The Italian Catholic Diocese of Parma ( la, Dioecesis Parmensis) has properly been called Diocese of Parma-Fontevivo since 1892.
''

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 Parma"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016. In 1892 the diocese absorbed the spiritualities of Fontevivo Abbey, a former

territorial abbey A territorial abbey (or territorial abbacy) is a particular church of the Catholic Church comprising defined territory which is not part of a diocese but surrounds an abbey or monastery whose abbot or superior functions as ordinary for all Ca ...

. The Bishop of Parma has since also had the title of Abbot of Fontevivo. The bishop's seat is in

Parma Cathedral Parma Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Parma; Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Parma, Emilia-Romagna (Italy), dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Parma. I ...

. The diocese is 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 Modena-Nonantola 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 ...

. Originally the diocese of Parma was in the ecclesiastical province of Milan, but it subsequently became a suffragan of the Archbishop of Ravenna. In 1106,

Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...

removed Parma from the supervision of Ravenna, but in 1119

Pope Gelasius II Pope Gelasius II (c. 1060/1064 – 29 January 1119), born Giovanni Caetani or Giovanni da Gaeta (also called ''Coniulo''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1118 to his death in 1119. A monk of Monte C ...

restored the dioceses of Emilia to the jurisdiction of Ravenna. With the creation of the new archdiocese of Bologna in 1593, Parma became subject to Bologna. In 1875, the diocese of Parma became immediately subject to the Holy See (papacy).

History

At Easter 967, Bishop Uberto of Parma attended a council at Ravenna, presided over by

Pope John XIII Pope John XIII ( la, Ioannes XIII; died 6 September 972) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 October 965 to his death. His pontificate was caught up in the continuing conflict between the Holy Roman emperor, Otto I, and t ...

and the

Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

. The council deposed Archbishop Herold of Salzburg for heresy. The emperor confirmed the pope in the possession of all of the territories of the Roman church, including the exarchate of Ravenna. The pope raised the diocese of Magdeburg to the status of an archbishopric at the emperor's request. He also confirmed the privileges of the Church of Ferrara. In 987, Archbishop Honestus (Onesto) of Ravenna summoned a provincial synod, to meet in the village of Marzaglia, in the diocese of Parma. The bishops who attended included Giovanni of Imola, Gerardo of Faenza, Odone of Cesena, Ulberto of Bologna, Sigolfo of Piacenza, and Uberto of Parma. The assembly dealt with complaints made by the bishop of Bologna against the bishop of Parma, claiming that Bishop Uberto was holding properties close to Bologna which ought to belong to Bologna, which was a poor diocese and unable to staff all of its churches. Archbishop Onesto was able to effect a reconciliation through the mutual exchange of disputed properties. In 1410 the plague struck Parma with especial virulence. It is claimed that one-quarter of the population died.

Apostolic visitation

In accordance with a bull of

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

of 14 September 1578, Archbishop Giambattista Castelli of Rimini began an

apostolic visitation In the Catholic Church, a canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view to maintaining faith and discipline and of correcting abuses. A person delegated to car ...

of the diocese of Parma. His first investigation was of the cathedral chapter. His first painful discovery was that four of the priests whose duty it was to celebrate Mass in the cathedral were not able to recite the prayer ''Suscipiat Dominus'' from the canon of the Mass for the archbishop. Then the archbishop turned to an inspection of the canons of the cathedral chapter. He cited the decree of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

''de reformatione'' (chapter 12), approved in the 24th Session, which granted their daily stipend from the only to those who had attended at each of the canonical hours. The canons replied that their custom, since the great plague of 1348 had produced a scarcity of clergy, required only the attendance at the daily Mass and at the

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern), Lutheranism, Lutheran, and Anglican ...

on the eve of a great feast day. Touching as it did both on local tradition and the canons' income, the archbishop's ruling set off a legal firestorm. The canons lodged an appeal in Rome with the prefect of the

Sacred Congregation of the Council The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardin ...

