The Italian Catholic Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina in

Emilia Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both also ; ; egl, Emégglia-Rumâgna or ''Emîlia-Rumâgna''; rgn, Emélia-Rumâgna) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy, situated in the north of the country, comprising the historical regions ...

was created on September 30, 1986, after the Diocese of Sarsina was united with the historic Diocese of Cesena as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia."Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
"Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016. The current bishop of Cesena-Sarsina is Douglas Regattieri. He was appointed on October 8, 2010, after Bishop Antonio Lanfranchi was named

Metropolitan Archbishop of Modena-Nonantola Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

History

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...

was the ancient Cæsena. The very first catalog of the bishops of Cesena was drawn up by Antonio Casari of Cesena in the middle of the 16th century. The work is lost, but its contents, and a good deal more, were published by Fra Bernardino Manzoni, O.Min., of Cesena, the Inquisitor of Pisa, in his ''Caesenae chronologia'' (1643). The claim used to be made that the founder of Christianity in Cesena, and its first bishop, was Philemon, to whom Paul of Tarsus addressed an epistle. Another 1st century bishop, Isidorus, is said to have lived in the time of

Pope Anacletus Pope Anacletus (died ), also known as Cletus, was the bishop of Rome, following Peter and Linus. Anacletus served between and his death, . Cletus was a Roman who, during his tenure as pope, ordained a number of priests and is traditionally cred ...

(c.79–c.91) and to have been a martyr; his existence depends on a single document, which no one has seen, and Isidore is therefore generally rejected. A bishop is posited in the second half of the 2nd century, since

Pope Eleutherius Pope Eleutherius (died 24 May 189), also known as Eleutherus, was the bishop of Rome from c. 174 to his death. His pontificate is alternatively dated to 171-185 or 177-193. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is linked to a numb ...

(c. 174–189) consecrated his cathedral; but until the Edict of Milan, Christianity was an illegal assembly, and was not allowed to own property or build churches; the story is rightly rejected as an "impudent forgery". After the overthrow of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...

it became a part of the Exarchate of Ravenna. By the

Donation of Pepin The Donation of Pepin in 756 provided a legal basis for the creation of the Papal States, thus extending the temporal rule of the popes beyond the duchy of Rome. Background In 751, Aistulf, king of the Lombards, conquered what remained of the ex ...

(752), it became a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, which was confirmed in its possession by King Rudolph I of Germany (1275, 1278). In medieval times Cesena was governed by various families, among them the Ordelaffi di Forli and the

Malatesta Malatesta may refer to: People Given name * Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero * Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...

, the latter being remembered for their justice and good government. On 27 May 1357, a major fire destroyed many of the buildings in the episcopal compound. On 1 February 1377, Cesena was the witness to, and the victim of, an assault by Breton mercenary troops in the service of

Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pop ...

and the Papacy. The massacre was ordered by Cardinal Robert of Geneva, the papal legate in northern Italy. In 1500, Cesare Borgia, having resigned the cardinalate and been given the title of "Gonfaloniere of the Holy Roman Church" and Captain General of the papal armies, began the conquest of the Romagna. In late 1500 he seized Pesaro and Rimini, and, on 25 April 1501, Faenza as well. His father Pope Alexander VI awarded him the title of Duke of Romagna, and Cesena became his capital. The Borgia pope, however, died on 18 August 1503, and the new pope, Julius II (della Rovere) was not interested in maintaining a semi-independent duchy in the Romagna. After the surrender of his castles to

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

, Cesare Borgia, no longer Duke of Romagna, fled Rome, seeking refuge in Naples. Cesena, though loyal to Duke Cesare, with the rest of Romagna again acknowledged the immediate authority of the Holy See (1504).

Chapter and cathedral

A new cathedral was built upon the petition of the Provost and Chapter and the citizens of Cesena, with the permission of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

, and named in honor of S. Giovanni Battista. Construction began in 1408. The cathedral was staffed and administered by a corporation called the Chapter, which consisted of two dignities (''not'' dignitaries), the Provost and the Archdeacon, and fifteen Canons. In addition there was a Theological Prebend and a Penitential Prebend. In the mid-19th century, the Chapter was composed of three dignities (Provost, Archdeacon, Archpriest) and ten Canons.

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. John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica ''de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis'' (March 19, 1997)
''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' 89
(1997), pp. 706-727. Andrea Tilatti, "Sinodi diocesane e concili provinciali in italia nord-orientale fra Due e Trecento. Qualche riflessione," ''Mélanges de l'Ecole française de Rome''. Moyen-Age, Temps modernes T. 112, N°1. 2000, pp. 273-304. Bishop Odoardo Gualandi (1557–1588) presided over two diocesan synods, in 1565 and 1566. His nephew, Bishop Camillo Gualandi (1588 – 11 Feb 1609) held a diocesan synod on 15 October 1590. Cardinal Jan Kazimierz Denhoff (1687–1697) held a diocesan synod in the cathedral of Cesena from 30 June to 2 July 1693. On 16–18 June 1777, Bishop Francesco Agoselli (1763–1791) presided at a diocesan synod.

