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Diocese of Alessandria Dioecesis Alexandrina Statiellorum
Alessandria Cathedral
Location
Country	Italy
Ecclesiastical province	Vercelli
Statistics
Area	740 km (290 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2020) 156,978 142,035 (90.5%)
Parishes	74
Information
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1175
Cathedral	Cattedrale di S. Pietro Apostolo
Patron saint	Saint Baudolino
Secular priests	46 (diocesan) 11 (Religious Orders) 7 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Guido Gallese
Map
Website
www.diocesialessandria.it (in Italian)

The Diocese of Alessandria (Latin: Dioecesis Alexandrina Statiellorum) (Alessandria della Paglia) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Piedmont, northern Italy. Originally a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan, since 1817 it has been a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.

History

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Foundation of the city

In 1168, in response to the aggression of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the leaders of Milan, Cremona and Piacenza, established a new town in order to discomfit Frederick's ally Pavia. The new city was to be made up of the inhabitants of the villages of Quargnento, Solero, Oviglio, Foro, Bergoglio, Rovereto, Marengo and Gamondio. Seeking support for their undertaking, they sent ambassadors to Pope Alexander III (1159–1181) in January 1170, announcing that they had named the new city Alessandria in his honor, and begging for his support. They offered the city to the Papacy to be forever the vassal of the Holy Roman Church. They set aside three jugera ("moggi") of land at the junction of the Quartiere di Marengo and the Quartiere di Gamondo, thanks to the generosity of the Marchesi del Bosco, for the construction of a "Chiesa maggiore" under the title of S. Pietro, who had been declared their patron saint two years earlier. The church, originally a collegiate church, was begun immediately, and was completed by 1178. It had been raised to the dignity of a cathedral church in 1175. It was small, too small for the growing population, and needed to be rebuilt. A new cathedral was under construction in 1289, and was completed in 1297.

Establishment of the diocese

Alessandria was made a diocese in 1175 by Pope Alexander III, with territory removed from the diocese of Acqui, Asti, Pavia, Tortona, and Milan. The diocese was declared to be a suffragan of the metropolitan of Milan.

In a Brief of 30 January 1176, Pope Alexander declared that he had selected Alessandria's first bishop, though he did so without any prejudice to the rights of the Chapter for the future to elect their bishop, just as the other suffragans of Milan did. The new bishop, Arduinus, died before he could be consecrated, and another candidate was substituted, who also did not receive an episcopal consecration. Archbishop Galdinus of Milan, who had been appointed to carry out the episcopal consecration, died on 18 April 1176.

On 28 May 1176, the Lombard League, of which Alessandria was a member, and of which Pope Alexander III was the nominal head, defeated Frederick Barbarossa in the Battle of Legnano, ending the emperor's fifth and last attempt to subdue the cities of Lombardy and Piedmont.

At the Third Lateran Council, held by Pope Alexander in March 1179, Archbishop Algesius and twelve of his suffragan bishops attended and subscribed the acts, including Bishop Ubertus of Aqui. No bishop of Alessandria was present.

On 18 July 1180, Pope Alexander III confirmed the election of Bishop Otto by the cathedral chapter of S. Pietro (which was already in existence and operating), with the agreement of the clergy and people, and also confirmed in their dignities Magister Hugo the Provost, Magister Cataldo the Archpriest, and Magister P(etrus?) the Cantor. He also confirmed the assignment of seven churches in the diocese for the use of the canons.

Dioceses of Alessandria and Acqui in conflict

Unhappy with the situation in Piedmont, however, and since Alexandria was already larger than Acqui, Pope Alexander in 1180 ordered that the seat of Acqui should be transferred to Alessandria. It was apparently intended that the bishop who was to reside in Alessandria was to govern both the dioceses, aeque personaliter. Archbishop Algisius of Milan wrote to the clergy and people of Alessandria that he was acting in accordance to a mandate from the pope to transfer the seat of the bishop of Aqui to the city of Alessandria. He also absolved them of the oath of fidelity which they had sworn to bishop-elect Otto. The clergy of Acqui objected to the loss of the presence of the bishop in their city, and the people of Alessandria refused to admit Bishop Ubertus of Acqui. Alessandria was therefore left without a bishop down to 1205. The Papacy was therefore faced with the need to sort out conflicts between the Chapter of Alessandria and the Chapter of Acqui. Pope Innocent III, therefore, in a letter of 12 May 1205, not only restated the terms of the bull of Pope Alexander III which transferred the seat of the bishop of Acqui to Alessandria, but also determined that there was to be a union of the two dioceses. He ordered Bishop Opizzo of Dertona and Canon Bongiovanni of Vercelli to carry out his mandate. Bishop Ugo Tornelli, who had been Bishop of Acqui since 1183, therefore was confirmed as bishop of Alessandria as well, and transferred his seat.

