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Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortona

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(Redirected from Bishop of Tortona) Roman Catholic diocese in Italy For the Spanish diocese of Tortosa, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Tortosa.
Diocese of Tortona
Dioecesis Derthonensis
Tortona Cathedral and Bishop's Palace on the right
Location
CountryItaly
Ecclesiastical provinceGenoa
Statistics
Area2,350 km (910 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2020)
282,420 (est.)
275,912
Parishes314
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established4th Century
CathedralCattedrale di S. Maria Assunta e. S. Lorenzo
Secular priests93 (diocesan)
57 (Religious Orders)
17 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopGuido Marini
Bishops emeritusMartino Canessa
Website
www.diocesitortona.it

The Diocese of Tortona (Latin: Dioecesis Derthonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Italy, spanning parts of three regions of Piedmont (Province of Alessandria), Lombardy (Province of Pavia) and Liguria (Province of Genoa). It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Genoa and forms part of the ecclesiastical region of Liguria. The diocese claims to be one of the oldest in Lombardy and the Piedmont.

History

According to legend, which is, however, a late one, the first Bishop of Tortona was Marcian of Tortona martyred under the Emperor Hadrian. Francesco Lanzoni has pointed out that the list of bishops that leads back to Marcian of Tortona is a compilation of the 16th century and that its contents are highly suspect. Additionally, the story of Bishop Marcian depends on a hagiographical source of the 10th century, which is full of anachronisms. Fedele Savio points out that the earliest document referring to Marcian was written between 729 and 820, and that it neither calls Marcian a bishop nor the Bishop of Tortona; and, as he points out, the letter of Bishop Eusebius of Vercelli, written to the people of Tortona from his exile in Scythopolis in 356, makes no mention of a bishop. The Bishop of Tortona, Vincenzo Capelli, nonetheless organized an event in October 1875 to celebrate the 18th centenary of Martianus' episcopal consecration.

In the first half of the fourth century, Tortona was a suffragan of the diocese of Milan.

The first bishop, according to Fedele Savio, was St. Innocentius, who in his opinion was the immediate predecessor of St. Exuperantius (381), the first of whom we have certain historical record, and who was highly praised in a sermon of Maximus of Turin (or of Ambrose of Milan). Few other names of bishops of the early period are known; but from the tenth century the list is more complete.

In 877, Pope John VIII, fearful of the continued Saracen raids on the west coast of Italy, begged for assistance from the Emperor Charles the Bald. When he arrived in Italy, Charles met the Pope at Pavia, but was discomfited to discover that his own Viceroy for Italy, Boso, and the Italian nobility were unenthusiastic about proposed operations. Then, Carloman of Bavaria, seizing the opportunity to recover the kingdom in Italy of his father, Louis the German, crossed the Alps into Italy with his army. Charles and the Pope retreated to Tortona, where, Pope Gregory crowned Charles' wife Richilde as Empress. Charles then began his retreat into Provence, but died in the Mont Cenis pass on 6 October 877.

In the 1120s, Bishop Peter caused considerable trouble by illegally and uncanonically taking control of five parishes belonging to the diocese of Bobbio. The Bishop of Bobbio complained to the Pope, and therefore, on 26 November 1128, Pope Honorius II decreed that Bishop Peter should return those churches immediately; if he still had issues, he could bring them to the papal Court. In 1180 Bishop Oberto was one of four bishops who were found to be illegally occupying parishes belonging to the Monastery of S. Maria Theodota, and they were all ordered by Pope Alexander III to return the lands in question. The demands had to be repeated for a decade, by Popes Lucius III, Urban III, and Gregory VIII.

Another Bishop Pietro was one of those who in 1241 were made prisoners by Emperor Frederick II at the Battle of Giglio, while on their way to attend a council in Rome called by Pope Gregory IX. Bishop Melchiorre Busseto in 1284 was killed by the followers of William VII, Marquess of Montferrat, for which the Marquess lost all his rights of patronage in the Diocese of Tortona, and was compelled, barefoot and clad in a shirt only, to walk from the scene of the bishop's murder to the cathedral.

Bishop Melchior Busetto (1255–1284) was responsible for building the Hospitale San Michele, as well as the parish church of Sant'Andrea, which collapsed in ruins in 1622.

In the time of Michele Marliano (1461) the body of St. Rochus was found at Voghera, which was the cause of a lengthy controversy with Arles, which possessed the relics of St. Rochus of Montpellier.