Consolidation of dioceses

The

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

(1962–1965), in order to ensure that all Catholics received proper spiritual attention, decreed the reorganization of the diocesan structure of Italy and the consolidation of small and struggling dioceses. These considerations applied to Cesena and Sarsina. In 1980, Cesena claimed an estimated Catholic population of 152,000, with 201 priests. Sarsina, in 1980 had only 13,200 Catholics, and 34 priests. On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of ''Normae'' was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, ''aeque personaliter'', was abolished. Bishop Luigi Amaducci had governed both Cesena and Sarsina since 1977. Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese. On 30 September 1986,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

ordered that the dioceses of Cesena and Sarsina be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title ''Dioecesis Caesenatensis-Sarsinatensis ''. The seat of the diocese was to be in Cesena, and the cathedral of Cesena was to serve as the cathedral of the merged dioceses. The cathedral in Sarsina was to become a co-cathedral, and the cathedral Chapter was to be a ''Capitulum Concathedralis''. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Cesena, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the former diocese of Sarsina.

Bishops

Diocese of Cesena

''Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Ravenna''

to 1200

:... *Natalis (before 603) *Concordius (attested 603) :... *Maurus (attested 649) :... *Florus (attested 679) :... *Romanus (attested 826) :... *Florus (attested 858–861) *Petrus (attested 877) :... *Maurus (934–946) *Constantius (attested 946) *Gonfredus (attested 955) :... *Duodo (Dodo) (attested 967–973) :... *Sergius (attested 998–1001) :... *Mannatius (Maricianus) (attested 1016–1027) :... *Joannes (attested 1031–1053) *Desiderius (attested 1057) : ildebrandus (c. 1065):... *Gebizo (attested 1083–1097) :... *Ugo (attested 1106) :... *Benno (attested 1123–1141) *Oddo (attested 1155–1159) :... *Leonardus, O.Cist. (attested 1175, 1179) *Leto (attested 1186)

1200 to 1500

:... *Oddo (attested 1207–1223) *Manzinus (attested 1232–1250) *Michael, O.Min. *Franciscus O.P. (attested 1263) *Eberhard of Saxony, O.P (1266–1274) *Aimericus (1274–1290) *Leonardus (1291–1312) *Joannes Caminata (1313–1322) *Gerardus d'Anglars (1323–1324) *Thomas de Muro (1324–1326) *Ambrosius, O.E.S.A. (1326–1332) * Gian Battista Acciaioli (1332–1342) *Bernardus Martellini, O.E.S.A. (1342–1348) *Guilelmus de Mirolis, O.Min. (1348–1358) *Vitalis da Cesena, O.Min. (1358–1362) *Bencevenus (1362–1364) *Lucius de Cagli (1364–1374) *Joannes Bertetus, O.P. (1374–1376) *Ludovicus degli Aloisi (1376–1378?) *Jacobus (attested 1379) (Roman Obedience) *Averardus (attested 1383) (Avignon Obedience?) *Jacobus, O.Carm. *Joannes (attested 1394) *Jacobus (attested 1398) * Gregorio Malesardi (1405–1419) *Victor da Rimini, O.E.S.A. (1419–1425) *Paulus Ferrante (1425–1431) *Augustinus Favorini, O.E.S.A. (1431–1435) ''Administrator'' * Antonio Malatesta (1435–1475) *Joannes Venturelli (1475–1486) * Pietro Menzi de Vincentia (11 May 1487 – 1504)

1500 to 1800

*Cardinal Fazio Giovanni Santori (1504–1510) * Cristoforo Spiriti (1510 – 5 Nov 1556) :: Giovanni Battista Spiriti, Coadjutor * Odoardo Gualandi (Galanti) (7 Dec 1557 – 1588 Resigned) * Camillo Gualandi (30 Mar 1588 – 11 Feb 1609)"Bishop Camillo Gualandi"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 March 2016. * Cardinal Michelangelo Tonti (11 Mar 1609 – 21 Apr 1622) * Cardinal Francesco Sacrati (23 May 1622 – 6 Sep 1623) *

Lorenzo Campeggi Lorenzo Campeggio (7 November 1474 – 19 July 1539) was an Italians, Italian cardinal and politician. He was the last cardinal protector of England. Life Campeggio was born in Milan, the eldest of five sons. In 1500, he took his Doctor o ...