The diocese was suppressed in 1213 by Pope Innocent III, due to the support of the Alessandrians for Emperor Otto IV. The Church of Alessandria had also been refusing to pay the annual tax due to the Roman see, according to a letter of Innocent III of 4 June 1214.

It was restored on 10 May 1240 by Pope Gregory IX, with the bull "Regina Mater", as part of his strategy to defeat Frederick II.

In 1334, the diocese of Alessandria was subjected to an official Visitation by the Vicar General of Archbishop Aicardus of Milan, Canon Eusebius de Tronzano of Vercelli. He collected all the decrees of various synods, and issued them to the canons of Alessandria.

The territory of the diocese of Acqui was united with that of Alessandria until 1405, when Acqui again received its own bishop. In 1287, the archdeacon of Alessandria, Ascherius, attended the provincial synod of Milan, held by Archbishop Otto.

Synods

A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, 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 diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.

Bishop Pietro Giorgio Odescalchi (1598–1610) held diocesan synods in 1602, 1605, and 1606. Diocesan synods were held in 1613 and 1617 by Bishop Erasmo Paravicini (1611–1640). In 1652, Bishop Deodato Scaglia (1644–1659) presided over a diocesan synod. Bishop Alberto Mugiasca (1680–1694) held a diocesan synod in 1684.

On 16 May 1702, Bishop Carlo Ottaviano Guasco (1695–1704) held a diocesan synod. In October 1711, Bishop Francesco Arborio di Gattinara (1706–1727) held a diocesan synod. On 1–3 May 1732, Bishop Gian Mercurino Antonio Gattinara (1730–1743) presided over a diocesan synod. Bishop Giuseppe Tomaso de Rossi (1757–1786) held a synod in the cathedral on 10–12 June 1771.

Bishop Alessandro d'Angennes (1818–1832) presided over a diocesan synod on 2–4 June 1829.

The French occupation

The armies of revolutionary France overran northern Italy in 1796. Brief puppet states were established. In 1802, Piedmont was directly annexed by the French state, and French-style départements were established. The territory of Alessandria became part of the Department of Marengo in 1802, and Alessandria itself was named its capital.

One of the policies of the Franch government was the reduction in the number of dioceses both in metropolitan France and in its annexed territories. The French pointed out that there were sixteen dioceses and one metropolitan (Turin) in the Piedmont, of which five were without bishops at the time and three whose bishops had just resigned. They demanded that the sixteen be reduced to eight with one metropolitan. In the bull "Gravissimis Causis" of 1 June 1803, Pope Pius VII authorized the papal legate to First Consul Bonaparte, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Caprara, to suppress a number of dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Piedmont. Caprara carried out his instructions in a decree of 23 January 1805. The assets of the dioceses of Tortona, Bobbio, and Casale, human and material, were transferred to the diocese of Alessandria.

First Consul Bonaparte had remarked to General Louis-Alexandre Berthier, "With Alessandria in my possession I should always be master of Italy. It might be made the strongest fortress in the world; it is capable of containing a garrison of 40,000 men, with provisions for six months. Should insurrection take place, should Austria send a formidable force here, the French troops might retire to Alessandria, and stand a six months' siege." The medieval cathedral was closed on 6 January 1803 (17 Nivoise XI), and destroyed, on instructions issued in November 1802, to make way for the "Piazza della Libertà".

On 17 March 1805, Napoleon established the Kingdom of Italy, and on 23 May he had himself crowned King of Italy by Cardinal Caprara in the cathedral of Milan. During the rest of the year, he continued to adjust the political arrangements of Piedmont and Lombardy. Having decided that Alessandria needed to be strengthened as a military stronghold and arsenal for his control of the area, he announced on 17 May 1805, his decision to transfer the seat of the bishop of Alessandria to Casale. On 7 July 1805, Cardinal Caprara obligingly carried out a new circumscription, restored the cathedral in Casale to its cathedral status, and moved the bishop to Casale. On 23 December 1805, Bishop Villaret was officially transferred to Casale, and the diocese of Alessandria was suppressed.

The diocese of Alessandria was re-established as an independent ecclesiastical entity by Pope Pius VII on 17 July 1817, as a suffragan of the newly created metropolitan archdiocese of Vercelli.

The diocese was vacant from 1854 to 1867.

List of Bishops

to 1500

1500 to 1800

since 1805

Parishes

The diocese has 74 parishes (2020), all within the Piedmontese province of Alessandria. In 2020, there was one priest for every 2,491 Catholics.

