The Diocese of Casale Monferrato (Latin: ''Dioecesis Casalensis'') is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

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 ...

in northwest

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 ...

, 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 jurisdiction ...

of the

Archdiocese of Vercelli The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vercelli (in Latin, ''Archidioecesis Vercellensis'') is a Latin rite Metropolitan see in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which, together with their suffragan dioceses, form the ecclesiastical region ...

which forms part of the

ecclesiastical region An ecclesiastical region () is a formally organised geographical group of dioceses, ecclesiastical provinces or parishes, without a proper Ordinary as such, in Catholic or Protestant Churches. Catholic Church Apart from historical other uses, the ...

of Piedmont."Diocese of Casale Monferrato"
''

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 January 30, 2016"Diocese of Casale Monferrato"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 14, 2016 The diocese, which adheres to the

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while di ...

, was established on 18 April 1474 for political reasons, to transform the

Marquisate of Montferrat The March (also ''margraviate'' or ''marquisate'') of Montferrat was a frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The margraviate was raised to become the Duchy of Montferrat in 1574. O ...

into an ecclesiastic territory; in 2013 it had a population of 104,900 of whom 99,000 were baptised. In that year there was one priest for every 1,125 Catholics. Alceste Catella has been bishop of the diocese since 15 May 2008.

History

Casale Monferrato Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrat hills. Beyond the river lies the ...

, the ancient Bodincomagus, is a city in the

province of Alessandria The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(Italy), on the

River Po The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

, and has been a stronghold since the time of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

Liutprand, King of the Lombards Liutprand was the king of the Lombards from 712 to 744 and is chiefly remembered for his multiple phases of law-giving, in fifteen separate sessions from 713 to 735 inclusive, and his long reign, which brought him into a series of conflicts, mos ...

enlarged it, and Emperor

Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...

made it the chief town of a marquisate, giving it to the sons of Aleran, Duke of Saxony; later it was inherited by Emperor

Michael VIII Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...

, Palaeologus, who sent thither his son

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

. In 1533, the dynasty of the

Palaeologi The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...

being extinct,

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fr ...

gave Casale to the

House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua)Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Du ...

. From 1681 to 1706 it was in the hands of the French, from whom, in 1713, it passed to the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

. Casale was created a see in 1474 by

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

; previously it belonged 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.

. Its first bishop was

Bernardino de Tebaldeschi Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to: Given name *Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer * Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist *Bernard ...

; his successor was

Gian Giorgio Paleologo John George of Monferrat (20 January 1488 – 30 April 1533) was the last Marquis of Montferrat of the Palaeologus-Montferrat family. He was son of Boniface III, Marquis of Montferrat and his third wife Maria of Serbia, daughter of prince Ste ...

(1517), who also governed the marquisate for his nephew, a minor. Among its noteworthy bishops were: the Dominican

Benedetto Erba Benedetto is a common Italian name, the equivalent of the English name Benedict. Notable people named Benedetto include: People with the given name * Benedetto Accolti (disambiguation), several people * Benedetto Aloi (1935–2011), American mo ...

(1570), most zealous for the Christian instruction of children and the introduction of the

Tridentine reforms 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 ...

, in which good work he was associated with St.

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

; he was also the founder of the monti di pietà; Giulio Careta (1614), who imitated other contemporary bishops and founded an oratory for priests, and when the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

was ravaging Casale (1630) himself nursed the sick; Scipione Pasquali (1645), author of a history of the campaign of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy against

Montferrat Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, ...

. Among the churches of Casale are the cathedral, one of the finest monuments of Lombard architecture, and that of Sant’Ilario (

Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers ( la, Hilarius Pictaviensis; ) was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" () and the "Athanasius of the West". His name comes from the Latin word for happy or ...

).History section taken originally from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Casale Monferrato which is unfortunately strewn with errors.

Bishops

(21 May 1474 – 1517 Died) *

(1517 – 12 Jan 1525 Resigned) * Bernardino Castellari (13 Jan 1525 – 15 Nov 1529 Resigned) *

Ippolito de' Medici Ippolito de' Medici (March 1511 – 10 August 1535) was the only son of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, born out-of-wedlock to his mistress Pacifica Brandano. Biography Ippolito was born in Urbino. His father died when he was only five (1516), a ...

(15 Nov 1529 – 6 Mar 1531 Resigned) * Bernardino Castellari (6 Mar 1531 – 27 Jun 1546 Died) * Bernardino della Croce, B. (7 Jun 1546 – 27 Apr 1547 Appointed,

Bishop 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.