, Cardinal

Marcantonio Maffei Marcantonio Maffei (29 November 1521 – 22 August 1583) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Background Marcantonio Maffei was born in Bergamo on 29 November 1521, the son of nobles Girolamo Maffei and Antonia Mattei. His olde ...

, and sent the archdeacon, Msgr. Cesare Picolello and Canon Francesco Ballestrieri, armed with a testimonial letter of the elders of the Commune of 9 January 1579, stating that the people of Parma were content with the celebration of the canonical hours in the cathedral. Cardinal Alessandro Sforza was induced to speak with Cardinal Maffei, and the congregation took up the appeal on 29 January 1579, in the presence of twelve cardinals, nine of whom voted in favor of the canons of Parma, ruling that the canons' service was not in violation of the decrees of the Council of Trent. The pope was informed of the decision and gave his approval. In 1580, on the initiative of Duke Ottavio, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

were introduced into Parma, and given the church of San Benedetto, which had belonged to the abbey of S. Giovanni Evangelista. They continued to use the church until the reign of

Pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX ( la, Clemens IX; it, Clemente IX; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Biography Ear ...

. They also acquired the Oratory of S. Rocco. By 1618, the Jesuits had a college for high school students, and one-third of the twenty-six professors at the University of Parma were Jesuits.

Cathedral and chapter

The residence of the canons of the chapter of the cathedral of Parma (''Canonica'') was established on 29 December 877 by Bishop Wibodus and King Carloman. The cathedral of Parma, which had been constructed with substantial aid from the countess

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...

, was consecrated by

on 31 October 1106. On 3 January 1116 began a series of earthquakes in the neighborhood of Parma, which lasted for thirty days. In 1117 another major earthquake destroyed the cathedral of Parma. The baptistry of the cathedral was dedicated on 25 May 1270 by Bishop Opizzo de Sancto Vitale. The largest bell of the cathedral, named "Bajonus", was given by Cardinal

Gerardo Bianchi Gerardo Bianchi (1220/1225 – March 1, 1302) was an Italian churchman and papal diplomat, an important figure of the War of the Sicilian Vespers. Life Gerardo was born in Gainago, in the diocese of Parma, studied law at the University of Bologn ...

in 1291. On 8 January 1584, the high altar of the cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Ferrante Farnese. In 1691, the cathedral was staffed by a chapter composed of three dignities (the archdeacon, archpriest, and provost) and fourteen canons. In 1579, the residence of the canons was at the monastery of S. Giovanni Evangelista in Parma, directly behind the apse of the cathedral. The cathedral was awarded the status of a minor basilica by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...

in a bull of 13 June 1834. On 24 April 1246, Cadalo, the new bishop of Parma, and his family, who were established in the diocese of Verona, created and endowed a new monastery, that of S. Giorgio, in Breida, near Verona. Bishop Cadalo held a diocesan synod in 1061. He was in schism with

Pope Alexander II 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 ...

, and counted all of Lombardy in his camp except for territories belonging to Countess Matilda of Tuscany.

Synods

On 28–30 September 1466, a diocesan synod took place, presided over by the vicar general Avinatri, with a special mandate from Bishop Giovanni (Giacomo) Antonio della Torre (1463-1476). The opening Mass was celebrated by della Torre's auxiliary bishop, Fra Agostino. The statutes of the earlier synods of Bishops Obizzo Sanvitale (1257–1295), Papiniano della Rovere (1300–1316), and Delfino della Pergola (1425–1463), were read out. Bishop della Torre held a second synod in March 1470. In 1564 Bishop Alessandro Sforza (1560–1573) presided over the first diocesan synod following the close of the