References

1. Saints.SQPN.com
2. "Diocese of Alessandria (della Paglia)" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 25, 2016
3. "Diocese of Alessandria " GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved September 25, 2016
4. Cappelletti, pp. 531-534. Ughelli, IV, pp. 312-313. Moriondo, Giovanni Battista (1790). Monumenta Aquensia (in Latin). Vol. Pars II. Torino: Typographia regia. p. 11.
5. Ghilini, Annali d'Alessandria, p. 3, column 2.
6. Chenna II, pp. 46-47.
7. Gasparolo (1904), pp. 187-188.
8. Gasparolo (1904), p. 189.
9. Kehr VI. 2, p. 201: "dioecesi eius ex parochiis Aquensis, Astensis, Papiensis, Dertonensis. Mediolanensis episcopatuum instituta et ecclesia illa s. Petri in cathedralem erecta." Lanzavecchia (2000), pp. 15-16.
10. Livraghi (2011), "document 1", introduction.
11. Ughelli, IV, pp. 314-315. Moriondo, II, pp. 12, 26. Christ, p. 159: "Volumus autem, ut predictus electus a venerabili fratri nostro G(aldino) Mediolanensi archiepiscopo apostolice sedis legato in diaconum et presbiterum ordineturs et de manu eius munus consecrationis percipiat et tam ipse quam successores ipsius ei et successoribus suis tamquam metropolitanis suis debitam obedientiam exhibeant et honorem, sicut alii suffraganei Mediolanensis ecclesie facere noscuntur."
12. Pope Innocent III, in a letter of 12 May 1205, to the bishop of Terdona and Canon Bongiovanni of Vercelli, noted: "Eodem vero electo, nondum in Episcopum consecrato, viam universae carnis ingresso, substitutus est alius, qui consecrationis munus similiter non percepit."
13. Giovanni Battista Testa, History of the War of Frederick I Against the Communes of Lombardy, (London: Smith, Elder, & Co. 1877), p. 409-410. Cf. Fedele Savio, Gli antichi vescovi d'Italia dalle origini al 1300 descritti per regioni: Milano, (in Italian), (Florence: Libreria editrice fiorentina, 1913), pp. 534-535. Galdinus' successor, Algisius de Pirovano, whose election took 10½ weeks, was elected in time to attend Pope Alexander's assembly of the Lombard bishops at Ferrara in April 1177.
14. Giovanni Battista Testa, History of the War of Frederick I Against the Communes of Lombardy, (London: Smith, Elder, & Co. 1877), pp. 366-424, esp. 411-417.
15. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 216.
16. "...benignius annuentes canonicam quam fili electe in ecclesia sancti petri de assensu cleri et populi statuisti protectionis nostre munimine roborantes et electionem quam de personis idoneis ad dignitates ecclesie tenendas fecisti."
17. Kehr VI. 2, p, 204, no. 2: "praeterea ecclesias usibus canonicorum deputatas, scil(icet) s. Mariae de Gamundio, s. Dalmatii de Maringo, s. Michaelis de Soleriis, s. Stephani de Bergolio, s. Trinitatis de Uvilia, s. Andreae de Rovoreto et s. Augustini de Foro." Livraghi (2011), "document 4."
18. Cappelletti XIV, p. 541: "ut quoniam Alexandrina civitas longe major est et populatior, quam Aquensis, Episcopalis sedis de illa, cui dioecesi est contigua, transferretur ad istam...."
19. Savio, pp. 67-68: "...Alessandro III.. stabilì che ne avesse il governo il veswcovo d'Aqui, in modo che pur ritenendo nello stesso tempo il governo della sua diocesi, si chiamasse vescovo Alessandrino. Algisio stesso fu incaricato di far eseguire la volontà del Papa, il che fece nel 1180."
20. Cappelletti XIV, p. 541: "Habeat autem duplex sigillum, ab una parte continens imaginem et litteras Aquensis Episcopi, ab altera vero Alexandrini; cumque idem Episcopus scripserit de Aquen. rebus aut personis Aquen., scribat se tunc Aquen., porro cum scripserit, de aliis rebus aliisque personis, si fuerit in Alexandria dioecesi, scribat se tunc Alexandrinum : si vero in Aquen. dioeces., scribat se tantum Aquensem...."
21. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 536-538: "Sane cum ante hos dies a Domino Papa acceperimus in mandatis, ut saniori habito consilio venerabilem fratrem nostrum Aquensem Episcopum una cum sede sua in civitatem vestram transferemus, id opportunitate accepta curavimus effectui mancipare...." The letter is dated 1180.
22. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 537-538: "Ne quid igitur in hac parte deesse videatur, vos omnes tam clericos quam laicos a debito juramenti et obedientiae, quam 0. quondam electo vestro praestiteratis, auctoritate Apostolica ac nostra absolvimus: mandantes et firmiter praecipientes, ut non ei de caetero, sed praefato Episcopo vestro fidelitatem ac obedientiam, omnemque devotionem exhibeatis...."