Uberto Gambara (1528–1548) was a papal diplomat, who began his career as Nuncio to Portugal, and then, in 1527 to Henry VIII of England, from whom he was to beg military assistance against the Emperor Charles V. He returned to Rome without success, and carrying the request of Cardinal Wolsey to be granted plenipotentiary powers to settle the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. When Clement VII was imprisoned in the Castel S. Angelo by the forces of Charles V, Gambara was sent to France to beg assistance from King Francis I in obtaining the Pope's release. He was named papal Governor of Bologna after the sack of Rome, and continued to serve in that office after being appointed Bishop of Tortona by Pope Clement VII. During his years as Bishop of Tortona, he participated in the Coronation of Charles V as Emperor in Bologna in 1532, and was absent as papal legate or nuncio in Germany (1532). He was named a cardinal on 10 December 1539 by Pope Paul III, who then named him Legate in Parma and Piacenza. In 1548 he renounced the bishopric in favour of his relative Cesare Gambara, who participated in the Council of Trent. Maffeo Gambara (1592) was a reformer, as was the Theatine Paolo Aresio (1620).

The first Jesuits appeared in the diocese of Tortona in 1566, after negotiations which had lasted nearly two years.

Cathedral and Chapter

The original cathedral was said to have been founded on the citadel of Tortona in the second half of the 4th century by Bishop Innocentius. It was dedicated to S. Sixtus and S. Lawrence, though the name of Sixtus was subsequently omitted, and that of Innocentius added. In 945 or 946 Bishop Giseprando (943–after 963) added the name of S. Martianus to the list of patrons of the cathedral. The cathedral was severely damaged and pillaged after the siege of Tortona by Frederick Barbarossa in 1155, and again in 1163. The plight of Tortona was made greater due to the firm support of Bishop Oberto for the legitimate Pope Alexander III rather than the Emperor's antipope Victor IV.

In 1236 Bishop Petrus Busetto (1221–1255) compiled a set of Statutes for the Cathedral Chapter. He ordered that there be sixteen Canons: four priests, four deacons, four subdeacons, and four acolytes.

In 1553, the Canons were compelled by the Spanish government of the Emperor Charles V to relinquish the property. A new cathedral was built on property which had once been the church of S. Quirinus, and was dedicated in 1583 in the name of the Virgin Mary and S. Lawrence.

The Chapter of the Cathedral was composed of five dignities (the Archdeacon, the Provost, the Primicerius, the Archpriest, and the Dean) and eighteen Canons (one of whom was the Theologus, another the Penitentiary). Pope Alexander III in 1177 had ordered that the number of Canons should not exceed sixteen. This ruling was later confirmed by Clement III and Celestine III. In one letter, Celestine III reveals that the number of Canons had once been forty-two. In the 1180s, Bishop Oberto and the Cathedral Chapter had fallen to disputing, and to solve his difficulties, the Bishop had installed ten new Canons in one single event, bringing loud protests from the Chapter which reached Rome. The Pope ordered Milo, the Archbishop of Milan, and the Papal Legate Peter of Santa Cecilia to intervene and cancel the appointments as illegal (irritum) if they contravened papal bulls.

Synods

On 25 January 1074, Pope Gregory VII summoned all the bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Milan, including the bishop of Tortona (whose name is unfortunately not mentioned), to a synod to be held in Rome on the first Sunday of Lent.

A diocesan synod was an irregular but important meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the provincial synod and of the Holy See.

In May 1435 Bishop Enrico Rampini di Sant'Allosio presided over a synod held in the church of S. Domenico in Tortona. A diocesan synod was held in 1595 by Bishop Maffeo Gambara (1592–1612). A synod was held by Bishop Cosimo Dossena (1612–1620) on 25 October 1615. Bishop Giovanni Francesco Fossati, O.S.B. (1644–1653) held two synods, the second in 1652. Bishop Carlo Settala (1653–1682) presided over a synod held in Tortona on 22–24 April 1659; he held another on 12–14 September 1673. Bishop Carlo Francesco Ceva (1683–1700) held a synod on 13 May 1687; he held his second synod on 18–20 May 1699. On 10–12 September 1715, Bishop Giulio Resta (1701–1743) held a diocesan synod. Bishop Giovanni Negri held a diocesan synod on 6–8 September 1843.

French occupation

In spring 1799, Pope Pius VI, who had been driven from Rome and compelled to live at Siena and then in the Certosa near Florence, was under arrest and being conducted by the troops of the French Directory to imprisonment in France. The Austrian army in the Po Valley was advancing toward Piacenza, and the French were anxious to avoid the capture of their hostages. The cortege did not dare to cross the Po, and therefore had to choose another route for Turin. On 19 April his guard reached Tortona. The Pope was received with great emotion by the people of the neighborhood who had flocked to the highway to see him. In the city he was welcomed by crowds and conducted to the episcopal palace by Bishop Fossati. The commander of the French guard, Mongen, was determined that the Pope and the Bishop should not share the same building even for a single night, but ultimately the Bishop won and undertook the position of Chamberlain to the ailing Pope. During his stay, he remained in bed the whole time, receiving visitors singly or in small groups, as arranged by the Bishop. The visit lasted one day, since the French captain, despite the protestations of even the resident French Sub-Intendant in Tortona, the Pope was forced to take to the road again, since the schedule which the French guard had been given specified that the Pope arrive in Alessandria on 20 April. Pius VI died four months later, imprisoned in the prison-fortress at Valence.