. In 1568 he took part in the provincial synod of the ecclesiastical province of Ravenna, presided over by Cardinal Giulio della Rovere. Bishop Ferrante Farnese (1573–1606) held a diocesan synod in 1575, another on 11 May 1581, and a third in 1583. A diocesan synod was held in September 1602 under the presidency of Msgr. Giovanni Mozanega, protonotary apostolic and vicar general of the diocese of Parma. Bishop Pompeo Cornazzano, O.Cist. (1615–1647) held a diocesan synod in November 1621. Bishop Carlo Nembrini (1652–1677) presided over his first diocesan synod on 5–7 June 1659; he held his second diocesan synod on 26–27 April 1674. A synod was held on 7 May 1691 by Bishop Tommaso Saladino (1681–1694). Bishop Domenico Maria Villa (1872–1882) presided over a diocesan synod on 1–3 October 1878.

Bishops

to 1100

Urbanus Urbain Servranckx (born 7 June 1949), better known as Urbanus, is a Belgian comedian, actor, singer and comic book writer. Although he is most famous as comedian, some of his songs became hits, such as ''Bakske vol met stro'' (1979), ''Madammen ...

(attested 378) * Gratiosus (680) :... *Alboin (attested 744) *Gerolamo (attested c. 775) *Pietro (attested 781) :... * Lantpertus (Lambertus) (attested 827 – after 835) * Wibodus (attested 857–895) *Elbungus (895 – after 915) * Aicardus (attested 920–927) * Sigefredus (attested May 929 – after 944) *Adeodatus (attested 947 – after 953) *Obertus (attested from 961 – December 980) *Sigefredus (980-after 1006) *Maiolo (attested c. 1013/1014) *Enrico (1015-after February 1026) *Ugo (before April 1027 – after April 1040) * Cadalo (1046–1071) * Everardus (1073–c. 1085) *

Wido 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 me ...

(1085–c. 1104)

1100 to 1500

Bernardo degli Uberti Bernardo degli Uberti (c. 1060 – 4 December 1133) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member and served as an abbot of the Vallumbrosan, Vallumbrosan Order. Uberti served as the Bishop ...

(1106–1133) *Alberto (1133-1135) :... *Lanfranco (1139-c. 1162) *Aicardo da Cornazzano (c. 1163–1167 or 1170) *Bernardo (c. 1172–1194) * Obizzo Fieschi (1194–1224) *Gratia (1224–1236) *Gregorius (1236) *Martinus (1237–1243) *Bernardus Viti (Da Vizio) de Scotti * (1243–1257) * (1257–1295) *Giovanni da Castell'Arquato, O.Cist. (1295–1299) *Goffredo da Vezzano (1299–1300) *Papiniano della Rovere (1300–1316) *Simone Saltarelli, O.P. (1317–1323) * (1323–1377) *Beltrando da Borsano (c. 1378-c. 1380) * Giovanni Rusconi (1380–1412) * Bernardo Zambernelli,

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 ...

(1412–1425) * Delfino della Pergola (1425–1463) * Giovanni Antonio della Torre (1463–1476) * Sagramoro Sagramori (1476–1482) *Cardinal

Giovanni Giacomo Sclafenati Giovanni Giacomo Sclafenati (Schiaffinati) (10 September 1451 – 9 December 1497) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was bishop of Parma in Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic ...

(1482–1497)

1500 to 1800

* Giovanni Antonio Sangiorgio (1499–1509) * Alessandro Farnese (1509–1534) *

Cardinal Alessandro Farnese Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520 – 2 March 1589), an Italian cardinal and diplomat and a great collector and patron of the arts, was the grandson of Pope Paul III (who also bore the name ''Alessandro Farnese''), and the son of Pier Luigi Farn ...

(1534–1535) *

Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora (26 November 1518 – 6 October 1564) was an Italian cardinal, known also as ''The cardinal of Santa Fiora''. Born in Rome, he was the son of Costanza Farnese and therefore grandson of Pope Paul III, brot ...

