The Diocese of Anagni-Alatri () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

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 ...

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It has existed in its current form since 1986. In that year the Diocese of Alatri was united to the historical Diocese of Anagni. The diocese is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

."Diocese of Anagni-Alatri"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 23, 2016"Diocese of Anagni-Alatri"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 14, 2016

History

Despite the usual claims of foundation in the apostolic age, there is no evidence of Christianity in

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic centre of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the appearance of a s ...

until the 4th century, and, as a bishopric, the diocese first appears in history in the fifth century. Felix, Bishop of Anagni, was present at the Lateran Synod of Pope Felix III held in 487. In a later century the Bishopric of Anagni obtained some attention because its occupant received special consideration from the popes. Zacharias of Anagni was one of the legates of

Pope Nicholas I Pope Nicholas I (; c. 800 – 13 November 867), called Nicholas the Great, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 858 until his death on 13 November 867. He is the last of the three popes listed in the Annuario Pontif ...

at the Council of Constantinople in 861, to deal with the election of

Photius Photius I of Constantinople (, ''Phōtios''; 815 – 6 February 893), also spelled ''Photius''Fr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., and Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Mate ...

to the patriarchate of Constantinople. Zacharias disobeyed his instructions, however, and entered into communion with the excommunicated schismatic Photius, and was therefore excommunicated himself and deposed from his bishopric of Anagni by Pope Nicholas, in his fourth Roman synod of 863.

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

, a native of Rome and son of a Roman priest named Joannes, became Bishop of Anagni, and was consecrated by Pope Formosus (891–896). On the death of Formosus, and after the fifteen-day reign of Boniface VI (April 896), Stephen became Pope. He summoned and presided over the notorious " Cadaver synod", which put the dead body of Pope Formosus on trial, convicted him, and ordered his body thrown into the Tiber River. Pope Stephen ruled for one year, three months, and eighteen days, and was then deposed, imprisoned, and strangled. Four natives of Anagni, all members of the same family, became popes:

Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

(1198-1216);

Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the P ...

(1227–1241); Alexander IV (1254–1261); and Boniface VIII (1294-1303). Numerous popes made Anagni their summer residence, or their refuge from Romans and emperors. According to a local legend of Anagni,

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

in his exile from England, was received in 1169 at Anagni by the canons, and a chapel, which had once been a Mithraeum, was consecrated in his honor in the crypt of the cathedral, apparently at the request of

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

. Pope Boniface VIII was violently attacked at Anagni by Guillaume de Nogaret, the chancellor of Philippe le Bel, and Sciarra Colonna. He was so badly treated that he died two weeks later, after having fled to Rome.

Chapter

In 1244, Pope Innocent IV intervened in a jurisdictional dispute between Bishop Pandulfus and the cathedral Chapter, deciding that the bishop should not have the exclusive right to name the rectors of the city churches, but that the assent of the Chapter was required for all of the bishop's nominations. On 28 February 1251, Pope Innocent IV wrote to Bishop Pandulfus about the staffing of the cathedral Chapter; he had found that there was only one priest, and no deacons or subdeacons, actually seeing to services, and he authorized the bishop and the Canons to appoint two canons and two priests who were willing to reside at the cathedral. A few years later, Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261) fixed the number of dignities in the Cathedral Chapter at three: the Primicerius, the Archpriest and the Vicedominus; the number of Canons was limited to twenty-four. The right to elect the Archpriest belonged to the Canons, not to the bishop. The dignity of Provost was instituted by

Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections t ...

(1294–1303). In 1708, the Chapter of the cathedral of S. Maria Annunziata had one dignity, the Provost, and twenty Canons. The right of the Canons to elect a bishop was usurped by

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

in 1316.

Diocesan synods

The

Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the council's convocation and its meeting, m ...