In 1802 all of the religious orders in the diocese were suppressed, in accordance with laws passed by the French Constitutional Assembly. The Jesuits had previously been suppressed, by Pope Clement XIV on August 16, 1773, through the Bull Dominus ac Redemptor Noster.

In 1803 the diocese was suppressed by Pope Pius VII, by the Bull, Gravissimis causis (1 June 1803), under pressure from the French Government of First Consul N. Bonaparte, and united with the diocese of Alessandria. In a decree of 17 July 1805, however, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Caprara, the Papal Legate in Paris, who had been given special powers by Pius VII, redrew the boundaries of the dioceses of Piedmont, and made Tortona a part of the diocese of Casale, which was made a suffragan of the diocese of Turin. The former diocese of Tortona was made part of the French department of Marengo. The three former cathedrals of the suppressed dioceses, including Tortona, were reduced to the status of Collegiate Churches and their Canons became members of Collegiate Chapters. On its re-establishment as a separate and independent diocese by the Bull Beati Petri (17 July 1817) of Pope Pius VII, the diocese was taken from the metropolitan see of Turin and made suffragan to Genoa. The Bull was published in Tortona on 20 November 1817.

Restoration of the diocese

Bishop Carlo Francesco Carnevale (1818–1831) ordered the restoration of the Collegiate Churches of Broni, Casèi, Castelnuovo, Viguzzolo, and Voghera. There were also Collegiate churches at San Andrea in Novi Ligure, Pontecurone and Serravalle.

A new diocesan seminary was rebuilt, under the direction of Bishop Carlo Francesco Carnevale (1818–1831), on the property which had formerly been the monastery of S. Eufemia. The minor seminary was separate from the major seminary, though they were both housed in the same building, which had a capacity of 200. The complex, which included a public library, was opened in 1829.

Two religious orders, the Capuchins and the Clerci Regulari Ministeri Infirmaribus (Camillians), were reestablished in the diocese following the departure of the French. The Camillians were granted the administratorship of the parish of S. Matteo in the city of Tortona. The Jesuits were restored in the diocese by Bishop Giovanni Negri (1833–1874) on 17 November 1847.

Bishops

to 1300

  • Innocentius (after 363 – before 381)
  • Exuperantius (attested 381)
...
  • Quintus (or Quintianus) (attested 451)
...
...
  • Probus (attested 626)
  • Malliodorus (attested 649)
  • Audax (attested 679)
...
  • Josephus (attested 769)
...
  • Joannes (c. 830)
  • Ermanfredus (attested 842)
  • Theodolfus (attested 862, 877)
  • Geroardus (attested 901)
  • Beatus (c. 915 – c. 930)
  • Andreas (attested 933)
  • Giseprando (943 – after 963)
  • Joannes (attested 967, 969)
  • Gerebertus (attested 979–983)
  • Litifredus (997–1002)
  • Thenus (attested 1003)
  • ? Agirius (attested 1015)
  • Petrus (attested 1022, 1044, 1047, 1067, 1068)
  • Otto (attested 1080, 1083)
  • Guido (Wido) (attested 1098, 1099)
  • Lombardo (c. 1107)
  • Pietro (attested 1114, 1120, 1127)
  • Guglielmo
  • Oberto (attested 1155, 1181)
  • Ugo (attested 1183, 1193)
  • ? Gandolfo
  • Oddo (c, 1196 – 1202)
  • Obizo (1202–1220)
  • Petrus Busetto (1221–1255)
  • Petrus de Tassis (attested 1255)
  • Melchior Busetto (1255–1284)
Sede vacante (1284–1295)
  • Jacobus Calcinari (1295–1316)

from 1300 to 1600

since 1600

Sede vacante (1793–1796)
  • Pio Bonifacio Fassati, O.P. (1796–1803 Resigned)
Diocese suppressed (1803–1817)
  • Carlo Francesco Carnevale (1818–1831)
  • Giovanni Negri (1833–1874)
  • Vincenzo Capelli (1874–1890)
  • Igino Bandi (1890–1914)
  • Simone Pietro Grassi (1914–1934)
  • Egisto Domenico Melchiori (1934–1963)
  • Francesco Rossi (1963–1969 Resigned)
  • Giovanni Canestri (1971–1975 Appointed, Vicegerent of Rome)
  • Luigi Bongianino (1975–1996 Retired)
  • Martino Canessa (1996–2014 Retired)
  • Vittorio Francesco Viola, O.F.M. (2014 – 2021)
  • Guido Marini (2021)

Parishes

A list of the parishes in the Diocese of Tortona is contained in the volume of decrees of the Synod of Tortona of 1673. The state and organization of the parishes of the diocese of Tortona at the time of the re-erection of the diocese in 1817 is discussed extensively by Pollini. The 314 parishes of the diocese in the 21st century are listed by (civil) region, province and commune. The Diocese of Tortona maintains a list of parishes on its own website. In 2014 there was one priest for every 1,674 Catholics.