) * Francesco Micheli (13 Jul 1548 – 1555 Resigned) * Scipione d'Este (5 Jun 1555 – 12 Jul 1567 Died) * Ambrogio Aldegati, O.P. (3 Sep 1567 – 18 Apr 1570 Died) *

, O.P. (16 Jun 1570 – 28 Dec 1576 Died) *

Alessandro Andreasi Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * A ...

(11 Mar 1577 – 14 Nov 1583 Appointed,

Bishop of Mantova The Diocese of Mantua ( la, Dioecesis Mantuana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese existed at the beginning of the 8th century, though the earliest attested bishop is Laiulfus (827 ...

) * Lelio Zimbramonti (14 Nov 1583 – 1589 Died) * Marcantonio Gonzaga (30 Aug 1589 – 7 May 1592 Died) * Settimio Borsari (12 Jun 1592 – 29 Apr 1594 Died)"Bishop Settimio Borsari"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Jullio del Carretto (13 Jul 1594 – 13 Oct 1614 Died)"Bishop Jullio del Carretto"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Scipione Pasquali (12 Jan 1615 – 1624 Died)"Bishop Scipione Pasquali"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved November 24, 2016 *

Scipione Agnelli Scipione Agnelli (1586 – 1 October 1653) was an Italian Catholic bishop, scholar and jurist. Life Born in Mantua, Agnelli was the son of Count Lepido Agnelli, in the service of the House of Gonzaga, and Girolama Pavese. He was educated at t ...

(12 Feb 1586 – 1 Oct 1653 Died) * Gerolamo Francesco Miroglio (29 Nov 1655 – 14 Sep 1679 Died) * Lelio Ardizzone (13 May 1680 – Nov 1699 Died) *Pier Secondo Radicati de Cocconato (9 May 1701 – 12 Apr 1728 Appointed, Bishop of Osimo e Cingoli) *Pier Gerolamo Caravadossi, O.P. (10 May 1728 – 25 May 1746 Died) *Ignazio della Chiesa de Rodi (28 Nov 1746 – 29 Jul 1758 Died) *Giuseppe Luigi Avogadro, C.R.L. (19 Nov 1759 – 22 May 1792 Died) *Teresio Maria Carlo Vittorio Ferrero della Marmora (27 Jun 1796 – 18 May 1803 Resigned) *Jean-Chrysostome de Villaret (23 Dec 1805 – 3 Oct 1814 Retired) *Francesco Alciati (1 Oct 1817 – 26 Oct 1828 Died) *Francesco Maria Icheri di Malabaila (5 Jul 1830 Confirmed – Jul 1846 Died) * Luigi Giuseppe Nazari di Calabiana (12 Apr 1847 – 27 Mar 1867 Appointed,

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

) *Pietro Maria Ferré (27 Mar 1867 – 13 Apr 1886 Died) *Filippo Chiesa (7 Jun 1886 – 3 Nov 1886 Died) *Edoardo Pulciano (14 Mar 1887 – 11 Jul 1892 Appointed,

Bishop of Novara The Diocese of Novara ( la, Dioecesis Novariensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.Archbishop of Genova) *Albino Pella (12 Apr 1915 – 17 May 1940 Died) *Giuseppe Angrisani (1 Jul 1940 – 1 Mar 1971 Retired) *Carlo Cavalla (1 Mar 1971 – 3 Jun 1995 Retired) *Germano Zaccheo (3 Jun 1995 – 20 Nov 2007 Died) *Alceste Catella (15 May 2008 – )

References

Sources

*This article was based in part on its :it:Diocesi di Casale Monferrato counterpart in the

Italian Wikipedia The Italian Wikipedia ( it, Wikipedia in italiano) is the Italian-language edition of Wikipedia. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of , , it has articles and more than registered accounts. It is t ...

as retrieved on 3 October 2007. *

External links

* Official site of the Diocese of Casale Monferrato
La Vita Casalese
Weekly newspaper with web supplement offering news and comment on the Diocese of Casale Monferrato, published by Editrice Fondazione Sant'Evasio - Casale Monf. (AL)
MonferratoArte
A historical and bibliographical directory of artists active in the extra-urban churches of the Diocese of Casale Monferrato. {{authority control

Province of Alessandria Province of Asti Province of Turin Casale Monferrato 1474 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in Italy Religious organizations established in the 1470s