The Diocese of Alba Pompeia or Alba Pompea ( la, Dioecesis Albae Pompeiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. Its territory comprises eighty towns in the civil Province of Cuneo and two in the

Province of Asti The Province of Asti ( it, Provincia di Asti, Piedmontese: ''Provincia d’Ast'') is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the northwest it borders on the Metropolitan City of Turin; to the sou ...

. The Diocese of Alba Pompeia is a

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 ...

in the ecclesiastical province of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Archdiocese of Turin The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy."Diocese of Alba (Pompea)"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Diocese of Alba"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016

History

The earliest figure in the traditional list of the bishops of Alba is a St. Dionysius, of whom the story is told that after serving in Alba for some years he became Archbishop of Milan. He was the Dionysius who so energetically opposed

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 ...

and was exiled in the year 355 by the

Emperor Constans Flavius Julius Constans ( 323 – 350), sometimes called Constans I, was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of ''caesar'' from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was made ...

. Daniel

Papebroch Daniel Papebroch, S.J., (17 March 1628 – 28 June 1714) was a Flemish Jesuit hagiographer, one of the Bollandists. He was a leading revisionist figure, bringing historical criticism to bear on traditions of saints of the Catholic Church. Life ...

disputes the reliability of this tradition, since a bishop of that period was forbidden to leave his diocese for another. A list of nine early bishops of Alba, from another St. Dionysius (380) down to a Bishop Julius (553), was compiled from sepulchral inscriptions found in the cathedral of Alba towards the end of the fifteenth century by

Dalmazzo Berendenco Dalmazzo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Maria Dalmazzo (born 1983), Colombian actress *Nicola Dalmazzo Nicola Dalmazzo, O.S.A. or Nicola Dalmatico (died 20 April 1653) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop o ...

, an antiquarian. Giovanni Battista De Rossi, however, on examination of the inscriptions proved them to be a forgery. The first bishop of Alba whose existence is certain is Lampradius who was present at the synod held in Rome in 499 under Pope Symmachus. In the series of bishops, Benzo of Alba is notable as an adversary of

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...

and a partisan of the Empire in the Investiture controversy. The Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

spent Christmas of 1159 in Alba. The prominence of natives of Mantua among the bishops of Alba in the 16th and 17th centuries is accounted for by the grant of the Marquisate of Montferrat to the Dukes of Mantua by the Emperor Charles V in 1536. With the marquisate came the patronage previously enjoyed by the Dukes of Savoy. This arrangement persisted until 1708, when the House of Savoy acquired Montferrat and the patronage over the bishopric of Alba. Bishop Lodovico Gonzaga held a diocesan synod in 1636. A diocesan synod, the first in more than thirty years, was held by Bishop Eugenio Roberto Galletti in September 1873.

Cathedral and Chapter

The office of Penitentiary in the Cathedral Chapter was created by Bishop Paolo Brizio de Braida on 15 January 1644. In 1856 the Chapter was composed of five dignities and fourteen Canons. The dignities were: the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Provost, the Cantor, and the Dean. The cathedral was considered a parish church, and was supervised by the Archpriest; there were two residentiary chaplains.

French conquest

When the French revolution guillotined King Louis XVI, King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia declared war on the French Republic, but in three successive engagements, the Battle of Montenotte (12 April 1796), the

Battle of Millesimo The Battle of Millesimo, fought on 13 and 14 April 1796, was the name that Napoleon Bonaparte gave in his correspondence to one of a series of small battles that were fought in Liguria, Northern Italy between the armies of France and the alli ...

(13–14 April 1796) and the

Battle of Mondovi A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(21 April 1796), General Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Piedmontese. In suing for peace, Victor Amadeus was forced to cede

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

and Nice to France. The territory became part of the Department of

Mont-Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the List of European ultra-prominent peaks, second-most prominent mountai ...