Cardinal Carlo Alberto Guidobono Calvachini (1683-1774), the pro-Datary of Pope Clement XIV, a native of Tortona and a former student of the Jesuit College of Tortona, carried out the reconstruction of the parish church of S. Giacomo in Tortona.

Notes and References

  1. "Diocese of Tortona" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  2. "Diocese of Tortona" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  3. Ferdinando Gabotto; Vincenzo Legé (1925). San Marziano martire, primo vescovo di Tortona e i primordi del Cristianesimo (in Italian). Torino: tip. G. B. Pria & c.
  4. Lanzoni, pp. 820-821: L'Ughelli (IV, 623) e il Cappelletti (XV, 150) ei oresentano una lista episcopale molto sospetta, a quanto pare, racimolata nel secolo XVI per portare i primordi di Tortona al I secolo. Il Gams (p. 823) l'ha corretta in parte, però non senza qualche confusione.
  5. Savio, p. 378. Fedele Savio, "Le origini della Diocesi di Tortona," Atti della R. Accademia delle Scienze di Torino XXXVIII (Torino: Clausen 1903), pp. 85-101, esp. p. 87.
  6. Gabotto and Legé, p. vi.
  7. Cappelletti, Vol. XIII, p. 665. P. Kehr, Italia Pontificia. p. 213. U. Benigni, "Tortona" Catholic Encyclopedia, claims without warrant that Tortona was subject to Vercelli; this is an incorrect inference based on the importance of Eusebius of Vercelli in the succession of bishops of Vercelli in the 4th century. See Savio, p. 378. Vercelli did not become a metropolitan until the 19th century, and Bishop Justinus of Vercelli attended the council of Milan of 451, presided over by Archbishop Eusebius of Milan. Cesare Baronio (1867). Augustinus Theiner (ed.). Annales ecclesiastici denuo excusi et ad nostra usque tempora perducti (in Latin). Vol. Tomus Octavus (449-499). Barri-Ducis (Bar-le-Duc): Louis Guerin. pp. 65–66. Bishop Quintus attended the provincial council at Milan in 451.
  8. Savio, p. 380.
  9. Gaetano Moroni (1856). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da s. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. 78: Tor-Tos. Venetia: dalla Tipografia Emiliana. p. 10. Pietro Balan (1880). Il pontificato di Giovanni VIII (in Italian). Roma: Tip. di Roma. p. 41. Nicola Cariello (2002). Giovanni VIII: papa medioevale (872-882). Studi e documenti, 19 (in Italian). Roma: Edilazio. p. 65. ISBN 978-88-87485-34-9.
  10. Kehr, pp. 214-215, nos. 4-8.
  11. Kehr, p. 217, nos. 18-25.
  12. For the year see Comune di Borghetto di Borbera n.d.
  13. Ughelli, IV, p. 637-639, from a letter of Pope Honorius IV of 20 December 1285. The penitential act was to be repeated at Vercelli and Alba Pompeia, and the Marquess was required either to go to the Holy Land or Compostella on pilgrimage.
  14. Carnevale (1838), pp. 18-19.
  15. Sergio M. Pagano (1995). Il cardinale Uberto Gambara vescovo di Tortona (1489-1549) (in Italian). Rome: L.S. Olschki. ISBN 9788822243560.
  16. Cappelletti, pp. 689-690.
  17. Sergio M. Pagano (2000). Le ragioni temporali di un vescovo: Maffeo Gambara vescovo di Tortona e il conflitto giurisdizionale con il senato di Milano : 1593-1596 (in Italian). Roma: Gangemi. ISBN 978-88-492-0108-6.
  18. Antoine François Vezzosi (1780). I Scrittori de'cherici regolari detti teatini, d'Antonio Francesco Vezzosi. Vol. Parte prima. Roma: SC di Propaganda Fide. pp. 54–62.
  19. Lorenzo Tacchella (1966). La riforma tridentina nella Diocesi di Tortona (in Italian). Genova: Typis Mario Bozzi. pp. 52–56.
  20. Kehr, p. 220, no. 3.
  21. Savio (1903), p. 89.
  22. Ludovico Costa, ed. (1814). Cronaca di Tortona, pubblicata per la prima volta da Lodovico Costa (in Latin). Torino: presso la vedova Pomba e figli. pp. 26, 34–36. Moroni, p. 10.
  23. Carnevale (1838), p. 19.
  24. Kehr, pp. 218-219.
  25. Gaetano Moroni (1856). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da s. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. 78: Tor-Tos. Venetia: dalla Tipografia Emiliana. p. 9. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 183 note 1.
  26. Kehr, p. 216, no. 15; p. 221; p. 223 no. 19.
  27. Kehr, p. 214, no. 3.
  28. Carnevale (1838), p. 15.
  29. Decreta, edita et promulgata in dioecesana synodo derthonensi prima, sub reverendissimo D. D. Mapheo, Dei et apostolicae sedis gratia sanctae derthonensis Ecclesia; episcopo et comite etc. Anno Domini MDXCV, die 21, mensis aprilis, (Tortona: Bartolomeo Bulla 1598). J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus trigesimus sextus bis (ed. L. Petit and J. B. Martin) (paris: Hubert Welter 1913), p. 395.