(1216) decreed that provincial synods should be held annually in each ecclesiastical province, and that each diocese should hold annual 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. A diocesan synod was held by Bishop Gaspare Viviani (1579–1605) on 4–5 March 1596. In 1630, Bishop Giovanni Gaspare Melis (1626–1642) presided over a diocesan synod, and in 1645, Bishop Sebastiano Gentile (1642–1646) held a diocesan synod. Bishop Bernardino Masseri (1681–1695) held a diocesan synod in Anagni on 21–22 May 1685. Bishop Giovanni Battista Bassi (1708–1736) presided over a diocesan synod, held in Anagni on 25–27 June 1713. Bishop Cirillo Antonini (1778–1789) held a diocesan synod on 22–25 October 1780. On 1–3 September 1805, Bishop Gioacchino Tosi (1804–1815) presided at a diocesan synod in the Basilica Cathedral of S. Maria in Anagni.

Bishops

Diocese of Anagni

to 1200

:... *Felix (attested 487) :... *Fortunatus (attested 499, 501, 502) :... : etrus (593) ''forgery''*Pelagius (attested 595) : ominicus (595):... *Opportunus (attested 649) :... *Mauritius (attested 680) :... *Gregorius (attested 721) :... *Cesarius (attested 743) :... *Constantinus (attested 757, 761) *Nigortius (attested 769) :... *Romualdus (attested 826) *Sebastianus (before 853) *Nicholas (attested 853) *Zacharias (attested 860–863) *Alboinus (Albinus) (attested 863–869) *Zacharias (c. 872 – after 887) (second term) *Stephanus (c. 891–896) :... *Joannes (attested 963–967) :... *Joannes (attested 993–997) : uitardus*Trasmundus (attested 1008) :... *Rumaldus (11th cent.) :... *Benedictus (attested 1026–1027) :... * Petrus (1062–1105) * Otto of Bamberg (1106–1112) *Petrus *Ojolinus *Raone (attested 1133) :... *Lotarius (attested 1155) :... *Nuclerius (attested 1161) *Asahel (attested 1179) *Joannes (attested 1180–1185) *Joannes (1196–1220)

1200 to 1700

*Joannes (1196–1220) *Joannes (1221– ? ) *Albertus (1224–1237) * Pandulfus (attested 1237–1255) : icolaus*Joannes Compatre (attested 1257) *Landulfus *Petrus Gaetani (1276–1278) *Petrus *Gerardus Pigoletti (1289–1290) *Petrus, O.Cist. (1290–1295) *Petrus Torrita (1295–1299) *Leonardus (1299–1320) * Petrus Ferri (1320–1327) *Alamannus de Galgano (1327–1330) * Giovanni Pagnotta, O.S.A. (5 Nov 1330 – Mar 1341 Died) *Joannes de Scrofanis (1342–1348) *Petrus de Grassinis (1348–1363) *Joannes Jacobi Modeli (1363–1382) ''Avignon Obedience'' *Thomas Morganti, O.Cist. (1382–1398) ''Roman Obedience'' *Jacobus de Trebis, O.E.S.A. (1399–1401) *Angelo Afflitti (1401–1418) *Angelotto Fosco (1418–1426) :''Sede vacante'' (1426–1429) ::Oddo Potii de Variis (1426–1429) ''Apostolic Administrator'' *Francesco da Genazzano (1429–1451) *Salvatore da Genazzano (1451– ? ) *Giovanni da Cremona (1478) *Francesco Muscambruni (1484–1502?) *Ferdinando di Lanciano (1502–1515) * Giacomo Bongalli (1515–1516) *Cardinal Francesco Soderini (1517–1523 Resigned) ''Administrator'' * Corrado Cerbaria (7 Jun 1525 – 1534 Died) *Cardinal Gianvincenzo Carafa (1534–1541 Resigned) ''Administrator'' *Cardinal Pedro Sarmiento (1541 Resigned) ''Administrator'' * Miguel Torcella (6 Apr 1541 – 1572 Died) * Benedetto Lomellini (17 Mar 1572 – 24 Jul 1579 Died) * Gaspare Viviani (3 Aug 1579 – 25 Jan 1605 Died)"Bishop Gaspare Viviani"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016. * Vittorio Guarini (1605–1607) * Antonio Seneca (1607–1626) * Gian Gaspare Melis (16 Sep 1626 – Jan 1642 Died) * Sebastiano Gentili (24 Mar 1642 – 3 Dec 1646 Resigned)"Bishop Sebastiano Gentili"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 20, 2017. * Pier Francesco Filonardi (3 Dec 1646 – 1662 Died) * Gian Lorenzo Castiglioni (13 Mar 1662 –1680) * Bernardino Masseri (23 Jun 1681 – Aug 1695 Died)