23. Kehr VI. 2, p. 201: "Ottone electo Alexandrino deposito et Uberto Aquensi episcopo ad Alexandrinam cathedram translato. Sed Aquenses renuerunt. Unde Alexandrini sine episcopo remanserunt ad annum usque 1205, quo Innocentius III statutum Alexandri III de unione utriusque ecclesiae confirmavit."
24. Cappelletti XIV, p. 542. Savio, p. 68.
25. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 538-540.
26. Chenna I, pp. 57-66.
27. Cappelletti, pp. 544-546: "Miramur igitur, nec satis admirantes sufficimus admirari, quod conversi in arcum perversum et in reprobum sensum dati, sic cito recessistis a fidelitate nostra et sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae matris vestrae, cui non solum debita minime praestitistis, verum et in impiorum consilium abeuntès, facti estis inimici ejus, in capite impugnantes eam una cum persecutoribus ejus et Ottoni tyranno et excommunicato et maledicto in nostram injuriam et animarum ac rerum vestrarum periculum adbaerentes...."
28. Cappelletti XIV, p. 545: "...omnino praeteritorum ingrati et improvidi futurorum, non solum debitum nobis censum, quem nonnisi semel recepimus, subtraxerunt, verum etiam in nostram injuriam et contemptum Ottoni reprobo adhaerentes....;" p. 547: "Innocentius Papa, pro eo quod vos tunc temporis inimicis Ecclesiae adhaesistis ad ipsius redire mandatum temere contemnentes, civitatem vestram Episcopalis destituerit dignitatis honore."
29. Cappelletti, pp. 546-548: "de fratrum nostrorum Consilio dignitatem eandem civitati vestrae restituendam duximus de gratia speciali, vobis auctoritate Apostolica ut ipsa supradicti forma privilegii perpetuis futuris temporibus gaudeatis."
30. Giovanni Battista Moriondo, Monumenta Aquensia, Volume 2 (Turin: Typographia Regia, 1790), "Praefatio", p. 9.
31. Cappelletti, pp. 547-550.
32. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima (in Latin) Vol. 24 (Venice: A. Zatta 1780), p. 872: "...praesentibus... Ascherio Archidiacono Alexandriae...." The bishop-elect of Acqui was also present.
33. Benedictus XIV (1842). "Lib. I. caput secundum. De Synodi Dioecesanae utilitate". Benedicti XIV ... De Synodo dioecesana libri tredecim (in Latin). Vol. Tomus primus. Mechlin: Hanicq. pp. 42–49. George Phillips (1849). Die Diöcesansynode (in German). Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. pp. 1–23.
34. Decreta condita, et promulgata in tribus synodis Dioecesanis quae celebratae fuerunt annis 1602, 1605 & 1606, sub admodum ill. et reverendiss. D. D. Petro Giorgio Odescalco, Dei et Apostolicae sedis gratia Episc. ALexandriae et comite (Alexandriae: apud Felicem Mottum M.DCVIII).
35. Decreta condita in dioecesanis synodis habitis de anno M.DC.XIII. & M.DC.XVII sub illustrissimo & reverendissimo D.D. Erasmo Paravicino Dei & Apostolicae Sedis gratia Episcopo Alexandriae, Comite, & Nuntio Apostolico apud Serenissimum Regem Boemiae (Alexandriae: apud Dionysium & Johannem Sotum M.DC.XVII).
36. Decreta condita et in Synodo dioecesaba de abbi N, DC, XXXXXII sub illustriss. et reverendiss. D. D. D. fratris Deodato Scalia episcopo Alexandrino, Regio Consiliario, & Comite (Alexandriae: apud H. Johannis Soti M.DC.XXXXXII).
37. Decreta condita et promulgata in Synodo Dioecesana celebrata de anno 1684 sub illustrissimo & Reverendissimo D. D. Don F. Alberto Mugiasca ex ordine Praedicatorum, Dei & Apostolicae Sedis gratia Episcopo ALexandrino & Comite (Alexandriae: Apud Haeredes Josephi Stramesij 1684).
38. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXXVI ter (Arnhem & Leipzig 1924), p. 882.
39. Mansi, p. 889.
40. Constitutiones quae in prima DIoecesana Synodo habita die 1, 2, & 3 maii 1732 condidit Ill. et Rev. D. D. Jo. Mercurinus Arboreus Gattinara, episcopus Alexandriae (Alexandriae: typis Antonii Vimercati 1732).
41. Synodus Dioecesana prima ab Illustriss. et Reverendiss. Domino D. Josepho Thoma de Rossi episcopo Alexandrino, et comite, abbate insignis collegiatae Ss. Petri et Dalmatii, habita in Ecclesia cathedrali Alexandrina, diebus X, XI, XII Junii MDCCLXXI (Alexandriae: ex typographia Ignatii Vimercati 1771).