  30. Cosimo Dossero (1615). Decreta edita et promulgata in synodo dioecesana Derthonensi prima quam... Cosmus... episcopus Derthonae... habuit anno 1614, mense octobri (in Latin). Tortona: apud Nicolaum Violam. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus trigesimus sextus ter (ed. L. Petit and J. B. Martin) (Arnhem-Leipzig 1924), p. 37.
  31. Synodus diœcesana Derronœ, à Francifco Fossato, Ecclesiæ Dertonenfis Episcopo, secundo habita, anno M.DCL1I. accedunt decisiones facrœ Rotæ Romanæ, et formularium expeditionum circa diversa. (Dertonæ Elisaeus Viola 1652).
  32. Carolus Settala (1659). Decreta edita et promulgata in Synodo dioecesana S. Dertonensis Ecclesiae ... anno 1659 habuit 22., 23. et 24. Aprilis ... Additis quibusdam summorum pontificum constitutionibus, et aliis tabellis ad synodales sanctiones accomodatis (etc.) (in Latin). Tortona: Typis Filiorum qd. Elisei Violae. , pp. 281-311.
  33. Mansi, p. 439.
  34. Decreta edita et promulgata in synodo dioecesana s. Derthonen. ecclesiae, quam illustriss. et reverendiss. D. D. Carolus Franciscus Ceva Dei, et apostolicae Sedis gratia eiusdem ecclesiae episcopus, marchio, comes etc. habuit anno M.DC.LXXXVII. (Tortona: De Violis 1687). Mansi, p. 513, 709.
  35. Synodus dioecesana Derthonensis ab ... Julio Resta ... celebrata ... an. 1715 (Tortona: De Violis 1715). Mansi, p. 892.
  36. Synodus sanctae ecclesiae Derthonensis quam excellentissimus ac reverendissimus dominus dominus episcopus Joannes Negri habuit diebus 6, 7 et 8 septembris 1843 (Tortona 1844).
  37. Both of the papal legs and part of the body were paralysed. Ludwig Pastor, A History of the Popes (tr. E. F. Peeler), Volume 40 (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul 1953), p. 377.
  38. Pietro Baldassari (1843). Relazione delle avversità e patimenti del ... Papa Pio VI negli ultimi tre anni del suo pontificato (in Italian). Vol. Tomo IV (Edizione seconda corretta ed aumentata ed.). Modena: Reale Tipografia. pp. 85–94.
  39. Carnevale (1845), p. 322.
  40. Bullarii Romani continuatio, Summorum Pontificum Benedicti XIV, Clementis XIII, Clementis XIV, Pii VI, Pii VII, Leonis XII, Pii VIII constitutiones (in Latin). Vol. Tomus septimus. Prati: Typographia Aldina. 1850. pp. 443–447, no. CCVIII.
  41. Bonaparte had himself crowned Emperor of the French on 2 December 1804, and King of Italy on 26 May 1805.
  42. Gaetano Moroni (1856). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, specialmente intorno ai principali santi, beati... (in Italian). Vol. LXXVII. Venezia: Tipografia Emiliana. p. 16.
  43. Pollini, pp. 129-130.
  44. Bullarii Romani continuatio, VII, pp. 1490-1503.
  45. Pollini, pp. 137-138.
  46. Carnevale (1838), p. 22.
  47. Attilio Zuccagni-Orlandini (1839). Corografia fisica, storica e statistica dell'Italia e delle sue isole (in Italian). Vol. terzo. Firenze: presso gli editori. p. 153.
  48. Carnevale (1845), p. 325.
  49. Carnevale (1845), p. 322-323.
  50. Giudizio dell'episcopato italiano sulla causa dei gesuiti (in Italian and Latin). Roma: Tipografia delle Belle Arti. 1849. pp. 120–124.
  51. Innocentius: Savio, pp. 377-380. Lanzoni, p. 826.
  52. Exuperantius attended the Council of Aquileia in 381. Savio, p. 380. Lanzoni, p. 827.
  53. Quintus subscribed the acts of the provincial Council of Milan in 451. Savio, pp. 380-381. Lanzoni, p. 827 no. 3.
  54. Saturninus Terdonitanus, who subscribed at the Roman Council of Pope Symmachus in 499 was probably Saturninus Herdonitanus, bishop of Herdonia in the Abruzzi. Savio, p. 381
  55. Probus: Savio, p. 381.
  56. Malliodorus was present at the Lateran synod of 5 October 649. Savio, p. 381.
  57. Audax was present at the provincial council of Milan in 679. Savio, p. 382.
  58. Bishop Josephus attended the Lateran synod of 12 April 769. Savio, p. 382.
  59. Joannes: Savio, pp. 382-383.
  60. Ermanfredus: Savio, p. 383.
  61. Theodolfus: Savio, p. 383.
  62. Bishop Geroardus is said to have been bishop from c. 890. Savio, p. 383.
  63. Beatus: Savio, pp. 384-385. Carnevale's claim (p. 117) that Beatus was granted the use of the pallium by Pope John X is emphatically rejected by Kehr, p. 213 no. 1, note.
