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Roman Catholic Diocese of Casale Monferrato

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(Redirected from Diocese of Casale) Roman Catholic diocese in Italy
Diocese of Casale Monferrato
Dioecesis Casalensis
Casale Monferrato Cathedral
Location
CountryItaly
Ecclesiastical provinceVercelli
Statistics
Area970 km (370 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		(as of 2021)
96,300 (est.)
91,300 (guess)
Parishes115
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established18 April 1474
CathedralCattedrale di S. Evasio e S. Lorenzo
Secular priests61 (diocesan)
7 (Religious Orders)
10 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopGianni Sacchi
Map
locator map of diocese of Casale (Piedmont)
Website
Diocese of Casale Monferrato (in Italian)

The Diocese of Casale Monferrato (Latin: Dioecesis Casalensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in northwest Italy, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli which forms part of the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont. The diocese, which adheres to the Roman Rite, was established on 18 April 1474 for political reasons, to transform the Marquisate of Montferrat into an ecclesiastic territory.

History

Casale Monferrato, the ancient Bodincomagus, is a city in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont (Italy), on the River Po, and has been a stronghold since the time of the Lombards. Liutprand, King of the Lombards enlarged it, and, in 936, the Emperor Otto II 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, Palaeologus, who sent thither his son Theodore. In 1533, the dynasty of the Palaeologi became extinct, and The Emperor Charles V gave Casale to the House of Gonzaga. From 1681 to 1706 it was in the hands of the French, from whom, in 1713, it passed to the House of Savoy.

The parish church of S. Evasius in Casale, and its college of Canons Regular of S. Augustine, is known from a grant made to them on 15 August 988. The Chapter was headed by a Provost, and the church was subject to the bishops of Vercelli. The medieval church building was consecrated on 4 January 1107, by Pope Paschal II.

Casale was created a diocese by the papal bull "In Eminenti" of 18 April 1474, by Sixtus IV; previously it belonged to the Diocese of Asti. The pope had been urged to action by Marchese Guglielmo Paleologo of Monferrat. The diocese was a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Milan, and its bishops attended the provincial synods of Milan. On 1 August 1474, Sixtus IV issued another bull, "Super Gregem," defining the boundaries of the new diocese.

Its first bishop was Bernardino de Tebaldeschi, a Roman related to the Orsini, though he was too young to be consecrated a bishop at the time of his appointment. His successor was Gian Giorgio Paleologo (1517–1525), who also governed the marquisate for his nephew, a minor. Among its noteworthy bishops were: the Dominican Benedetto Erba (1570), most zealous for the Christian instruction of children and the introduction of the Tridentine reforms, in which he was associated with Archbishop Charles Borromeo of Milan; he was also the founder of the monti di pietà. Another was Tullio del Carretto (d. 1614), who imitated other contemporary bishops and founded an oratory for priests. Scipione Pasquali (1615–1624) was the author of a history of the campaign of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy against Montferrat in 1613. When the plague was ravaging Casale (1630) during the struggle between the French and the Spanish, the bishop is said to have nursed the sick himself.

Napoleonic Piedmont

In 1796, and again in 1798, armies of the French Republic entered Italy, and conquered Savoy. On 10 September 1798, the French established the Piedmontese Republic. After a brief occupation by Austrian troops, the French, under the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, reconquered the Piedmont, and established the Subalpine Republic, which lasted only from June to September 1802. Thereafter the territory was annexed to the French Republic, and divided into the départements of Doire, Marengo, Pô, Sesia, Stura, and Tanaro. Casale became the capital of Marengo, and French law became the law of the land.

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, including Casale. Caprara carried out his instructions in a decree of 23 January 1805. The assets of Casale, human and material, were transferred to the diocese of Alessandria, as were those of the dioceses of Tortona and Bobbio.

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.

After the defeat, abdication, and exile of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna agreed to the restoration of the Kingdom of Sardinia. King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia invited Pope Pius VII to restore the good order of the Church in his kingdom, which had been disrupted by the French occupation. On 17 July 1817, the pope issued the bull "Beati Petri", which began by establishing de novo the ten dioceses which had been suppressed under the French, and delimiting the extent of each in detail, including Casale. In the same document, the pope also released the diocese of Vercelli from being a suffragan of the metropolitan of Turin, and elevated the diocese to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese. The new metropolitan archdiocese had as suffragans the dioceses of Alessandria, Biella, and Casale.

Cathedral

Among the churches of Casale are the cathedral, a monument of Lombard architecture, and the church of Sant’Ilario (Hilary of Poitiers).

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.