from 1700 to 1987

* Pietro Paolo Gerardi (21 May 1696 – 31 May 1708 Died) *Giovanni Battista Bassi (3 Oct 1708 – 19 Dec 1736 Died) ::Bartolomeo de Vulsinio, O.F.M.Observ. (1729–1736) *Giovanni Antonio Bacchetoni (1737–1749) *Domenico Monti (19 Jan 1750 –1766 *Giovanni Battista Filipponi Tenderini (14 Apr 1766 – 11 Sep 1778 Resigned) *Cirillo Antonini (28 Sep 1778 – 20 Jan 1789 Died) * Giovanni Devoti (30 Mar 1789 – 26 Mar 1804 Resigned) * Gioacchino Tosi (26 Mar 1804 – 21 Mar 1815 Resigned) :''Sede vacante'' (1815–1838) ::Luca Amici, Bishop of Ferentino (1815) ''Administrator'' ::Francesco Maria Biordi, titular Bishop of Dulma (1816) ''Administrator'' ::Giuseppe Maria Lais, titular Bishop of Hippo (1817-1834) ''Administrator'' ::Pier Francesco Muccioli, O.F.M.Conv., titular Bishop of Messene (1834–1838) ''Administrator'' *Vincenzo Annovazzi (15 Feb 1838 – 12 Sep 1846 Resigned) *Pietro Paolo Trucchi, C.M. (1846–1857) *Clemente Pagliaro (21 Dec 1857 – 9 Mar 1875) *Domenico Pietromarchi (31 Mar 1875 – 7 Feb 1894) *Antonino Sardi (18 May 1894 – 8 Jul 1912 Resigned) *Silvio Gasperini (2 Dec 1912 – 24 Oct 1923) *Luigi Mazzini (9 Nov 1923 – 24 Jun 1926 Resigned) *Gaudenzio Manuelli (8 Jul 1927 –1931) *Attilio Adinolfi (5 May 1931 – 1 Sep 1945) *Giovanni Battista Piasentini, C.S.Ch. (18 Feb 1946 –1952) *Enrico Romolo Compagnone, O.C.D. (10 Mar 1953 –1972) *Vittorio Ottaviani (30 Nov 1972 –1973) *Umberto Florenzani (21 Dec 1973 – 23 Feb 1987 Died)

Diocese of Anagni-Alatri

''30 September 1986 United with the Diocese of Alatri'' *Luigi Belloli (7 December 1987 – 6 March 1999 Retired) *Francesco Lambiasi (6 March 1999 – 28 June 2002 Resigned) *Lorenzo Loppa (28 June 2002Loppa was born in Segni in 1947. He became a priest in 1971, and was named Bishop of Anagni on 28 June 2002. He was consecrated a bishop on 22 September 2002. Diocesi di Anagni-Alatri
"Vescovo"
retrieved: 13 April 2020. – 10 November 2022) * Ambrogio Spreafico (10 November 2022 – present)

References

Sources

Sources for lists of bishops

* * * * * * * * * *

Studies

* * * Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)
'. Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 166–167. *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. 268–269. * {{authority control

Bishops of Anagni