The Diocese of Belluno-Feltre () is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

located in the

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, northern

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, organized in its current form in 1986. From 1197 to 1762, and again from 1818 to 1986, the Diocese of Belluno and the

Diocese of Feltre The Italian Catholic diocese of Feltre, in the Veneto existed from 1462 to 1818. It was then united into the diocese of Belluno e Feltre. It had previously had an independent existence, up to 1197.suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

of the

Patriarchate of Venice The Patriarchate of Venice (; ), also sometimes called the Archdiocese of Venice, is a patriarchate of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, located in the Metropolitan City of Venice. Its Cathedra, episcopal seat is in the St Mark's Basilica ...

."Diocese of Belluno-Feltre"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 20, 2016."Diocese of Belluno–Feltre"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 20. 2016.

History

Christianity is said to have been first preached there by

St. Hermagoras Hermagoras of Aquileia (also spelled Hermenagoras, Hermogenes, Ermacoras) (, , ; fl. 3rd century – c. 305) is considered the first bishop of Aquileia, northern Italy. Christianity, Christian tradition states that he was chosen by Saint Mark, Mark ...

, a disciple of

St. Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Mark ...

and first Bishop of Aquileia, and next by Prosdocimus, first

Bishop of Padua The Diocese of Padua (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Veneto, northern Italy. It was erected in the 3rd century.Ferdinando Ughelli places the first bishop, Theodorus, in the reign of

Emperor Commodus Commodus (; ; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end ...

(180–192), and the second, St. Salvator, as succeeding under

Pertinax Publius Helvius Pertinax ( ; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. He succeeded Commodus to become the first emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. Born to the son of a freed sl ...

(193). A second Bishop Theodorus is said to have brought from Egypt the remains of St. Giovata (Zotas), patron of the city. A "Passion of S. Zotas", found in a manuscript of the 12th century, claims that Zotas had been executed at Ptolemais (?) in Libya by an official of the Emperor Maximianus (285–305); his body was buried by Bishop Theodorus. Zotas, however, is completely unknown to the ancient martyrologies of Egypt and Libya. Modern authors of Belluno claim that Bishop Theodore left his diocese and brought the remains of Zotas to Belluno, where, in due course, he was elected bishop. The tales carry no weight. The first bishop known to history is a certain Laurentius. In 587, he attended the schismatic assembly convened by Severus,

Patriarch of Aquileia This is a list of bishops and patriarchs of Aquileia in northeastern Italy. For the ecclesiastical history of the diocese, see Patriarchate of Aquileia. From 553 until 698 the archbishops renounced Papal authority as part of the Schism of the T ...

, in connection with the

schism of the Three Chapters The Schism of the Three Chapters was a schism that affected Chalcedonian Christianity in Northern Italy lasting from 553 to 698 AD and in some areas to 715 AD, although the area out of communion with Rome contracted during that time. It was part of ...

. At the end of the 10th century

Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...

was affected by the political disturbances then agitating the Venetian provinces. On 10 September 963, Bishop Joannes II (959) obtained from

Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

for himself and his successors the title of count and temporal sovereignty over the city and the surrounding territory. He also fortified the city. The twelfth century was a stormy period for Belluno, in both civil and ecclesiastical respects. In the spring of 1197, Bishop Gerardo de Taccoli joined the united armies of Belluno, Padua and Forogiulio to besiege the Castello of Zumelle. On 20 April, at the battle of Cesana, Bishop Gerardo of Belluno was killed by the soldiers of Treviso. The Patriarch of Aquileia immediately excommunicated the people of Treviso. Belluno was left without a bishop. In the 16th century, Giulio Doglioni published a catalogue of bishops of Belluno from old manuscripts, which contained the notice: "Drudus de Camino Feltren. et Bellun. episcopus, sub quo primum uniti sunt episcopatus Belluni et Feltri." Another ancient catalogue was published by Gianantonio degli Egregii, containing the statement: "Uniti sunt episcopalus Belluni et Feltri. Successit episcopus Drudus episcopo Gerardo." Bishop Drudus succeeded the murdered Gerardus as bishop of the united dioceses; Drudus died in 1200. The two dioceses continued to be suffragans of the Patriarch of Aquileia. In 1462, at the request of the Venetian Republic, the two dioceses were separated. The first Bishop of Belluno following the separation was

Ludovico Donato Ludovico Donato (died 1385 or 1386) was an Italian Franciscan. He became Minister General of his order, of the Rome obedience during the Western Schism, in 1379. In 1383 he was created a Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal, the first ever from Venice ...