(1535–1560) *

Alessandro Sforza Alessandro Sforza (21 October 1409 – 3 April 1473) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Pesaro, the first of the Pesaro line of the Sforza family. Biography He was born in Cotignola in 1409, an illegitimate son of the famous condotti ...

(1560–1573) *

Ferrante Farnese Ferrante is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Italian nobility *Antonio Ferrante Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla (1687–1729) *Don Ferrante (1423–1494), Ferdinand I, King of Naples *Ferrante II of Naples (1469– ...

(1573–1606) *

Papirio Picedi Papirio Picedi (1528–1614) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Parma (1606–1614) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Borgo San Donnino (1603–1606). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Papirio Picedi was born in Arcola di Lunigiana, Italy ...

(1606–1614) * Alessandro Rossi (1614–1615) *

Pompeo Cornazzano Pompeo Cornazzano, O. Cist. (1576–1647) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Parma (1615–1647). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Pompeo Cornazzano was born in Pavie, Italy in 1576 and ordained a priest in the Order of Cistercians. ...

, O.Cist. (1615–1647) :''Sede vacante'' (1647–1650) * Gerolamo Corio (1650–1651) * Carlo Nembrini (1652–1677) * Tommaso Saladino (1681–1694) *

Giuseppe Olgiati Giuseppe Olgiati (10 December 1660 – 29 July 1736) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Como (1711–1735) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Parma (1694–1711). ''(in Latin)'' Ot ... (1710). References External links and additi ...

(1694–1711) * Camillo Marazzani (1711–1760) *Francesco Pettorelli Lalatta (1760–1788) *

Adeodato Turchi Adeodato Turchi (5 August 1724 – 2 September 1803) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Parma.

, O.F.M.Cap. (1788)

since 1800

*Cardinal

Carlo Francesco Caselli Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: * Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo * Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince ...

(1804–1828) *Remigio Crescini, O.S.B. (1828–1830) *Vitale Loschi (1831 -1842) *Giovanni Tommaso Neuschel, O.P. (1843–1852) (resigned) *Felice Cantimorri, O.F.M.Cap. (1854–1870) *Domenico Maria Villa (1872–1882) *Giovanni Andrea Miotti (1882-1893) *Francesco Magani (1893-1907) *

Guido Maria Conforti Guido Maria Conforti (3 March 1865 – 5 November 1931) was a Roman Catholic Italian archbishop who founded the Xaverian Missionary Fathers on 3 December 1895. He was known to make frequent visits to his parishes and worked to support the rel ...

(1907-1931) *Evasio Colli (1932-1971) *Amilcare Pasini (1971-1981) (resigned) *

Benito Cocchi Benito Cocchi (5 November 1934 – 5 May 2016) was a Roman Catholic archbishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1959, Cocchi served auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bologna, Italy from 1974 until 1982. He then served as bish ...

(1982-1996) * Silvio Cesare Bonicelli (1996-2008) * Enrico Solmi (2008-present)Solmi was born at Spilamberto (Modena) in 1956. He studied at the minor and major seminaries of Modena, and at the interdiocesan seminary in Reggio. He obtained a doctorate in moral theology from the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome. He held various posts specializing in family pastoral care.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

appointed him Bishop of Parma on 19 January 2008, and he was consecrated a bishop at Modena on 9 March. He took formal possession of the diocese on 30 March. Diocesi di Parma, Vescovo
''Biografia''
retrieved: 24 October 2018. (slow connection)

References and notes

Books

Reference works for bishops

* pp. 744–745. * (in Latin) * * * * * * * *

Studies

* rints documents* * * * * * * * enry III, Pope Nicholas II, Bishop Cadalo: pp. 102–147 *Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1906). ''Italia Pontificia'
Vol. V: Aemilia, sive Provincia Ravennas
Berlin: Weidmann, pp. 412–440. (in Latin). *Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)
'. Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 803–810. * * * *

Acknowledgment

:: {{authority control

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...