42. Synodus Dioecesana Alexandrina XVI, quam ill. et rev. D.D. Alexander ex marchionibus d'Agennes Ep. Alexandrinus et comes habuit diebus 2, 3, et 4 Junii 1829 (Alexandriae: ex typ. Aloysii Capriolo 1829).
43. Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, réglemens et avis du Conseil d'état, (in French) Volume 13 (Paris: A. Guyot et Scribe, 1826), pp. 541.
44. "Gravissimis Causis' § 1: "ab eodem gubernio postulari, ut Nos in hoc rerum statu apostolica auctoritate Nostra praefatas sexdecim ecclesias episcopales, atque unam metropolitanam ad octo redigere dignemur, nimirum a dunam metropolitanam et septem ejus suffraganeas...."
45. Bullarii Romani Continuatio, Tomus XII (Rome: Apostolic Camera 1846), pp. 23-27.
46. Bulletin des lois de l'Empire français 4<super>e</super> Série, Tome troisième (Paris: Imprimerie impériale, An. XIV ), pp. 69-92, at p. 70: "supprimimus, annullamus, ac perpetuo extiguimus, titulum, denominationem, totumque statum præsentem, supradictarum ecclesiarum Secusina, Pineroliensis, Fossanensis, Albensis, Derthonensis, Bobiensis, Casalensis, Bugellensis et Augustana...."
47. Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, 'Private Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte: During the Periods of the Directory, the Consulate, and the Empire, Volume 2, (Philadelphia: Carey & Lea, 1831), p. 110.
48. Gasparolo (1900), pp. 337-341.
49. Raccolta di leggi, decreti, proclami, manifesti ec. Pubblicati dalle autorità costituite. Volume 20 (Torino: Davico e Picco n.d. , pp. 318-320.
50. Notizie per l'anno 1806 (Roma: Cracas 1806), p. 6. Fulvio Vditullo, "Monsignor Villaret vescovo “napoleeonico” di Casale," in: La Provincia di Alessandria 21 (1974), pp. 8-12.
51. The bull "Beati Petri", Bullarii Romani Continuatio, Tomus XII (Rome: Apostolic Camera 1846), pp. 351-352 § 16 and 18.
52. John Joseph à Becket. "Alessandria della Paglia." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. Retrieved: 2016-10-4. (confused and confusing)
53. Arduin was a Roman and an Apostolic Subdeacon. Ughelli, IV, p. 321. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 538-540. Savio, pp. 66-67.
54. Otto was a member of the Ghilini family, one of the founders of the city and builders of the first cathedral. The election of Otto by the canons of the Chapter of the cathedral of S. Peter was confirmed by Pope Alexander III in a letter of 18 July 1180 to the bishop-elect and canons. Cappelletti XIV, p. 536: "Canonicam quam fili electe in ecclesia s. Petri de accensu cleri et populi statuisti protectionis nostrae munimine roborantes et electioncm, quam de personis idoneis ad dignitates Ecclesiae tenendas fecisti, dilectis filiis nostris magistro Ugoni praeposituram, magistro Cataldo archipresbyteratum, magistro P. cantoriam provida deliberatione concedentes ratam habemus...." Savio, pp. 67-68. He was elected bishop of Bobbio in 1185: Savio, p. 171.
55. Ubertus had been bishop of Acqui. He was also named Bishop of Alessandria, aeque personaliter, but the Alexandrians refused him admission. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 536-538. Savio, pp. 67-68.
56. Ugo Tornielli never actually governed the Church of Alessandria (Savio: "Ma praticamente non sembra che egli avesse mai il governo di Alessandria). He resigned in 1213, and the chapter of Acqui elected Bishop Anselmus, but the Alessandrians refused to accept him. Savio, pp. 41-43 68.
57. Bonifacius: Chenna I, pp. 227-228; II, p. 49.
58. Ascherius (Anscherius, Asphalterius, Ascherio) attended the provincial council in Milan in 1287. Chenna I, pp. 228-229.
59. Bertholinus de Putheo (Bartolomeo dal Pozzo): Chenna I, pp. 229-230.
60. Oddo (Otho, Oddone) obtained from Pope John XXII, in a brief of 26 April 1321, the privilege of collecting money owed to the bishop and applying it to the needs of the archdeacon. Chenna I, pp. 231-232.
61. Antonio Guasco: Chenna I, pp. 232-233.
62. Francesco dal Pozzo was Cantor of the cathedral in 1350. In 1355 his name appears as: "archidiacono, & Ordinario dicta civitatis Alexandria D. Francisco de Putheo." Chenna I, pp. 233-234.
63. A brief of Urban VI of 9 April 1386 recognized Archdeacon Franceschino dal Pozzo as head of the Chapter of the cathedral. Chenna I, pp. 234-236.
