Aquileia Basilica, esterno - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto

The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

in northeastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of

Aquileia Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...

situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Italian seacoast. For many centuries it played an important part in history, particularly in that of the Holy See and northern Italy, and a number of church councils were held there. No longer a residential bishopric, it is today classified as an archiepiscopal titular see.

History

From bishopric to patriarchate

Ancient tradition asserts that the see was founded by

St. Mark 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. Accor ...

, sent there by

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

, prior to his mission to Alexandria. St. Hermagoras is said to have been its first bishop and to have died a martyr's death (c. 70). At the end of the third century (285) another martyr, St. Helarus (or St. Hilarius), was bishop of Aquileia. In the course of the

fourth century The 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini/ Common era) was the time period which lasted from 301 ( CCCI) through 400 ( CD). In the West, the early part of the century was shaped by Constantine the Great, who became the first Ro ...

the city was the chief ecclesiastical centre for the region about the head of the Adriatic, Regio X of the Roman emperor Augustus' eleven regions of Italy, " Venetia et Histria". In 381, St. Valerian appears as Metropolitan bishop of the churches in this territory; his synod of that year, held against the Arians, was attended by 32 (or 24) bishops. Valerian was succeeded by

St. Chromatius Saint Chromatius (died 406/407 AD) was a bishop of Aquileia. He was probably born at Aquileia, and grew up there.Jerome and Rufinus and kept contact with Sts.

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 ...

of Milan and John Chrysostom. In time, part of western

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

, and to the north, Noricum and

Rhaetia Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with Tr ...

, came under the jurisdiction of Aquileia. Roman cities like Verona, Trent, Pola,

Belluno Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region ...

Feltre Feltre ( vec, Fèltre) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwes ...

, Vicenza, Treviso and Padua were among its

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 ...

s in the 5th and 6th centuries. As metropolitans of such an extensive territory, and representatives of Roman civilization among the Ostrogoths and Lombards, the archbishops of Aquileia sought and obtained from their barbarian masters the honorific title of patriarch, personal, however, as yet to each titular of the see. This title aided in promoting and at the same time justifying the strong tendency towards independence that was quite manifest in the relations of Aquileia with Rome, a trait it shared with its rival, Ravenna, which, less fortunate, never obtained the patriarchal dignity. Emperor Justinian's decision that Italy, too, should adopt his religious policy which favoured Monophysitism, was met with strong opposition by Aquileia's bishop Macedonius (539–557). In the meantime, Pope Vigilius gave in to Justinian's threats and adhered to the Second Council of Constantinople of 553 which condemned the three representatives later known as the Three Chapters. Owing to the acquiescence of Vigilius in the condemnation of the "Three Chapters", the bishops of northern Italy ( Liguria and Aemilia) and among them those of the Venetia and Istria, broke off communion with Rome, under the leadership of Macedonius. This Schism of the Three Chapters provided the opportunity for the bishop of Aquileia to assume the title "patriarch". Macedonius' successor Paulinus I (557–569) began using the title around 560. Meanwhile, by the end of the next decade, the Lombards overran all of northern Italy. In 568, the patriarch of Aquileia was obliged to flee, with the treasures of his church, to the little island of Grado, near Trieste, a last remnant of the imperial possessions in northern Italy. This political change did not affect the relations of the patriarchate with Rome; its bishops, whether in Lombard or imperial territory, persistently refused all invitations to a reconciliation.

Split with Grado

Various efforts of the popes at Rome and the exarchs at Ravenna, both peaceful and otherwise, met with persistent refusal to renew the bonds of unity until the election of Candidianus (606 or 607) as Metropolitan of Aquileia (in Grado). Weary of fifty years' schism, those of his suffragans whose sees lay within the empire joined him in submission to Rome; his mainland suffragans among the Lombards persisted in the schism. They went further and elected in Aquileia itself, patriarch John the Abbot (606 or 607) so that henceforth there were two little patriarchates in northern Italy, Aquileia in Grado and Old-Aquileia, residing in the fortress of Cormons. With the death of King Grimuald (671), who was an

Arian 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 t ...

