–1367) the dispute between the clergy and Government concerning the mortuary tithes was settled.
This dispute flared up again under Bishop Paolo Foscari (1367–1375) and was ended only in 1376.
During the Western Schism (1378 to 1418) Venice always adhered to the Roman claimant.
Around 1418 Bishop Marco Lando (1417–1426) prescribed adoption of elements of 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 ...
Bishops of Olivolo were:
* Obelerius (775–...)
* Christopher I Damiata (797–810) - ''deposed'' John (804) - ''usurper''
* Christopher II (810–813)
* Christopher I Damiata (813–...) - ''reinstated''
* Orso I Parteciacus (825–...)
* Maurice (...–...)
* Domenicus I (...–...)
* John (unknown – 876) - ''excommunicated by Pope John VIII''
* Lorenzo I (880–909)
* Domenico II (909–...)
* Domenico III (...–...)
* Peter I Tribunus (929–938)
* Orso II (938–945)
* Domenico IV Talonicus (945–955)
* Peter II Marturio (955–963)
* George (963–966)
*
Marino Cassianico Marino Cassianico (died 992) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop.
Born in Veneto, Marino Cassianico was named bishop of the Patriarch of Olivolo or Rialto, Italy in 966 and died in 992 while still in office.
References
Year of birth ...
(966–992)
* Domenico V Gradenigo (992–1026)
* Domenico VI Gradenigo (1026–1044)
* Domenico VII Contarini (1044–1074)
Bishops of Castello
Bishops of Castello were:
* Henry Contarini (1074–1108)
* Vitale I Michiel (1108–1120)
* Bonifacio Falier (1120–1133)
* John I Polani (1133–1164)
* Vitale II Michiel (1164–1182)
* Philip Casolo (1182–1184)
* Mark I Nicolai (1184–1225)
* Mark II Michiel (1225–1235)
* Peter III Pino (1235–1255)
* Walter Agnusdei (1255–1258)
* Thomas I Arimondo (1258–1260)
* Thomas II Franco (1260–1274)
* Bartolomew I Querini (1274–1292)
* Simeon Moro (1292–1293)
* Bartholomew II Querini (1293–1303)
* Ramberto Polo (1303–1311)
* Galasso Albertini (1311)
* Giacomo Albertini (1311–1329)
* Angelo I Dolfin (1329–1336)
* Nicholas Morosini (1336–1367)
* Paul Foscari (1367–1375)
* John II (1375–1378) - ''deposed''
* Nicholas II Morosini (1379)
* Angelo II Correr (1379–1390) - ''became Pope Gregory XII''
* John III Loredan (1390)
* Francis I Falier (1390–1392)
* Leonard Dolfin (1392–1401)
* Francis II Bembo (1401–1417)
* Mark III Lando (1417–1426)
* Peter IV Donato (1426–1428)
* Francis III Malipiero (1428–1433)
* Lorenzo II Giustiniani (1433–1451) - ''became Patriarch of Venice''
Titular Bishops
Titular bishops and archbishops were:
*Titular Archbishop
Angel Pérez Cisneros
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...
(1969.07.25 – 1972.08.30)
*Titular Archbishop
Pierluigi Sartorelli Pierluigi Sartorelli (29 December 1912 – 28 April 1996) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
Biography
Pierluigi Sartorelli was born on 29 December 1912 in Venice, Italy. He was orda ...
(1972.10.07 – 1996.04.28)
*Titular Bishop:
Gianni Danzi Gianni Danzi (January 25, 1940 – October 2, 2007) was an Italian Catholic Archbishop of the Territorial Prelature of Loreto. He was born in Viggiù, Varese province, Italy. Danzi died in October 2007 at the age of 67 at his parents' house in ...
(later Archbishop) (1996.05.02 – 2005.02.22)
*Titular Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo (from 2005.04.01)