On 23 April 1571, Bishop Benedetto Erba (1570–1576) held a diocesan synod; he held a second synod on 19 October 1574, and a third on 25 June 1576. Bishop Ambrogio Aldegati presided over a diocesan synod on 28 April 1568. Bishop Tullio Carretti held a diocesan synod on 4 September 1597.

On 8 April 1622, Bishop Scipione Pasquali (12 Jan 1615 – 1624) presided over a diocesan synod and published its decrees and other materials. On 9 December 1658, Bishop Francesco Mirolio held a diocesan synod.

Bishop Ignazio della Chiesa de Rodi (1746–1758) held a diocesan synod in Casale on 5–7 September 1756. On 27–29 August 1844, Bishop Francesco Icheri de Malabilia presided over a diocesan synod in the cathedral. A diocesan synod was held in the cathedral by Bishop Pietro Maria Ferrè on 31 August, 1 September, and 2 September 1879.

Bishops

1474 to 1700

1700 to 1900

  • Pier Secondo Radicati de Cocconato (9 May 1701 – 1728)
  • 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 (1817 – 1828)
  • Francesco Maria Icheri di Malabaila (5 Jul 1830 Confirmed – Jul 1846 Died)
  • Luigi Giuseppe Nazari di Calabiana (12 Apr 1847 – 1867)
  • 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)
  • Paolo Maria Barone (11 Jul 1892 – 17 Mar 1903 Resigned)

since 1900

  • Ludovico Gavotti (22 Jun 1903 – 22 Jan 1915 Appointed, 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 – 2017)
  • Gianni Sacchi (31 Jul 2017 - )

