The Diocese of Alba Pompeia or Alba Pompea ( la, Dioecesis Albae Pompeiensis) is a
Latin Church
, native_name_lang = la
, image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran
, caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...
ecclesiastical territory or
diocese
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 ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Its territory comprises eighty towns in the civil
Province of Cuneo
Cuneo ( Italian), or Coni ( Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and H ...
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 so ...
.
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 Alexandri ...
in the
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...
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.
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. Daniel Papebroch 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, an antiquarian.
Giovanni Battista De Rossi
Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs.
Life and works
Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore Ca ...
, 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
Pope Symmachus (died 19 July 514) was the bishop of Rome from 22 November 498 to his death. His tenure was marked by a serious schism over who was elected pope by a majority of the Roman clergy.
Early life
He was born on the Mediterranean isla ...
. In the series of bishops,
Benzo of Alba Benzo of Alba (died ) was an Italian bishop. He was an opponent of Gregorian reform who supported Henry IV of Germany in the Investiture Controversy.
Benzo's date of birth is unknown but he was probably born in northern Italy. Benzo began his car ...
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 Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture) and abbots of mona ...
.
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 ...
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 al ...
(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.
Sa ...
and Nice to France. The territory became part of the Department of Mont-Blanc. 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 Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
. 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.
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
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.
: 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 (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 (6 Feb 1483 – 13 May 1521 Died)
* Ippolito Novelli (13 May 1521 Succeeded – 11 Nov 1530 Died)
* Antonio Mollo (de Nerlis) (28 Nov 1530 – 1531 Died)
* Giuliano Visconti (16 August 1532 – 27 August 1532) (bishop elect)
* Marco Girolamo Vida, C.R.L. (6 February 1533 – 27 February 1566)
* Leonardo Marino, O.P. (1566 − 1572 Resigned)
* Vincenzo Marino (19 November 1572 – 25 February 1583 Died)
* Lelio Zimbramonti (Aurelio Gibramontis) (28 March 1583 – 14 November 1583)
* Lodovico Michelio (19 Dec 1583 – 27 Apr 1590 Died)
* Alberto Capriano (30 Jul 1590 – 23 Jan 1595 Died)
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 (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
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 so ...
and 123 in the
Province of Cuneo
Cuneo ( Italian), or Coni ( Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and H ...
* 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.
*
*
*