64. In a document of 1 August 1414, Pope John XXIII called him "cubicularius, & secretarius noster, etiam litterarum apostolicarum abbreviator." Arpino Colli signed a codicil to his Testament in Rome on 21 September 1427, and another document on 23 March 1428. Pope Martin V appointed him abbot commendatory of the monastery of S. Pietro in Alessandria in 1427. Chenna I, pp. 236-238.
65. Bishop Beccari was appointed by Innocent VII of the Roman Obedience on 15 April 1405. He died on 18 July 1417. Eubel, I, p. 83, with notes 2 and 3.
66. Montegazza was elected, but in the end appointed by Pope Martin V on 7 October 1418. He took part in the schismatic Council of Basel, and was promoted bishop of Orvieto in July 1438. Eubel I, p. 83, with note 4; II, p. 85 with note 2.
67. Marco Marinone He was appointed bishop of Alessandria by Pope Eugenius IV on 16 February 1441. He was transferred to the diocese of Orvieto on 1 June 1457, by Pope Calixtus III. Eubel II, p. 260.
68. Marco Cattaneo was appointed bishop of Alessandria on 31 May 1457 by Pope Calixtus III. He died on 1 March 1478. Eubel II, p. 85.
69. Sangiorgio had been Provost of S. Ambrogio in Milan, and a professor of civil and canon law at Pavia. He was appointed Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota. Pope Sixtus IV appointed him bishop of Alessandria on 14 April 1478. Pope Alexander VI appointed him a papal Referendary, and "sacri palatii apostolici causarum auditor," which required his residence in Rome. Alexander named him a cardinal on 20 September 1493. He was transferred to the diocese of Parma on 6 September 1499, while retaining the diocese of Alessandria; and became suburbicarian Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati) on 22 December 1503. He died on 14 (or 28) March 1509. Chenna I, pp. 259-265. Eubel II, pp. 22 no. 3; 85 with note 3; 213.
70. Guasco was appointed bishop of Alessandria by Pope Alexander VI on 28 March 1500. He participated in the Fifth Lateran Council in 1512. He was named governor of the Romagna by Pope Leo X, and took up residence in Ravenna. He was particularly active against local bandits, who murdered him in 1517. Ughelli IV, p. 323. Cappelletti XIV, p. 556-557. Eubel III, p. 102 with note 2.
71. On the death of Bishop Guasco, the cathedral Chapter recommended ("postulavit") Giovanni Luchino Arnuzzi. But Visconti, the son of Francesco Bernardino Visconti, senator of Milan and governor of Pavia, was appointed bishop on 23 July 1518, at the age of 20, by Pope Leo X. He was therefore only Administrator of the diocese for the first seven years of his episcopate. He resigned the diocese in 1534, after 4 June. Chenna I, pp. 270-275. Eubel III, p. 102 with notes 3 and 4.
72. Guasco died on 27 April 1564. Chenna I, pp. 275-282. Eubel III, p. 103 with note 5.
73. Chenna I, pp. 282-286. Eubel III, p. 103 with note 6.
74. Agostino was the son of Marco Baglioni, a member of the college of physicians of Alessandria, and Maria Varzi. Alessandro himself practiced medicine, and became chief physician to Pope Pius V. He was a doctor of philosophy and (in 1567) of theology. On 17 May 1568, he was named commendatory of the Badia of S. Samuele in Barletta. Baglioni was appointed bishop of Alessandria by Pius V in the papal consistory of 9 March 1569, on the motion of Cardinal Giovanni Paolo della Chiesa. He was c. 45 years old. He took possession of the diocese on 27 October 1569. On 17 August 1570, he began a pastoral Visitation of the diocese, beginning with the cathedral. He continued the tax which Bishop Gallarati had imposed on benefices, for the establishment of a diocesan seminary. He died on 21 January 1571. Gaetano Marini, Degli Archiatri pontifici...supplimenti e correzioni del Mandosio, (in Italian), Vol. 1 (Roma: Pagliarini 1784), p. 441. Chenna I, pp. 286-289. Eubel III, p. 103 with note 7.
75. Trotti was appointed on 27 August 1571, by Pope Pius V. He died on 15 January 1584. Chenna I, pp. 290-297. Eubel III, p. 103.
76. At the age of 32 Ottavio was appointed bishop of Alessandria, on 5 March 1584, by Pope Gregory XIII. While serving as papal nuncio in Switzerland (since 1582) on appointment of Pope Sixtus V, he was named a cardinal by Pope Gregory XIV on 6 March 1591. On 9 August 1591, he was named papal Legate in France. He resigned the diocese in 1596. He died on 5 February 1611 (1612). Chenna I, pp. 290-297. Eubel III, pp. 54 no. 2; 103.