(8 Dec 1623 – 1628)Gauchat, ''Hierarchia catholica'' IV, p. 127. *

Pietro Bonaventura Pietro Bonaventura (died 1653) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Cesena (1629–1653). Biography On 14 March 1629, Pietro Bonaventura was appointed during the papacy of Pope Urban VIII as Bishop of Cesena. On 17 April 1629, h ...

(14 Mar 1629 – 23 Jul 1653)"Bishop Pietro Bonaventura"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 13 December 2016. * Flaminio Marcellino (21 Apr 1655 – 14 Mar 1677) * Giacomo Fantuzzi (Elefantucci) (30 Aug 1677 – 29 Nov 1679) *

Pietro Francesco Orsini de Gravina Pope Benedict XIII ( la, Benedictus XIII; it, Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May ...

, O.P. (22 Jan 1680 –1686) * Jan Kazimierz Denhoff (1687–1697 Resigned) * Giovanni Fontana (3 Jun 1697 – 2 Mar 1716) * Marco Battista Battaglini (8 Jun 1716 – 19 Sep 1717) *Francesco Saverio Guicciardi (24 Jan 1718 – 18 Jan 1725) *Giovanni Battista Orsi, C.O. (21 Mar 1725 – 15 Nov 1734 Resigned) *Guido Orselli (17 Nov 1734 – 18 Mar 1763) *Francesco Agoselli (18 Jul 1763 – 8 Jan 1791) *Carlo Bellisomi (22 Sep 1795 –1808)

Since 1800

*Francesco Saverio Castiglioni (1816–1821) *Antonio Maria Cadolini, B. (1822–1838) *Innocenzo Castracane degli Antelminelli (1838–1848)Castracane had previously been Bishop of Cervia (1834–1838). He was transferred to the diocese of Cesena by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

on 12 February 1838. He carried out a restoration project on the cathedral (1843–1844). He died in June 1848. Cappelletti II, p. 553. Ritzler and Sefrin, ''Hierarchia catholica'' VII, pp. 124, 146. *Enrico Orfei (11 Sep 1848 – 23 Mar 1860 Appointed,

Archbishop of Ravenna This page is a list of Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops of Ravenna and, from 1985, of the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.Bishop of Imola The Roman Catholic Diocese of Imola ( la, Diocesis Imolensis) is a territory in Romagna, northern Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bologna.

) *Paolo Bentini (27 Oct 1871 – 30 Nov 1881) *Giovanni Maria Strocchi (27 Mar 1882 – 1887) *Alfonso Maria Vespignani (1 Jun 1888 – 11 Feb 1904) *Giovanni Cazzani (5 Aug 1904 – 19 Dec 1914 Appointed,

Bishop of Cremona The Diocese of Cremona ( la, Dioecesis Cremonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. ...

) *Fabio Berdini (4 Jun 1915 – 24 Jun 1926 Resigned) *Alfonso Archi (4 Mar 1927 – 4 Dec 1938 Died) *Beniamino Socche (4 Feb 1939 – 13 Feb 1946 Appointed, Bishop of Reggio Emilia) *Vincenzo Gili (22 Mar 1946 – 30 Nov 1954) *Giuseppe Amici (1 Feb 1955 – 23 Dec 1956 Appointed,

Archbishop of Modena e Nonantola In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

) *Augusto Gianfranceschi (3 Feb 1957 – 28 May 1977 Retired) *Luigi Amaducci (28 May 1977 – 27 Oct 1990 Appointed, Archbishop of Ravenna-Cervia) San Vicinio, Sarsina 4

Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina

''30 September 1986: United with the Diocese of Sarsina to form the Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina'' * Lino Esterino Garavaglia, O.F.M. Cap. (25 Mar 1991 – 3 Dec 2003 Retired) *Antonio Lanfranchi (3 Dec 2003 – 27 Jan 2010 Appointed, Archbishop of Modena-Nonantola) *Douglas Regattieri (8 Oct 2010 – )

References

Books

Reference works

* pp. 681–683. (in Latin) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * (in Latin) * * *

Studies

* *Coleti, Nicolaus (Niccolò) (1779). ''Series episcoporum Caesenatium a Ferdinando Ughellio contexta a Nicolao Coleto aliquantulum aucta, et emendata. Nunc a Francisco Antonio Zaccaria ut fieri potuit, restituta, atque ad nostrum tempus perducta.'' Caesenae: apug Gregorium Blasinium 1779. * Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)
'. Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 714–721. *Manzoni, Bernardino (1643),
Caesenae chronologia in duas partes divisa
: in quarum prima ecclesiae antistites, secunda civitatis domini'' Pisis isa Typis Amatoris Massae & Laurentij de Landis. *Schwartz, Gerhard (1907)
''Die Besetzung der Bistümer Reichsitaliens unter den sächsischen und salischen Kaisern: mit den Listen der Bischöfe, 951-1122''
Leipzig: B.G. Teubner. pp. 175–176. * * {{authority control