, attitudes began to change. Royal court officials were prevalently Catholic and favoured an agreement with the Church of Rome. Eventually the Lombard kings wished to remove all conflicts with Rome, including the schism with the Aquileian church. Gradually the schism lost its vigour. King Cunipert summoned the Synod of Pavia (698/699) whereby Old-Aquileia reconciled with Rome, and Pope Gregory II granted the pallium to Patriarch Serenus (715–730) of Aquileia in 723. It was probably during the seventh century that the popes recognized in the metropolitans of Grado the title of Patriarch of Aquileia, in order to offset its assumption by the metropolitans of Old-Aquileia. In succeeding centuries it continued in use by both, but had no longer any practical significance. In 628, the patriarchs of Old-Aquileia transferred their residence to Cormons. Patriarch Callistus moved the patriarchal residence to Cividale del Friuli ( Forum Julii) in 737 and it remained there until the thirteenth century when it was moved again, this time to Udine in 1223. In the last decade of the 8th century, the creation of a new metropolitan see at Salzburg added to the humiliation of Old-Aquileia, which long claimed as its own the territory of

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

. Still later, Patriarch Ursus of Aquileia (d. 811) accepted the arbitration of Charlemagne, by which the Carinthian territory north of the Drave was relinquished to Arno of Salzburg. After the death of Ursus,

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

picked up where he left off and solicited funds from Charlemagne's court to rebuild Aquileia. Maxentius served as the Patriarch of Aquileia from 811 till his death in 837.''Friulian Biographical Dictionary
/ref> Nevertheless, the Hungarian invasion of the 9th century and the decline of imperial control increased the authority of the patriarchs.

Expansion and collapse

Cividale Museo Cristiano - Bischofsthron

German feudal influence was henceforth more and more tangible in the ecclesiastical affairs of Old-Aquileia. In 1011 one of its patriarchs, John IV, surrounded by thirty bishops, consecrated the new cathedral of

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

Poppo Poppo can mean: * Bubo, Duke of the Frisians, also spelled Poppo (674–734), a king of Friesland * Poppo of Grapfeld (died 839/41), an early ninth-century ancestor of the Babenbergs * Poppo, Duke of Thuringia (died after 906), a margrave * Pop ...

, or Wolfgang (1019–1042), a familiar and minister of Emperor Conrad II, consecrated his own cathedral at Aquileia on 13 July 1031, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Under his reign the city also received a new line of walls. Poppo also managed to free the patriarch definitively from the

Duchy of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial Sta ...

and warred against Grado. In 1047, the Patriarch Eberhard, a German, assisted at the Roman synod of that year, in which it was declared that Aquileia was inferior in honour only to Rome, Ravenna, and Milan. In 1063, however, Pope Leo IX declared Grado to have the supremacy, but

Gotebald Gotebald (or Gotebold) was the Patriarch of Aquileia during the middle of the eleventh century (1049–1063). He was originally a provost from Speyer (''prepositus Nemetensis''). During his reign, the century-old conflict between Old-Aquileia and ...

retained the support of Emperor Henry III.

Temporal power

In 1077, the patriarch Sieghard of Belstein received the ducal title of Friuli from German king Henry IV, an act traditionally regarded as the birth of the state of Aquileia, or the Patrie dal Friûl. The Patriarchate subsequently extended its political control in the area: regions under Aquileian control in the following centuries included Trieste, Carinthia,

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

, Cadore and the central part of

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 ...

. At its maximum height, the Patriarchate of Aquileia was one of the largest states in Italy. Noblemen from the Patriarchate were protagonists in the Crusades. In 1186 Patriarch

Godfrey Godfrey may refer to: People * Godfrey (name), a given name and surname * Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor Places In the United States * Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Godfrey, Illinois, a village * Godfrey, Kansas, an ...

crowned

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 ...