. King Victor Amadeus died on 18 October 1796, and his son and successor, Carlo Emanuele was forced to abdicate on 6 December 1798. Bonaparte crossed the Alps again in the Spring of 1800, intent on driving the Austrians out of the Po Valley. The victory at the Battle of Marengo gave the French control of most of Lombardy. The French government, in the guise of ending the practices of feudalism, confiscated the incomes and benefices of the bishops and priests, and made them employees of the state, with a fixed income and the obligation to swear an oath of loyalty to the French constitution. As in metropolitan France, the government program also included reducing the number of bishoprics, making them conform as far as possible with the civil administration's "departments". Following the Concordat of 1801 between Bonaparte and

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 ...

, the Pope issued a bull, ''Gravissimis causis'' (1 June 1803), in which the number of diocese in Piedmont was reduced to eight: Turin, Vercelli, Ivrea, Acqui, Asti, Mondovi, Alessandria and Saluzzo. Alba was suppressed, and its territory was handed over to the diocese of Asti. Bishop Vitale of Alba was required to resign. The Kingdom of Sardinia and the Papal States (which had been abolished by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte) were restored by the Congress of Vienna. The confused situation of the dioceses in Piedmont was addressed by Pope Pius VII in his bull, ''Beati Petri'' (17 July 1817) as far as the redrawing of diocesan boundaries was concerned. The diocese of Alba was restored, and it temporarily took control of the territory of the suppressed diocese of Mondovi, until it too was restored on 29 October 1817.

Territorial adjustments

*400: Established as the Diocese of Alba *1511 Oct 29: Lost territory to establish the

Diocese of Saluzzo The Diocese of Saluzzo ( la, Dioecesis Salutiarum) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, centered in the comune of Saluzzo. The diocese was established on 29 October 1511 for political reasons, to t ...

*1768: Lost territory to the

Diocese of Mondovi 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 associ ...

*1803 Jun 01: Suppressed to the

Diocese of Asti The Diocese of Asti ( la, Dioecesis Astensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Piedmont, northern Italy, centered in the city of Asti. It has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Turin since 1515.

*1817 Jul 17: Restored as the Diocese of Alba from the

and the

Diocese of Mondovì 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 ...

*1817 Oct 29: Lost territory to

Bishops

Diocese of Alba Pompeia

to 1100

: Dionisius (350–355) : Adelgisus (355) : Severus (391, 397) : Bruningus (419) : Aldericus (443) * Lampadius (c. 499) : Manfredo (482, 483) : enanzio (503): Oldarico (532) : Pietro I (563) : Venanzio II (593) : Guglielmo (627) : Vitelmo I (661) * Benedictus (c. 680) * Lampadio II (801) * Sigifredo (829) : Pietro (c. 855) * Hildradus (c. 876) * Liutardus (c. 901) : Vitelmo II (901) * Daiberto (c. 938, 945) * Flocardo or Fulcardo (960–985) * Costantinus (c. 997, c. 1005) * Oberto (1027) *

Benzo Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, i ...

(c. 1059) * Albertus (1061, 1074) : Pellegrino (1098)

from 1100 to 1400

* Pietro de Valpergia (1124–1125) * Robaldus (1125–1139) * Pietro (V.) (1150–1158) * Rozone (c. 1163) * Otto (c. 1169 – c. 1177) * ? Federico (1180) * Bonifacius (1185, 1188) * Gerardus (c. 1191 or 1194) * Ogerius (c. 1192, c. 1204) * Bonifacio (II) del Carretto (c. 1210, c. 1214) * Reinerio (c. 1216 – c. 1226) * Gandulfus Cauda (1227) * Sardo (1231) * Guglielmo Braida (1237–1253) * Monaco (1255–1260) : andolfo (1259–1262)* Simone (1261–1271) * Martino, O.F.M. (c. 1276) * Bonifacius (III) de S. Julia (c. 1283 − 1306) * Raimundus de Mausaco, O.Min. (1311–1321) * Guglielmo Isnardi, O.F.M. (1321–1333) * Pietro Artaudi, O.P. (1334–1349) * Lazzarino Fliscus (Fieschi) (1349–1367) *

Ludovico del Carretto Ludovico () is an Italian masculine given name. It is sometimes spelled Lodovico. The feminine equivalent is Ludovica. Persons with the name Ludovico Given name * Ludovico D'Aragona (1876–1961), Italian socialist politician * Ludovico Ario ...