. Bishops Pietro Barozzi, Mose Buffarello, and Bernardo Rossi (1499) rebuilt the cathedral. Luigi Lollin (1595) promoted the love of learning among the clergy and left bequests to provide for a number of priests at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

. Giulio Berlendis (1655) completed the work of enforcing the Tridentine reforms, and Gianfrancesco Bembo, a member of the

Somaschi The Somaschi Fathers, also known as the Somascans and officially as the Order of Clerics Regular of Somasca (), are a Catholic order of Clerics Regular of Pontifical Right for men. It was founded in Italy in the 16th century by Jerome Emiliani ...

(1695), was zealous in the cause of popular education. In 1751, pressured both by Austria and Venice, who were exasperated by the numerous discords in the patriarchate of Aquileia,

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

was compelled to intervene in the ecclesiastical and political disturbances. In the bull "Injuncta Nobis" of 6 July 1751, the patriarchate of Aquileia was completely suppressed, and in its place the Pope created two separate archdioceses, Udine and Goritza. The dioceses which had been suffragans of Aquileia and were under Venetian political control, Belluno among them, were assigned to the new archdiocese of Udine.

Post-Napoleonic reorganization

In 1818 the diocese of Belluno was again united with that of Feltre. The violent expansionist military policies of the French Revolutionary Republic had brought confusion and dislocation to the Po Valley. Following the redistribution of European territories at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, the Papacy faced the difficult task of restoring and restructuring the Church in various territories, according to the wishes of their rulers. Belluno and Venice were under the control of Austria, and therefore a Concordat had to be negotiated with the government of the Emperor Francis. One of the requirements of the Austrian government was the elimination of several metropolitanates and the suppression of a number of bishoprics which were no longer viable due to the bad climate (malaria and cholera) and the impoverishment of the dioceses due to migration and industrialization; it was expected that this would be done to the benefit of the Patriarchate of Venice.

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

, therefore, issued the bull "De Salute Dominici Gregis" on 1 May 1818, embodying the conclusions of arduous negotiations. The metropolitan archbishopric of Udine was abolished and its bishop made suffragan to Venice. The dioceses of Caprularum (Caorle) and Torcella were suppressed and their territories assigned to the Patriarchate of Venice; Belluno and Feltre were united under a single bishop, ''aeque personaliter'', and assigned to Venice; Padua and Verona became suffragans of Venice.

Chapters and cathedrals

The cathedral of Belluno is dedicated to S. Martin. It is staffed and administered (1847) by a Chapter composed of one dignity, the Dean, and ten Canons, assisted by several chaplains mansionarii and chaplains prebendary. The co-cathedral at Feltre is dedicated to S. Peter. It had a Chapter which was composed of two dignities (the Dean and the Archdeacon) and twelve Canons. The co-cathedral functions as a parish, and therefore the Canon called the Sacristan has the responsibility of caring for the spiritual needs of the parishioners ("the cure of souls").

Diocesan 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. Bishop Giovanni Battista Valier (1575–1596) presided over a diocesan synod in 1575. He was particularly concerned with liturgical laxness, and with teaching correct doctrine in face of Protestant infiltration from Germany; his predecessor had already introduced the Franciscans and the Inquisition to Belluno. Bishop Giovanni Delfin (1626–1634) presided over a diocesan synod in the cathedral of Belluno on 27 and 28 April 1629, and had the constitutions of the synod published. On 25–27 October 1639, Bishop Giovanni Tommaso Malloni (1634–1649) held a synod for the diocese of Belluno, and published the decrees of the synod. Bishop Gianfrancesco Bembo (1694–1720) presided over a diocesan synod on 9–11 July 1703, and published the decrees. BIshop Giacomo Costa (1747–1755) held a synod from 30 August to 1 September 1750. On 2–4 July 1861, Bishop Giovanni Renier (1855–1871) held a synod for the dioceses of Belluno and Feltre in Belluno. Renier himself was a participant in the provincial council of Venice in 1863. Bishop Pietro Brollo (1996-2001) presided over the first diocesan synod of the newly reconstituted diocese of Belluno-Feltre.

Reorganization

In a decree of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, it was recommended that dioceses be reorganized to take into account modern developments. A project begun on orders from Pope John XXIII, and continued under his successors, was intended to reduce the number of dioceses in Italy and to rationalize their borders in terms of modern population changes and shortages of clergy. The change was made urgent because of changes made to the Concordat between the Italian State and the Holy See on 18 February 1984, and embodied in a law of 3 June 1985. The change was approved by Pope John Paul II in an audience of 27 September 1986, and by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops of the Papal Curia on 30 September 1986. The dioceses of Belluno and Feltre, which had up to that point shared a single bishop while retaining two diocesan structures, were united into a single diocese. Its name was to be ''Dioecesis Bellunensis-Feltrensis''. The seat of the diocese was to be in Belluno. The former cathedral in Feltre was to have the honorary title of co-cathedral, and its Chapter was to be the Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one episcopal curia, one seminary, one ecclesiastical tribunal; and all the clergy were to be incardinated in the diocese of Belluno-Feltre.

