In the history of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and later of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, there have been several Councils of Aquileia. The Roman city of
Aquileia at the head of the
Adriatic is the seat of an ancient
episcopal see, seat of the
Patriarch of Aquileia
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certain ...
.
Council of 381 AD
The council was summoned by the
Western Roman Emperor Gratian
Gratian (; la, Gratianus; 18 April 359 – 25 August 383) was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers and w ...
to address the
Arian controversy
The Arian controversy was a series of Christian disputes about the nature of Christ that began with a dispute between Arius and Athanasius of Alexandria, two Christian theologians from Alexandria, Egypt. The most important of these controversies ...
. It was organized by
Ambrose, and presided over by Valerian, Bishop of Aquileia. Thirty-two Western bishops attended.
The Arian
Palladius of Ratiaria and
Secundianus of Singidunum, were defenders of the
Arian position. The Arian position was
anathematized
Anathema, in common usage, is something or someone detested or shunned. In its other main usage, it is a formal excommunication. The latter meaning, its ecclesiastical sense, is based on New Testament usage. In the Old Testament, anathema was a cr ...
by all the bishops other than Palladius, who disputed the legitimacy of the council due to the absence of Eastern bishops.
The council also asked the two Emperors to convene a general council of both East and West in order to put an end to the
Meletian schism in
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
.
Council of 553 AD
The council of 553 inaugurated the
Schism of the Three Chapters The Schism of the Three Chapters was a schism that affected Chalcedonian Christianity in Northern Italy lasting from 553 to 698 AD, although the area out of communion with Rome contracted throughout that time. It was part of a larger Three-Chapter ...
, that for a century and more separated many churches of northern Italy from the Holy See; in it the Bishops of Venetia, Istria, and Liguria refused to accept the decrees of the
Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and rec ...
(the 5th General Council, 553 AD), on the plea that by the condemnation of the
Three Chapters it had undone the work of the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...
of 451. In Northern Italy the ecclesiastical provinces of Milan and Aquileia broke off communion with the papacy; the former yielding only towards the end of the 6th century, whereas Aquileia protracted its resistance to about 700.
Council of 579 AD
The council of 579, also known as the
Synod of Grado The Synod of Grado was a Synod held in 579 by bishops loyal to the Patriarch of Aquileia. It was held in Grado as the Patriarch had fled there after the Lombard invasion of Northern Italy. The Synod helped to prolong the schism of the Three Chapt ...
was a meeting of bishops loyal to Aquileia that helped to prolong the
schism of the Three Chapters The Schism of the Three Chapters was a schism that affected Chalcedonian Christianity in Northern Italy lasting from 553 to 698 AD, although the area out of communion with Rome contracted throughout that time. It was part of a larger Three-Chapter ...
.
The Council met on 3 November in Grado, under the presidency of Elias, Patriarch of Aquileia, and with the presence of the Papal Legate, the priest Laurentius, and seventeen bishops, and two priests representing absent bishops. A letter of Pope Paschal I, dated April 20, was read out, in which permission was granted to move the Seat of the Patriarchate from Aquileia to Grado, while retaining the title of Patriarch of Aquileia. The Council approved the Pope's letter.
Council of 1184
The Council of 1184 was held on 30 September 1184 at Aquileia by the Patriarch, Gotifredus. The Council denounced, robbers, plunderers of cemeteries, incendiaries, and those guilty of sacrilege, especially by physically attacking clergy. Perpetrators were to be subject to anathema.
Council of 1409
In 1409 a council was held by
Gregory XII
Pope Gregory XII ( la, Gregorius XII; it, Gregorio XII; – 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario," or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was oppose ...
against the pretensions of the rival popes,
Benedict XIII (Peter de Luna) and
Alexander V
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
(Peter of Candia). He declared them schismatical, but promised to renounce the papacy if they would do the same.
Pope Gregory had responded to the call of the cardinals at Livorno in June 1408 for a general council to be held at Pisa with an announcement that he would hold a council himself, somewhere in the territory of Aquileia or the territory of Rimini. Aquileia ceased to be an attractive venue when its Patriarch announced his adherence to the Council of Pisa and sent representatives to Pisa. On 19 December 1408 Pope Gregory fixed the town of Cividale as the site of his council. His council held its inaugural session on 6 June 1409, the day after he had been formally deposed by the Council of Pisa. The attendance was so embarrassingly small that he had to issue new letters of convocation on 20 June 1409, with a date of 22 July for the Second Session. He authorized his friend
King Rupert (Ruprecht) to depose any prelate in his domains who refused to obey the summons to his council. He received a severe blow when the Venetians decided to support the Council of Pisa, since Venice controlled both the land and sea routes between Rimini and Cividale.
In that Second Session Gregory XII declared that his little assembly was a general council of the entire Church. He then declared all the popes of the Roman Obedience back to Urban VI to be canonical, and he anathematized all the popes of the Avignon Obedience, and included Alexander V for good measure. Another session was held on 5 September 1409, at which he demanded that Peter of Candia (Alexander V) renounce the position to which he had been elected by an uncanonical conclave.
Trapped in Friuli, Gregory XII had to be rescued by ships which had been sent by Ladislaus of Naples. Disguised as a merchant he fled on 6 September, bringing his council to a sudden end. He made first for Ortona on the Adriatic, and then Gaeta in central Italy. His chamberlain, who was playing the part of the pope in order to distract his pursuers, was captured by the soldiers of the Patriarch of Aquileia.
Council of 1596
In October 1596
Francesco Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia, held a council at the city of Udine in Friuli,
[Ludovicus Petit & Ioannes Baptista Martin, ''Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio'']
Tomus trigesimus sextus bis
(36, 2) (Paris: Hubert Welter 1913), p. 403. at which he renewed in nineteen decrees the legislation of the
Council of Trent
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 a ...
, including the replacement of the
Aquileian Rite The Aquileian Rite was a particular liturgical tradition of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and hence called the ''ritus patriarchinus.'' It was effectively replaced by the Roman Rite by the beginning of the seventeenth century, although elements of ...
with the
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...
. This was part of a series of synods around the Patriarchate to standardise the Rite with Rome.
References
Bibliography
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Acknowledgment
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aquileia, Councils of
381
380s in the Roman Empire
6th century in Italy
553
550s in the Byzantine Empire
579
7th century in Italy
698
1184 in Europe
12th century in Italy
1409 in Europe
15th century in Italy
1596 in Christianity
1596 in Italy
4th-century church councils
6th-century church councils
7th-century church councils
12th-century Catholic Church councils
15th-century Catholic Church councils
16th-century Catholic Church councils
Catholic Church councils held in Italy
Aquileia
Patriarchate of Aquileia
History of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Pavia
Western Schism