77. Odescalchi was born in Cremona in 1564, the son of Giovanni Tommaso Odescalchi, senator of Milan. He was the nephew of Bishop Paolo Odescalchi of Atri e Penne. He was appointed bishop of Alessandria on 10 May 1596, by Pope Clement VIII. He did not take possession of the diocese, however, until 15 May 1598, and then by proxy (Chenna, p. 303. As Bishop of Alessandria, he attended the provincial synod of Milan held by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1609. On 26 May 1610, he was transferred to the diocese of Viglevano. He died in Rome on 7 May 1620. Chenna I, pp. 302-309. Eubel III, p. 103. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 77 with note 2. 369 with note 3.
78. Erasmo was the nephew of Cardinal Ottavio Paravicini. Chenna I, pp. 310-315 Gauchat IV, p. 77 with note 3.
79. Visconti: Chenna I, pp. 316-317. Gauchat IV, p. 77 with note 4.
80. Scaglia: Chenna I, pp. 317-320. Gauchat IV, p. 77 with note 5.
81. Ciceri was born in Milan of a family based in Como. He was Referendary of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures. He was appointed bishop of Alessandria on 22 September 1659, by Pope Alexander VII. On 13 May 1680, he was transferred to the diocese of Como by Pope Innocent XI. He was named a cardinal on 2 September 1686. He died in Como on 24 June 1694. Gauchat IV, p. 77 with note 6. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 13 no. 25; 166 with note 3.
82. Guasco: Chenna I, pp. 330-332.
83. Resta: Chenna I, pp. 331-332.
84. Gattinara: Chenna I, pp. 332-336.
85. Ferreri was appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XIII in consistory on 6 July 1729; his red biretta was sent to him on 16 July; he received the red hat on 22 December. He resigned the diocese on appointment. Ritzler, V, p. 39, with note 3. He died on 9 December 1742. Chenna I, pp. 337-340. The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church - Biographical Dictionary - Consistory of July 6, 1729
86. (also known as Giovanni Mercurino Arborio di Gattinara). Chenna I, pp. 344-348.
87. Chenna I, pp. 345-348. Ritzler, VI, p. 75. Miroglio was Doctor in utroque iure ('Doctor of Canon and Civil Law') (Sapienza, 1744). He was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV on 16 March 1744, and consecrated by him on 22 March.
88. Chenna I, pp. 348-356. Ritzler, VI, p. 75. De Rossi was Doctor in utroque iure ('Doctor of Canon and Civil Law') (Turin, 1737). He was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV on 18 July 1757, and consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Guidoboni Cavalchini on 25 July.
89. Ritzler, VI, p. 75. Pistone was Doctor in utroque iure ('Doctor of Canon and Civil Law') (Turin, 1764). He was appointed by Pope Pius VI on 15 September 1788, and consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Hyacinthe Gerdil on 21 September.
90. Ritzler, VI, p. 75. Mossi was Doctor in utroque iure ('Doctor of Canon and Civil Law') (Turin, 1773). He was Eleemosynary to the King of Sardinia, and was nominated by him to the bishopric. He was appointed by Pope Pius VI on 27 June 1796 at the age of 44, and consecrated in Rome on 10 July by Cardinal Giulio Maria della Somaglia. He resigned the See of Alessandria on 29 May 1803, and was appointed titular Bishop of Side (Turkey) on 26 June 1805.
91. Jean-Chrysostome de Villaret was a French prelate. He had been bishop of Amiens, and was appointed by the Emperor Napoleon I to be Commissary for Ecclesiastical Affairs in Piedmont. He resigned on the fall of Napoleon in 1814, and returned to Paris. Société bibliographique (France) (1907). L'épiscopat français depuis le Concordat jusqu'à la Séparation (1802-1905). Paris: Librairie des Saints-Pères. p. 40. Ritzler-Sefrin, VII, p. 66, 70, 137.
92. Luigi Bignelli (1869). Biografia di Monsignor Alessandro Reminiac de'Marchesi d'Angennes, arcivescovo di Vercelli. Con notizie storiche di sua famiglia, etc (in Italian). Torino.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
93. Colli had been Canon of the Cathedral of Novara.
94. Renato Lanzavecchia (1999). Storia della Diocesi di Alessandria (in Italian). Alessandria editrice. pp. 338–351.
95. Renato Lanzavecchia (1999). Storia della Diocesi di Alessandria (in Italian). Alessandria editrice. pp. 351 ff.
96. chiesacattolica.it (retrieved:2008-03-11 12:43:17 +0000)