's son, Henry VI, in the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan as King of Italy; in retaliation, Pope Urban III deposed him. In the early 13th century, particularly under Wolfger von Erla (1204–1218) and Berthold (1218–1251), the Patriarchate had a flourishing industry and commerce, favoured by a good road network, as well as a notable cultural activity. Damaged by earthquakes and other calamities, and reduced to a few hundred inhabitants, Aquileia was nearly abandoned in the 14th century. The capital of the state was moved first to Cividale and then, from 1238, to Udine, in central Friuli, which had been a favourite residence of the patriarch since the 13th century and soon became a large city. However, late in the century, the Patriarchate had to face the increasing power of the Republic of Venice, as well as the inner strifes between its vassals, and also became entangled in the endless wars between

Guelphs and Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, ri ...

. A recovery occurred during the rule of Bertrand (1334–1350), a successful administrator and military leader. He was killed in 1350 in a plot, at the age of ninety. Since the transfer of the patriarchal residence to Udine the Venetians had never lived in peace with the patriarchate, of whose imperial favour and tendencies they were jealous. In the 15th century the state also suffered a series of inner strifes between Cividale and Udine. In 1411 this turned into a war which was to mark the end of the Patriarchate, Cividale having received support from most of the Friulian communes, the

da Carrara The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, ...

of Padua, the Emperor and the King of Hungary, while the latter was backed by the Venetians. In the December of that year the imperial army captured Udine and, in the following January, Louis of Teck was created Patriarch in the city's cathedral. On 23 July 1419 the Venetians conquered Cividale and prepared to do the same with Udine. The city fell on 7 June 1420 after a long siege. Soon afterwards Gemona, San Daniele, Venzone and Tolmezzo followed. In 1445, after the defeated patriarch Ludovico Trevisan at the

Council of Florence The Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1449. It was convoked as the Council of Basel by Pope Martin V shortly before his death in February 1431 and took place in ...

had acquiesced in the loss of his ancient temporal estate, in return for an annual salary of 5,000 ducats allowed him from the Venetian treasury, the war was really over. Upon the abolition of the Patriarchate of Grado (1451), it was superseded by the Patriarchate of Venice. The title of Patriarch of Aquileia maintained just a religious value. The former Friulian state was incorporated in the Republic of Venice with the name of ''Patria del Friuli'', ruled by a General Proveditor or a ''Luogotenente'' living in Udine. Under Domenico Grimani (cardinal since 1497), Austrian Friuli was added to the territory of the patriarchate whose jurisdiction thus extended over some Austrian dioceses. In 1623 provost of Aquileia Albert Pessler, on behalf of

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Charles II, Archduke of Austria, Archd ...

, requested establishment of the Bishopric of Gorizia and removing the Austrian dioceses from jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia.

Extinction

The 109th and last Patriarch of Aquileia was Daniel Dolfin,

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

since 1714 of his predecessor, Dionigio Dolfin, his successor since 1734, and a cardinal since 1747. The Venetian claim to the nomination of the Patriarch of Aquileia had been met by a counter-claim on the part of Austria since the end of the fifteenth century when Austrian dioceses came to be included within the jurisdiction of the patriarchate. Finally, Benedict XIV was chosen as arbiter. He awarded (1748–49) to the Archdiocese of Udine the Venetian territory in Friuli, and for the Austrian possessions he created a vicariate apostolic with residence at Gorizia, independent of the Patriarch of Aquileia, and exempt (i.e., immediately dependent on the Holy See), in whose name all jurisdiction was exercised. This decision was not satisfactory to Venice, and in 1751 with the 6 July bull ''Injunctio Nobis'', the Pope divided the patriarchate into two archdioceses; one at Udine, with Venetian Friuli for its territory, the other at Gorizia, with jurisdiction over Austrian Friuli. Of the ancient patriarchate, once so proud and influential, there remained but the parish church of Aquileia. It was made immediately subject to the Apostolic See and to its rector was granted the right of using episcopal insignia seven times in the year.

Titular see

In 1968,

was inserted into the Catholic Church's list of titular (no longer residential) sees with

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 ...

rank.''Annuario Pontificio 1968'' (Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana 1968), p. 553 , the see is held by Charles John Brown, currently Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, who was appointed to the see on 26 November 2011.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aquileia, Patriarchate Of Apostolic sees Dioceses established in the 1st century 1751 disestablishments in Italy Roman Catholic dioceses in the Holy Roman Empire 1st-century establishments in Italy Former Latin patriarchates Aqu Aqu