The former Italian Catholic Diocese of Chiusi-Pienza, in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, existed until 1986. In that year it was united into the Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza. The Diocese of Chiusi (''Clusinus'') was at first immediately subject to the Holy See, but was made a

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 ...

archdiocese of Siena In 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 provinces were administratively associated ...

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

. From 1459 to 1986, it was a

of the

History

Catacombs are found at

Chiusi Chiusi ( Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. History Clusium (''Clevsin or Camars'' in Etruscan) ...

. The martyrdom of the deacon Irenaeus and the virgin Mustiola probably took place under Valerian. The monastery of San Salvatore in Amiata was traditionally said to have been built by

Ratchis RatchisAlso spelled ''Rachis'', ''Raditschs'', ''Radics'', ''Radiks''. (died after 757) was the Duke of Friuli (739–744) and then King of the Lombards (744–749). Ratchis was the son of Duke Pemmo of Friuli and the nephew of the Lombard kin ...

, King of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, in 747. The foundation document, however, is a forgery. Afterwards the monastery rose to great power and influence. Bishop Francesco degli Atti (1348) was a doctor of Canon Law, noted for his ''De quarta canonica piorum legatorum debita episcopo'', a treatise on the 25% of a bishop's income which ought to be spent on charity. Chiusi formerly boasted of a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

, the purported betrothal ring of the

Blessed Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, which was taken to

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

about 1449 by an Augustinian friar; in consequence of this a war broke out between them, in which Perugia was victorious and remained in possession of the ring.

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

confiscated the ring, and had it brought to the Vatican, but

Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

returned it to Perugia. Two hundred years later, a wedding ring of the Virgin was being shown in Semur in Burgundy; another is preserved at S. Maria in via Lata in Rome; and another at the abbey of Anchin near Douai in France.

Chapter and cathedral

The cathedral of Chiusi was dedicated to S. Secundinus. The cathedral was administered and served by a Chapter, originally composed of two dignities (the Provost and the Archpriest) and three Canons (''canonici''), along with four priests. The cathedral was a parish church, and the Archpriest and Provost were responsible for the parishioners' spiritual welfare. In 1620, there were the two dignities and eight Canons. Later two dignities were added (the Archdeacon and the Prior), and there were nine Canons and twelve ''beneficiati''. In 1584, Bishop Masseo Bardi, O.F.M. (1581–1597) held a diocesan synod, and published the constitutions agreed upon at the meeting. Bishop Lucio Borghesi (1682–1705) presided over a diocesan synod in Chiusi in 1684, and had its constitutions published. He held another synod in 1688.

Losses of territory

In 1325, when the new diocese of Cortona was erected,

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 ...

obtained part of the territory of the new diocese from the territory of the diocese of Chiusi. On 22 April 1459,

issued the bull "Triumphans Pastor", in which he raised the diocese of Siena to metropolitan status, and assigned to it as

s the dioceses of Soano, Chiusi, Massa, and Grosseto. On 13 August 1462, with the bull "Pro Excellenti", Pius II created a new diocese, the diocese of Pienza, with his native town as the seat of the bishop. Territory for the new diocese came in part from the diocese of Chiusi. In the papal bull "In supereminenti" of 25 September 1600,

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

created the new diocese of Città di Pieve in Tuscany. The territory for the new diocese was taken from the dioceses of Perugia, Orvieto, the Papacy itself, and Chiusi ("Laviani, Pusteoli, Gioelle et Panigarolae cum caeteris locis in universo marchionatu Clusii" and Santa Flora). Pieve was raised to the status of a city (''civitas''), and its collegiate church of Ss. Gervasius and Protasius was raised to the rank of a cathedral. The bull mentions that Bishop Ludovico Martelli had recently died, which no doubt simplified the process envisioned by the Pope, since there would be no opposition or appeals from Chiusi. Pope Clement sent Magister Anselmo Dandini, his papal notary ''de numero participantium'', who was also Referendary of the Two Signatures, as Commissary and Apostolic Visitor, to assess and arrange the divisions ("ad divisionem et assignationem fructuum, redituum et proventuum, ac bonorum huiusmodi procedens"). Pope Clement issued a second bull, "Super Universas", on 9 November 1601, in which he rehearsed all his orders from the first bull, ratified the arrangements made by Magister Dandini, and issued additional instructions for the organization of the diocese of Città di Pieve. In compensation for its losses, the episcopal revenues of Chiusi were to receive an annual payment of 1,000 scudi. Chiusi finally received a new bishop, Fausto Mellari, on 22 April 1602. In the bull of 1 June 1772, preliminary to uniting the two dioceses of Chiusi and Pienza under one bishop, ''aeque personaliter'', Pope Clement XIV removed four parishes from the diocese of Chiusi, Arcidorro, Monticello, Montelaterone and Casteldel Piano, transferring them to the diocese of Montalcino. On 15 June 1772, in the bull "Quemadmodum", Pope Clement united the dioceses of Chiusi and Pienza.