See also

References

  1. "Diocese of Casale Monferrato" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  2. "Diocese of Casale Monferrato" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  3. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 563-565.
  4. Cappelletti, p. 564.
  5. Ughelli IV, pp. 567-568.
  6. Paul Fridolin Kehr, (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), p. 43, no. 5.
  7. F. Gabotto & U. Fisso, Le carte dell'archivio capitolare di Casale Monferrato, (in Latin and Italian) Vol. 1 (Pinerolo 1907), pp. 2-4: "Canonica Sancti Euasii. quae est Plebs sita loco Casalis."
  8. Kehr (1914), p. 42, nos. 1-2.
  9. Vincenzo de Conti, Notizie storiche della città di Casali del Monferrato, (in Italian), Volume 4, pp. 249-251.
  10. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 574-577.
  11. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 578-582.
  12. Alessandro Vesme, "Matteo Sanmichele scultore e architetto cinquecentista," (in Italian), in" Archivio storico dell'arte, Volume 8 (Roma: Danesi 1895), pp. 292-294.
  13. Raffaele Tamalio, "Giovanni Giorgio Paleologo, marchese di Monferrato," (in Italian), in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 56 (2001).
  14. Ughelli IV, p. 576. The work is apparently unpublished.
  15. Clifford J. Rogers, The Military Revolution Debate: Readings on the Military Transformation of Early Modern Europe (N.Y: Routledge 2018), p. 219. H.G.R. Reade, Sidelights on the Thirty Years War, Volume 3 (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1924), pp. lxvii, 488-490, 503-504.
  16. Nicomede Bianchi, Storia della monarchia piemontese dal 1773 sino al 1861, Volume 4 (Torino: Bocca 1885), "Capitolo Sesto: Lo stato e la chiesa, ridornamento diocesano del Piemonte, L'Imperatore Napoleone, Pio VII, l'episcopato piemontese," (in Italian), pp. 270-340.
  17. "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...."
  18. Bullarii Romani Continuatio, Tomus XII (Rome: Apostolic Camera 1846), pp. 23-27.
  19. 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...."
  20. Raccolta di leggi, decreti, proclami, manifesti ec. Pubblicati dalle autorità costituite. Volume 20 (Torino: Davico e Picco n.d. , pp. 318-320.
  21. 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.
  22. Bullarii Romani Continuatio XIV, pp. 345-351 § 4-22.
  23. Bullarii Romani Continuatio XIV, p. 349 § 16 and 18.
  24. "...praevia illius omnimoda solutione et exemptione a quocumque metropolitico jure, dependentia ac subjectione archiepiscopali ecclesiae Taurinensi, cui ad praesens suffragatur...."
  25. Bullarii Romani Continuatio XIV, pp. 351-352 § 16 and 18.
  26. History section taken originally from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Casale Monferrato which is unfortunately strewn with errors.
  27. 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.
  28. Biblioteca storica italiana, Volume 4 (Torino: Reale deputazione di storia patria/Bocca 1892), p. 88.
  29. Constitutiones synodales reverendissimi domini Ambrosii Aldegati, episcopi Casalensis de anno 1568, die 28 aprilis. Cappelletti XIV, p. 584.
  30. Constitutiones Tullii Carretti, episcopi Casalen. In prima dioecesana Synodo promulgatae anno Domini 1597, iiij septembris. (Casale: Bernardus Grassi 1597). Biblioteca storica italiana, 4 (1892) p. 88.
  31. Promptuarium ecclesiasticum casalensis dioecesis in partem septem distributum : quarum prima continet secundae dioecesanae synodi constitutiones anno 1622. VIII idus aprilis promulgatas, Scipione Pascalio episcopo (Casale: apud Pantaleonem Goffium 1622. Biblioteca storica italiana, 4 (1892) p. 89.
  32. Speculum Ecclesiasticum dioecesis Casalensis propositum ab illustr . et reverendissimo D. D. HIERONYMO FRANCISCO MIROLIO, Episcopo Casalen ., et Comite etc., in Synodo Dioecesana habita Casali anno MDCLVIII. (Casale: Franciscum Martam 1658). Biblioteca storica italiana, 4 (1892) p. 89.
  33. Synodus Casalensis ab Ill. et Rev. D. Ignatio Ab Ecclesia, habita diebus 5, 6 et 7 septembris 1756. (in Latin). Augustae Taurinorum 1756.
  34. Synodus dioecesana Casalensis quam Illustrissimus ac Reverendissimus d.d. Franciscus Icheri de Malabilia, Episcopus Casalensis, habuit VI, V, IV kalendas Septembris anno MDCCCXLIV (in Latin). (Casali: Corrado 1844).
  35. Petrus Maria Ferrè, Acta et decreta Synodi Dioecesanae quam habuit die ultima Augusti et 1 et ii Septembris, anni M.DCCC.LXXIX in sua cathedrali (Casali: typis P. Bertero 1879).
  36. Tebaldeschi was appointed on 21 May 1474, but was not consecrated a bishop due to his youth until c. 1484. He became incapable of carrying out his episcopal functions, and was assigned a coadjutor-bishop on 11 January 1509. He died at the age of 62, on 12 February 1517. Cappelletti XIV, p. 582. Eubel III, p. 155.
  37. Paleologo was the son of Bonifacio Paleologo, 5th Marquis of Monferrato, and brother of Marquis Guglielmo of Monferrato. He was appointed coadjutor for Bishop Tebaldeschi on 11 January 1509 by Pope Julius II. He resigned in January 1525, and was laicized by Pope Clement VII so that he could become Marquis, marry, and carry on the Paleologo family. He died in 1533 without having succeeded. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 582-583. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 2.
  38. Castellari resigned, reserving the right to return at the next vacancy. Cappelletti XIV, p. 583. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 3.
  39. Medici had been named a cardinal by Pope Clement VII, his cousin, on 5 January 1529. He never received episcopal consecration. He was only 18 at the time of his appointment. Cappelletti XIV, p. 583. Eubel III, pp. 20 with notes 5 and 6; 155.
  40. Castellari: Cappelletti XIV, p. 583. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 5.