(27 Apr 1369 – 1388)Period of the Great Western Schism (1378–1417): allegiance unknown * Federico del Carretto (1389–1390) * Pietro del Carretto, O.P. (c. 1392) * ? Bonifacio (IV) (1398)

from 1400 to 1600

* Francesco (I) del Carretto (1401–1406) (Roman Obedience) * Aleramo del Carretto (c. 1407 – c. 1409) * Jacobus (1409) * ? Francesco (II) del Carretto (towards 1413)Eubel believes that Aleramo, Jacobus and Giacomo are doublets. * ? Giacomo del Carretto (1412–1418) * Alerinus de Rembaldis (1419–1456) * Bernardo del Carretto (18 October 1456 – 1460) * Pietro del Carretto (1460–1482) *

Andrea Novelli Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrey, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek language, Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός ...

(6 Feb 1483 – 13 May 1521 Died) * Ippolito Novelli (13 May 1521 Succeeded – 11 Nov 1530 Died) *

Antonio Mollo Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

(de Nerlis) (28 Nov 1530 – 1531 Died) *

Giuliano Visconti People with the Italian given name or surname Giuliano () have included: In arts and entertainment Surname * Geoffrey Giuliano, American author * Maurizio Giuliano, writer and Guinness-record-holding traveler Given name * Giuliano Gemma, actor * ...

(16 August 1532 – 27 August 1532) (bishop elect) * Marco Girolamo Vida,

C.R.L. The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international congregation of an order of canons regular, comprising priests and lay brot ...

(6 February 1533 – 27 February 1566) * Leonardo Marino, O.P. (1566 − 1572 Resigned) *

Vincenzo Marino Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include: Art *Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor * Vincenzo Bell ...

(19 November 1572 – 25 February 1583 Died) * Lelio Zimbramonti (Aurelio Gibramontis) (28 March 1583 – 14 November 1583) *

Lodovico Michelio Lodovico is an Italian masculine given name, and may refer to: * Cigoli (1559–1613), Italian painter and architect * Lodovico, Count Corti (1823–1888), Italian diplomat * Lodovico Agostini (1534–1590), Italian composer * Lodovico Altieri (1 ...

(19 Dec 1583 – 27 Apr 1590 Died) *

Alberto Capriano Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic '' Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Al ...

(30 Jul 1590 – 23 Jan 1595 Died)

from 1600 to 1800

Giovanni Anselmo Carminato Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * '' Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend ...

(26 Aug 1596 – 6 July 1605) *

Francesco Pendasio Francesco Pendasio (1571 – September 1616) was a Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Alba (1605–1616).

(18 Jul 1605 – Sep 1616 Died)"Bishop Francesco Pendasio"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 *

Vincenzo Agnello Suardi Vincenzo Agnello Suardi (1582 – September 1644) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Mantua (1620–1644) and Bishop of Alba (1616–1620)."Bishop Vincenzo Agnello Suardi"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved November 24, 2016. *

Ludovico Gonzaga (bishop) Ludovico Gonzaga (1588–1632) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Alba (1619–1632). ''(in Latin)'' By birth, he was member of the House of Gonzaga. Biography Ludovico Gonzaga was born in Mantua, Italy in 1588 as the son of Mar ...

(12 Aug 1619 – 1633) *

Giovanni Francesco Gandolfo Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

(10 Jan 1633 – 4 Nov 1638 Died) *

Paolo Brizio Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American ...