  64. Bishop Andreas, a native of Piacenza, made his Last Will and Testament on 29 August 933. Ughelli, pp. 628-631. Ughelli says that he signed the document in his 9th year as bishop, and that he was bishop for thirteen years. That ought to mean, as Ughelli calculates, that Andreas became bishop in 926, which contradicts other facts. If, however, he followed Bishop Geroardus c. 930, then he might have been bishop c. 930–942. Savio, p. 385.
  65. The date of Giseprando's election as bishop of Tortona is calculated by Savio (p. 385-387) from surviving documents. He was Chaplain and Chancellor of King Hugo of Italy from 945. In 952 he was at the Reichstag in Augsburg. He subscribed a document for the Emperor Otto I on 13 February 962. The bishop was present at the Roman synod of 22 November 963. He was also Abbot of Bobbio (c. 943–973). Savio, p. 386. Schwartz, p. 126.
  66. Bishop Joannes attended the council of Ravenna in April 967. On 2 January 968 he was in Rome and subscribed a bull of Pope John XIII. In November 969 he attended a synod in Milan. He is unknown to Ughelli, p. 633. Savio, p. 387. Schwartz, p. 127.
  67. Ger(e)bertus (wrongly called Zeno, but variously called Gerbertus, Giripertus, Gilbertus) served as Chancellor of the Emperor Otto II in 978 and 979. He was present on 4 December 979 at the consecration of the church at Subiaco. In April 983 he was in Rome as Imperial judge, and intervened in a case involving the abbey of Subiaco. He was the recipient of two letters from Gerbert d'Aurillac, Abbot of Bobbio (982-999). Ughelli, p. 633, calls him Erebertus, and says that he governed the Church of Tortona for eight years and five months. Savio, p. 388-389. Schwartz, p. 127.
  68. Litifredus took part in the synod of Pavia in February 997. He ruled for four years. Savio, pp. 389-390. Schwartz, p. 127-128.
  69. An adherent of the anti-king Arduin of Ivrea, Bishop Tenus is known from a single document, a charter dated 12 April 1003. Savio, pp. 389-390. Schwartz, p. 128.
  70. A bishop of Tortona attended the Roman synod of 1015. The name Agirius, which is not attested in any document, is supplied by Ughelli, pp. 633-634, who says that he was present, with Archbishop Eribertus of Milan, at the assembly of Roncalli for the election of a King of Italy; he cites no source. Schwartz, p. 128, remarks, Die Existenz des Bischofs Aigirius wird dadurch ebenfalls sehr in Frage gestellt. (The existence of Bishop Aigirius would thereby be placed very much in question)
  71. Petrus was present at the synod of Pavia in October 1046. On 11 November 1067 he consecrated a church in Acqui. Ughelli, p. 634, says he was elected in 1014 and died in 1077. Savio, pp. 390-391.
  72. Ottone was a supporter of the Emperor Henry IV against Pope Gregory VII. He attended the synod of Brixen in 1080, and was in the train of Henry IV when he marched on Rome in 1083. He was present in Rome on 23 June 1083, and received a diploma from Henry on 9 July 1083. Savio, p. 391. Ughelli, p. 634, says that Otto became bishop in 1077 and ruled for six years and one month. Schwartz, p. 129.
  73. Wido was Bishop-elect when he subscribed a document of 7 April 1098 for Archbishop Anselm of Milan. It is recorded that he went to Jerusalem in 1130. Savio, p. 392. Schwartz, p. 129.
  74. Savio, p. 393. Schwartz, p. 129, calculates that he died between 1106 and 1113.
  75. He is first found in 1114, but he was not consecrated until 11 April 1120, by Archbishop Jordanes of Milan. The latest record of him is in August 1127. He was certainly dead by 1136. Schwartz, p. 130.
  76. Savio, p. 398. Eubel, I, p. 476.
  77. Gams, p. 823.
  78. Gams, p. 823.
  79. The letter of Pope Honorius IV of 20 December 1285 mentions the fact that the See of Tortona was still vacant. The synod of Milan held in 1287 was attended by two Canons of Tortona in place of a bishop, sede vacante. There was a contested election, which, after many turns, was finally settled by Pope Boniface VIII in 1295. Ughelli, IV, p. 637-639. Bottazzi, Appendice, p. 41. Savio, pp. 401-402.
  80. Torriani: Eubel, I, p. 476 with note 4.
  81. Fieschi had been a chaplain of Cardinal Luca of S. Maria in Via Lata, and was a Canon of Toul (a papal provision). He had previously been Bishop of Brescia (1317-1325). He was transferred to the diocese of Tortona by Pope John XXII on 24 May 1325. He died in 1348, before July. Cappellatti, XIII, p. 684. Eubel, I, pp. 147, 476.
  82. Visconti had been a Canon of Milan. He was appointed BIshop of Tortona by Pope Clement VI on 2 July 1348. He died in 1364. Ughelli, IV, p. 643. Eubel, I, p. 476.