  41. Bernardino was a papal chamberlain and secretary. In 1540 he was appointed a canon of the Basilica of S. Peter. On 8 June 1546 he was granted the privilege of taking possession of the diocese without the necessary bulls having been issued. On 27 April 1547, Bishop-elect della Croce was appointed Bishop of Asti by Pope Paul III. He was transferred to the diocese of Como on 24 September 1548. He died in Rome on 15 August 1568. Cappelletti XIV, p. 583. Eubel III, pp. 121, 155 with note 6, 182 with note 7.
  42. Micheli was appointed Governor of the city of Rome and Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church in 1541. He was Bishop of Marsi (1546–1548). He was transferred to Casale on 13 July 1548. He became secretary of Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara in 1555. He died in Ferrara in the same year. Cappelletti XIV, p. 583. Eubel III, p. 155 with notes 8 and 9.
  43. D'Este had been a canon of the cathedral of Ferrara. Cappelletti XIV, p. 584. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 10.
  44. A native of Mantua, the Dominican Aldegati had been Inquisitor in Mantua from 1553 to 1567. He became Prior of the convent of S. Dominic in Mantua. He was appointed bishop of Casale by Pope Pius V on 3 September 1567. He died on 18 April 1570. During his brief tenure, he held a diocesan synod on 28 April 1568. Cappelletti XIV, p. 584. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 11.
  45. Bishop Erba attended the Fourth Provincial Synod of Milan in 1576, and signed the decrees: Acta Ecclesiae Mediolanensis, (in Latin), Volume 1 (Milan: P. Pagnonio, 1843), p. 206. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 10.
  46. Andreasi had been Archdeacon of the Church of Mantua, and was a councilor of Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua. He attended and subscribed the decrees of the Fifth Provincial Synod of Milan in March 1579: Acta ecclesiae Mediolanensis (Pavia: Typis seminarii J. Manfre, 1754), p. 251. He also attended the Sixth Provincial Synod of Milan in May 1582: Acta Ecclesiae Mediolanensis a S. Carolo Card: Archiep. Condita Volume 1 Pagnonius, 1843), p. 328. On 14 November 1583, Bishop Andreasi was appointed Bishop of Mantova by Pope Gregory XIII. He died on 23 March 1593. Eubel III, pp. 155 with note 13; 234.
  47. Zimbramonti had been Bishop of Alba Pompea. Cappelletti XIV, p. 585. Eubel III, p. 155 with note 14.
  48. Borsari (Bursenus) had been a priest of Mantua, and held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was bishop of Alessano in southern Italy from 20 November 1591 to 12 June 1592. Cappelletti XIV, pp. 585-586. Eubel III, pp. 103, 155. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 137 with note 2. David M. Cheney, "Bishop Settimio Borsari" Catholic-Hierarchy.org; Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  49. Tullius del Carretto (according to his tomb inscription) died on 13 October 1614. Antonio Bosio, Cenni biografici sopra il venerabile servo di Dio Tullio del Carretto di Millesimo, vescovo di Casale (Savona: tip. Vescovile di Miralta 1863). Cappelletti XIV, p. 586 (with funeral inscription). Eubel III, p. 155. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 137 with note 3. David M. Cheney, "Bishop Jullio del Carretto" Catholic-Hierarchy.org; Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  50. Pasquale: Gauchat IV, p. 137 with note 4. David M. Cheney, "Bishop Scipione Pasquali" Catholic-Hierarchy.org; Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  51. Agnelli was a native of Mantua, and was a canon of the cathedral of Mantua. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was appointed bishop of Casale on 12 February 1624, by Pope Urban VIII. He died on 1 October 1653. Cappelletti XIV, p. 587. Gauchat IV, p. 137 with note 5.
  52. Miroglio: Gauchat IV, p. 137 with note 6.
  53. Ardizzone: Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 146 with note 3.
  54. On 12 April 1728, Radicati was appointed Bishop of Osimo e Cingoli Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 146 with note 4.
  55. Caravadossi: Ritzler & Sefrin V, p. 146 with note 5.
  56. Della Chiesa: Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 151 with note 2.
  57. Avogadro: Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 151 with note 3.
  58. Ferrero: Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 151 with note 4.
  59. Villaret resigned at the abdication of Napoleon, and returned to Paris. C. F. Zundeler. Par occasion de l'avénement au siége épiscopal de Casal, de monseigneur Jean Chrysostome de Villaret, déjà évêque d'Amiens, l'an 1805 de l'ère chrétienne, XIII de la République française. (Turin: J. Giossi). 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.
  60. Alciati was born in Vercelli in 1762. He was appointed bishop of Casale by Pope Pius VII on 1 October 1817. He died on 26 (or 28) October 1828. Annuario Pontificio. Notizie per l'anno 1823 (Roma Cracas 1823), p. 292. Cappelletti XIV, p. 590.
  61. On 27 March 1867, Bishop Nazari was appointed Archbishop of Milan. Ennio Apeciti (2013), "Nazari di Calabiana, Luigi," (in Italian), in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 78 (2013).
  62. Giampaolo Cassano (1999). Mons. Pietro Maria Ferrè, vescovo di Casale Monferrato: magistero e azione ecclesiale di un padre del Vaticano. Magognino: Edizioni Rosminiane sodalitas, 1999.
  63. Biography of Bishop-emeritus Catella: Diocesi di Casale Monferrato, "Vescovo emerito"; retrieved: 28 February 2023.
  64. Biography of Bishop Sacchi: Diocesi di Casale Monferrato, "Vescovo di Casale"; retrieved: 28 February 2023.

Sources

Episcopal lists

Studies

Acknowledgment

External links

  • La Vita Casalese (in Italian) 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 (in Italian) A historical and bibliographical directory of artists active in the extra-urban churches of the Diocese of Casale Monferrato.
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Vercelli

45°08′15″N 8°27′08″E / 45.1375°N 8.4523°E / 45.1375; 8.4523

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