, O.F.M. Obs. (15 Dec 1642 – 2 Nov 1665 Died) * Cesare Biandrati (5 May 1666 – June 1666) * Vittorio Nicolino della Chiesa (16 March 1667 – 22 Sep 1691) * Gerolamo Ubertino Provana, C.R. (25 June 1692 – 16 Aug 1696 Died)"Bishop Gerolamo Ubertino Provana, C.R."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved December 18, 2016. *

Giuseppe Rottario Giuseppe Rottario or Giuseppe Roverio'' (1657–1720) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Alba (1697–1720). Biography Giuseppe Rottario was born om 25 Sep 1657 in Vicia, Italy and ordained a priest on 23 Mar 1681. On 27 Mar 16 ...

(Rovero) (27 March 1697 – 4 Nov 1720) : ''Sede vacante'' (1720–1726) * Carlo Francesco Vasco,

O.C.D. The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

(30 July 1727 – 31 Dec 1749) * Enrichetto Virginio (Raffale Francesco) Natta, O.P. (22 July 1750 – 29 June 1768) * Giacinto Amedeo Vagnone (11 Sep 1769 Confirmed – 30 Jan 1777 Resigned) * Giuseppe Maria Langosco-Stroppiana (20 Jul 1778 Confirmed – 13 Dec 1788 Died) * Giovanni Battista Pio Vitale (11 Apr 1791 Confirmed – 29 May 1803 Resigned)

since 1800

* Giovanni-Antonio Niccola (Nicola) (16 Mar 1818 – 12 Jan 1834 Died) * Costanzo-Michele Fea (1 Feb 1836 – 2 Nov 1853) * Eugenio Roberto Galletti (27 Mar 1867 – 5 Oct 1879) * Carlo Lorenzo Pampirio, O.P. (27 Feb 1880 – 24 May 1889) * Giuseppe Francesco Re (30 Dec 1889 – 17 Jan 1933 Died) * Luigi Maria Grassi, B. (13 Mar 1933 – 5 Apr 1948 Died) * Carlo Stoppa (27 Dec 1948 – 13 Feb 1965 Died) * Luigi Bongianino (15 Jan 1970 – 6 Jun 1975 Appointed, Bishop of Tortona) * Angelo Fausto Vallainc (7 Oct 1975 – 8 Dec 1986 Died) * Giulio Nicolini (16 Jul 1987 – 16 Feb 1993 Appointed, Bishop of Cremona) *

Sebastiano Dho Sebastiano Dho (16 May 1935 – 31 August 2021) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and prelate. He served as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saluzzo, based in Saluzzo, from 1986 to 1993. He was then appointed Bishop of the Roman Ca ...

(3 Jul 1993 – 28 Jun 2010 Retired) * Giacomo Lanzetti (28 Jun 2010 – 24 Sep 2015 Resigned) * Marco Brunetti (21 Jan 2016 – )

Parishes

The number of Catholics recorded for the diocese in 1920 was 150,500 and there were 101 parishes, 316 secular and 11 regular clergy, 43 seminarians, 675 churches or chapels, 6 brothers, and 180 sisters. In 1962 the diocese had 137 parishes, 242 secular priests, 62 religious priests, and 41 seminarians. The diocese currently (2015) has 126 parishes, all within the (civil) region of Piedmont. Three are in the

and 123 in the Province of Cuneo.chiesacattolica.it
(Retrieved:2008-03-11 09:57:58 +0000)

References

Bibliography

References

* pp. 809–810. (in Latin) * * * * * * *

Studies

* variorum list, inaccurate and credulous* * * 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. 185–189. * Maggi, G. (1983). "Temi politici e sociali nell'azione dei cattolici albesi del primo Novecento," in: ''Alba Pompei'', nuova serie 4 (1983), pp. 5–18. * * *

Acknowledgment

:: {{authority control

Alba Pompeia Alba ( pms, label=Piedmontese, Arba; la, Alba Pompeia) is a town and ''comune'' of Piedmont, Italy, in the Province of Cuneo. It is one of the main cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and M ...

Alba, Piedmont Province of Alessandria Province of Cuneo