  83. Henricus Rampini de S. Alexio belonged to the family of the Lords of S. Alossio, and was a native of Tortona. He was appointed bishop of Tortona by Antipope John XXIII on 10 May 1413. He held a synod in May 1435. He was transferred to the Diocese of Pavia on 7 June 1435 by Pope Eugene IV, and promoted to the Archbishopric of Milan in 1443. He was named a cardinal in 1446. He died in Rome on 4 July 1450. Ughelli, IV, pp. 647-650. Carnevale (1838), pp. 14-16. Eubel I, p. 476 with note 9; II, p. 212.
  84. Fabrizio Marliani was transferred to the diocese of Piacenza on 15 January 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV. Eubel, II, p. 216.
  85. Botta was a native of Pavia. He succeeded Fabrizio Marliani on his transfer to Piacenza, and made his arrangements with the Apostolic Camera (Treasury) on 10 January 1476. He died in 1496. Cappelletti, XIII, p. 689. Eubel, II, p. 247.
  86. Zazi, a native of Pavia, was appointed Bishop of Tortona in Consistory by Pope Alexander VI on 20 April 1496. He attended the third through tenth sessions of the Fifth Lateran Council. He died in 1528. Ughelli, pp. 650-651. Cappelletti, p. 689. Eubel, II, p. 247.
  87. Ubedrto Gambara was appointed bishop on 8 May 1528, and resigned as bishop on 22 March 1548, and died on 14 February 1549. John McClintock; James Strong (1894). Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. Vol. XII. New York: Harper. p. 428. Federico Odorici (1856). Il Cardinale Uberto Gambara da Brescia 1487 - 1549 (in Italian). Brescia: Gilberti. Eubel, III, pp. 26 no. 31, 277, 310.
  88. Maffeo Gambara was the nephew of Bishop Cesare Gambara. He was a Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law), and a Referendary (judge) of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures in the Roman Curia. He was named Bishop of Tortona on 11 May 1492 by Pope Clement VIII. He held five diocesan synods. He administered the diocese with some difficulties due to his age and failing eyesight. He died in 1612. Ughelli, IV, p. 652. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 173 with note 2.
  89. Cosimo Dossena, a native of Pavia, had been a follower and friend of Don John of Austria, the bastard son of the Emperor Charles V. After serving on several campaigns, he retired to a period of five years of pious and charitable works. He was noticed by the Provost of the Barnabite College in Pavia, Giovanni Bellacino, and persuaded to join his Order. He was elected Generalis Propositus of the Barnabites for four terms. Under Pope Clement VIII he served as Apostolic Visitor of the churches in Rome. He built the Barnabite College at the Antonine Column. Pope Paul V named him Bishop of Tortona in the Consistory of 27 February 1612, and he was consecrated on 4 March by Cardinal Giovanni Mellini. He died on 12 March 1620 of an apoplectic stroke. Ughelli, pp. 652-653. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 173 with note 3.
  90. Arese: Ughelli, pp. 653-654. Gauchat, IV, p. 174 with note 4.
  91. Fossati: Ughelli, p. 654. Gauchat, IV, p. 174 with note 5.
  92. Settala died in Rome on 23 April 1682. Bottazzi, Appendice, p. 50. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 183 with note 3.
  93. Ceva was born in Milan in 1625. He obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the Sapienza in Rome in 1649. He was a Canon and the Penitentiary of the Cathedral Chapter of Milan, and a Vicar General of the diocese of Milan. He was appointed Bishop of Tortona in the Consistory of 12 July 1683 by Pope Innocent XI. He died in August 1700. Bottazzi, Appendice, pp. 51-52. Cappelletti, XIII, p. 691. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 183 with note 3.
  94. Resta was born in Milan in 1657, and obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the University of Pavia in 1687. He became a Referendary (judge) of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures in the Roman Curia, and was appointed governor of Nursia, Aesina, and Centumcellae. He was appointed Bishop of Tortona in the Consistory of 21 February 1701 by Pope Clement XI. He died in Tortona on 11 January 1743. Bottazzi, Appendice, pp. 51-52. Cappelletti, XIII, p. 691. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 183 with note 4.
  95. Andujar: Bottazzi, Appendice, pp. 52-54. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 194 with note 2.