Books

Reference works

• Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo. Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz. p. 811. (Use with caution; obsolete)
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. p. 83. (in Latin)
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 2 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. p. 85.
• Eubel, Conradus; Gulik, Guilelmus, eds. (1923). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 3 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 102–103.
• Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica IV (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 77.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi V (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 77.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. p. 75.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1968). Hierarchia Catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. VII (1800–1846). Monasterii: Libreria Regensburgiana.
• Remigius Ritzler; Pirminus Sefrin (1978). Hierarchia catholica Medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. VIII (1846–1903). Il Messaggero di S. Antonio.
• Pięta, Zenon (2002). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi (in Latin). Vol. IX (1903–1922). Padua: Messagero di San Antonio. ISBN 978-88-250-1000-8.

Studies

• Cappelletti, Giuseppe (1858). Le chiese d'Italia: dalla loro origine sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. decimoquarto (XIV). Venice: G. Antonelli. pp. 531–562.
• Chenna, Giuseppe Antonio (1785). Del vescovato, de'vescovi e delle chiese della città e diocesi d'Alessandria (in Italian). Alessandria: Ignazio Vimercati. ISBN 9788827157503.
• Christ, Anton (1891). "Unedierte Königs- und Papst- Urkunden," (in German), in: Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für Ältere Deutsche Geschichtskunde Vol XVI (Hannover: Hahn 1891), pp. 135–168.
• Fiaschini, G. (1970). "La fondazione della diocesi di Alessandria ed i contrasti con i vescovi acquesi," (in Italian), in: Popolo e stato in Italia nell'età di Federico Barbarossa. Alessandria e la Lega Lombarda (Torino 1970), pp. 497–512.
• Gasparolo, Francesco (1900), "Alessandria nel periodo Napoleonico." (in Italian). In: Rivista di storia, arte, archeologia per la provincia di Alessandria, Volume 9 (Alessandria: G. Chiari 1900).
• Gasparolo, Francesco (1904), "La vecchia cattedrale d'Alessandria," (in Italian), in: Rivista di storia, arte, archeologiadella provincia di Alessandria XIII (1904), pp. 187–204.
• Ghilini, Girolamo (1666). Annali di Alessandria, ouero Le cose accadute in essa città nel suo, e circonuicino territorio dall'anno dell'origine sua sino al 1659. (in Italian and Latin). Milano: nella stamparia di Gioseffo Marelli al segno della Fortuna, 1666
• Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1914). Italia pontificia : sive, Repertorium privilegiorum et litterarum a romanis pontificibus ante annum 1598 Italiae ecclesiis, monasteriis, civitatibus singulisque personis concessorum. (in Latin) Vol. VI. pars ii. Berolini: Weidmann.
• Lanzavecchia, Renato (1999). Storia della Diocesi di Alessandria (in Italian). Alessandria editrice. pp. 351 ff.
• Livraghi, Roberto (ed.) (2011). Gli Inizi della Chiesa Alessandrina. (in Italian and Latin). Alessandria: Diocesi di Alessandria, 2011.
• Savio, Fedele (1898). Gli antichi Vescovi d'Italia: il Piemonte (in Italian). Torino: Bocca. pp. 66–68.
• Ughelli, Ferdinando; Coleti, Niccolò (1719). Italia sacra sive De episcopis Italiæ (in Latin). Vol. Tomus quartus (IV). Venice: apud Sebastianum Coleti. pp. 312–331.

44°54′00″N 8°37′00″E / 44.9000°N 8.6167°E / 44.9000; 8.6167

• Roman Catholic dioceses in Piedmont
• Province of Alessandria
• Alessandria
• Religious organizations established in the 1170s
• Roman Catholic dioceses established in the 12th century