Bishops

Diocese of Belluno

:... *Laurentius (attested 589–591) :... *Odelbertus (attested 877) :... *Almo (Aimo) (attested 877–923) :... *Joannes (attested 963–998) :... *Lodovicus (attested 1015–1021) *Albuinus (attested 1027)) *Hezemann (attested 1031–1046) *Marius (attested 1049) *Wolfram ( ? ) *Reginaldus (attested 1080–1116) :... *Bonifacius (1139-1156) *Otto (1156-1183) *Gerardus de Taccoli (1184–1197)

Diocese of Belluno e Feltre

''United: 1197 with Diocese of Feltre''
*Drudus de Camino (attested, as Bishop of Feltre, 1177–1200) *Anselmus de Braganze (d. 1204) *Torrentinus (1204–1209) *Philippus (1209–1224) *Oddo (1225–1235?) *Eleazar (attested 1235–1239) *Alexander de Foro (attested 1243–1246?) *Tiso (1247-1257) *Adalgerius (1257–1290?) *Jacobus Casali, O.Min. (1291–1298) * Alessandro Novello, O.Min. (1298–1320) *Manfredus Collalto (1320–1321) *Gregorius, O.P. (?) (1323–1326) *Gorzias (1327–1349) *Henricus de Waldeichke (1349–1354) *Jacobus de Brünn (1354–1370) *Antonius de Nastriis (1370–1392) *Alberto di S. Giorgio (1394–1398) *Giovanni Capo di Gallo (1398–1404) * Enrico Scarampi (9 Apr 1404 – 29 Sep 1440) *Thomas (Tomasini) (1440–1446) *Jacobus Zeno (1447–1460) * Francesco Legnamine (de Padua) (18 Apr 1460 – 11 Jan 1462)

Diocese of Belluno

''Split: 1462 to reestablish

Roman Catholic Diocese of Feltre The Italian Catholic diocese of Feltre, in the Veneto existed from 1462 to 1818. It was then united into the diocese of Belluno e Feltre. It had previously had an independent existence, up to 1197.Ludovico Donato Ludovico Donato (died 1385 or 1386) was an Italian Franciscan. He became Minister General of his order, of the Rome obedience during the Western Schism, in 1379. In 1383 he was created a Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal, the first ever from Venice ...

(Donà) (2 Apr 1462 –1465 * Mosè Buffarello (5 Jan 1465 – 1471) * Pietro Barozzi (1471–1487) * Bernardo de' Rossi (1488–1499) * Bartolomeo Trevisan (1499–1509) * Galeso Nichesola (19 Sep 1509 – 2 Aug 1527) * Giovanni Battista Casale (18 Sep 1527 – Sep 1536) *Cardinal

Gasparo Contarini Gasparo Contarini (16 October 1483 – 24 August 1542) was an Italian diplomat, cardinal, and Bishop of Belluno. He advocated for dialogue with Protestants during the Reformation. Born in Venice, he served as the Republic's ambassador to Charle ...

(1536–1542) * Giulio Contarini (1542–1575) * Giovanni Battista Valier (1575–1596) * Luigi Lollino (1596–1625) * Panfilo Persico (1625 – 14 Dec 1625)">Panfilo_Persico.html" ;"title="Panfilo Persico">Panfilo Persico (1625 – 14 Dec 1625)*Giovanni Delfino (bishop of Belluno)">Giovanni Delfino (1626–1634 Resigned) *Giovanni Tommaso Malloni, C.R.Som. (1634–1649) :''Sede vacante'' (1649–1653) *Giulio Berlendi, C.R.Som. (1653–1694?) * Gianfrancesco Bembo, C.R.S. (1 Mar 1694 – 21 Jul 1720) *Valerio Rota (16 Sep 1720 – 8 Sep 1730) *Gaetano Zuanelli (11 Dec 1730 – 25 Jan 1736) *Domenico Nicola Condulmer (27 Feb 1736 – 14 Mar 1747) *Giacomo Costa, C.R. (29 May 1747 –1755) *Giovanni Battista Sandi (24 May 1756 – 12 Aug 1785) *Sebastiano Alcaini, C.R.S. (26 Sep 1785 –1803)

Diocese of Belluno e Feltre

''United: 1 May 1818 with

History

Post-Napoleonic reorganization

Chapters and cathedrals

Diocesan synods

Reorganization

Bishops

Diocese of Belluno

Diocese of Belluno e Feltre

Diocese of Belluno

Diocese of Belluno e Feltre

See also