  96. Peiretti: Bottazzi, Appendice, pp. 54-56. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 194 with note 3.
  97. Cappelletti, p. 691.
  98. Born in Casale in 1728, Fassati, a member of the family of the Marchesi di Balzola, had been a professor of theology at the University of Bologna, Procurator of the Dominican Order, and Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Index in the Roman Curia (1788–1796). He was nominated by the King of Sardinia on 6 April 1796, and approved in Consistory by Pope Pius VI on 27 June 1796. He was consecrated in Rome on 31 July by Cardinal Hyacinthe Gerdil. He died on 23 December 1817. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 194 with note 4.
  99. Canon Carlo Francesco Carnevale exercised the function of Vicar General of the Bishop of Casale after the diocese of Tortona was suppressed in 1803.
  100. Carnevale was born in Tortona of a patrician family in 1757. He obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the University of Turin in 1784. He had been a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Tortona, and Archdeacon, and was Vicar General of Bishop Fassati (1798), and Vicar Apostolic. He was nominated by King Vittore Emanuele I on 10 October 1818, and preconised (approved) by Pope Pius VII on 21 December 1818. He was consecrated in Novara on 14 February 1819 by Cardinal Giuseppe Morozzo Della Rocca, the Bishop of Novara. He died on 29 October 1831. Calendario generale pe' Regii Stati pubblicato con autorità del Governo e con privilegio di S.S.R.M (in Italian). Vol. Terzo anno. Torino: Pomba. 1826. p. 59. Carnevale (1838), pp. 21-23. Cappelletti, p. 692. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 175.
  101. Negri was born at Fontanetta, a commune south-west of Vercelli, in 1788. He had been a theology teacher and was a Canon and Penitentiary of the Cathedral Chapter of Vercelli. He was nominated Bishop of Tortona by the King of Sardinia on 9 March 1833, and preconised (approved) by Pope Gregory XVI on 15 April 1833. He was consecrated a bishop in Rome on 21 April. He died on 19 January 1874. He is characterized by Vittorio Moro, in San Luigi Orione: da Tortona al mondo : atti del convegno di studi, Tortona, 14-16 marzo 2003 (in Italian). Milano: Vita e Pensiero. 2004. p. 42. ISBN 978-88-343-1978-9. as "un uomo devoto e di elevata spiritualità, ma duro e severo, arroccato ad una visione elitaria e conservatrice della Chiesa e sostanzialmente chiuso ai nuovi fermenti sia sociali e politici, sia ecclesiali." Camillo Cappellaro (1968). Mons. Giovanni Negri vescovo di Tortona (1833-1874) (in Italian). Roma: Pontificia Università Lateranense. Pollini, p. 145. Ritzler-sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 175.
  102. Capelli was a native of Vigevano, and had been a parish priest at Groppello. He became Archpriest and Canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Vigevano. Pollini, p, 146.
  103. Bandi was a native of Zeme (diocese of Vigevano). He had been a Canon and Archpriest of the Cathedral of Vigevano, as well as Vicar General. He was consecrated by Bishop Pietro de Gaudenzi of Vigevano. La settimana religiosa periodico religioso di Genova (in Italian). Vol. 20. Genoa: Tipografia della Gioventù. 1890. p. 463. Flavio Peloso, in: San Luigi Orione: da Tortona al mondo : atti del convegno di studi, Tortona, 14-16 marzo 2003 (in Italian). Milano: Vita e Pensiero. 2004. pp. 69–107. ISBN 978-88-343-1978-9. Ritzler-Sefrin, VIII, p. 242.
  104. "Rinunce e Nomine, 15.10.2014" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office.
  105. "Rinunce e nomine, 27.05.2021" (Press release) (in Italian). 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  106. Carolus Settala (1659). Decreta edita et promulgata in Synodo dioecesana S. Dertonensis Ecclesiae ... anno 1659 habuit 22., 23. et 24. Aprilis ... Additis quibusdam summorum pontificum constitutionibus, et aliis tabellis ad synodales sanctiones accomodatis (etc.) (in Latin). Tortona: Typis Filiorum qd. Elisei Violae. pp. 272–280.
  107. Pollini, pp. 137-145, with complete lists of Vicarates and parishes.
  108. Source: CCI n.d.
  109. Diocesi di Tortona, "Annuario On Line", Parocchie; retrieved: 04-05-2018. (in Italian)
  110. Carnevale (1845), p. 324. Cardinal Cavalchini was also Abbot Commendatory of S. Paolo e S. Pietro di Molo in the diocese of Tortona.

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