Amalgamation

On 15 June 1772, in the bull "Quemadmodum", Pope Clement united the dioceses of Chiusi and Pienza. 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. This applied to the diocese of Chiusi e Pienza. Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under

Pope John XXIII Pope John 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 on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

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 (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

ordered that the dioceses of Montepulciano, Chiusi and Pienza be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title ''Dioecesis Montis Politiani-Clusina-Pientina''. The seat of the diocese was to be in Moontepulciano, and was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedrals in Chiusi and Pienza were to become co-cathedrals, and the cathedral Chapters were each to be a ''Capitulum Concathedralis''. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Montepulciano, 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 dioceses of Chiusi and Pienza, and was suffragan to the archdiocese of Siena.

Bishops of Chiusi

to 1200

:... *Lucius Petronius Dexter (d. 322) :... : lorentius (465):... *Florentinus (attested 558–560) :... *Ecclesius (attested 600, 604) :... *Marcellinus (attested 649) :... *Theodorus (attested 676, 680) :... *Arcadius (attested 729–743) *Gisolfus (attested 752) :... *Andreas (attested 826) *Theobaldus (attested 835, 845) *Taceprandus (c. 850, 853) *Liutprandus (attested 861) :... *Christianus (attested 911) :... *Liutto (attested 967, 968) :... *Arialdus (attested 998–1007, 1021 or later) :... *Wido (Guido) (attested 1027–1038) :... *Petrus (attested 1049) *Wido (attested 1055) *Petrus (attested 1058) *Joannes (attested 1059) *Lanfranc (attested 1065–1098) :... *Petrus (attested 1112–1127) :... *Martinus (attested 1146–1147) :... *Ubertus (attested 1159) :... *Rainerius (attested 1176) *Leo (attested 1179) *Theobaldus (attested 1191–1196) :...

1200 to 1500

*Gualfredus (attested 1200–1215) *Hermannus (attested 1215–1230) *Pisanus (attested 1235, 1237) *Gratianus ( ? –1245) *Frigerius (attested 1245–1248) *Petrus (attested 1250) *Rainerius *Petrus (1273–1299) *Massaeus de' Medici, O.P. (1299-1316) *

Matteo Orsini Matteo Orsini (died probably on 18 August 1340) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal. He was the nephew of Cardinal Francesco Napoleone Orsini (1295–1312), who was himself the nephew of Pope Nic ...

, O.Min. (1317–1322) :Leonardus (1322–1327) ''Administrator'' *Rainerius, O.S.B.Vallisumb. (1327–1343) *Angelo (1343–1348) * Francesco degli Atti (1348–1353) *Biagio, O.Cist. (1353–1357) *Biagio di San Gemino (Geminelli) (1357–1386?) *Jacobus de Tolomaei, O.Min. (1383–1384) ''Roman Obedience'' *Clemente Cennino (1384–1388?) *Matthaeus (1388–1393) ''Roman Obedience'' *Adoardo Michelozzi, O.Min. (1393–1404) *Antonio, O.S.B. (1404–1410 Deposed) ''Roman Obedience'' *Biagio Hermanni (1410–1418) ''Pisan Obedience'' *Pietro Paolo Bertini (1418–1437) *

Alessio de Cesari Alessio is an Italian male name, Italian form of Alexius. Individuals with the given name Alessio *Alessio Ascalesi (1872–1952), Italian cardinal * Alessio Bandieri (born 1974), Italian footballer *Alessio Boni (born 1966), Italian actor *Ale ...

(7 Jan 1437 –1462) *Giovanni Chinugi (1462–1463) *Gabriele Piccolomini (1463–1483) *Lorenzo Mancini (1483–1490?) *Antonio (1490–1497) *Sinulfo di Castel Lotario (1497–1503) :...

1500 to 1800

Bonifacio di Castel Lotario Bonifacio di Castel Lotario (died 1504) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Chiusi (1503–1504). ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 8 February 1503, Bonifacio di Castel Lotario was appointed during the papacy of Pope Ale ...

(8 Feb 1503 – 1504) *

Niccolò Bonafede Niccolò Bonafede (c. 1464–1533) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Chiusi (1504–1533). ''(in Latin)'' Birth and family Niccolò Bonafede was born at (Monte) San Giusto in the diocese of Fermo in the March of Ancona c. 14 ...

(1504–1533) * Bartolomeo Ferratini (14 Jan 1534 – Jun 1534) * Gregorio Magalotti (1534–1537) * Giorgio Andreasi (1538–1544) :Cardinal

Bartolomeo Guidiccioni Bartolomeo Guidiccioni (1470 – 4 November 1549) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. He was one of the closest collaborators of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, both as Bishop of Parma and afterwards when he became Pope Paul III. He ...

(1544–1545) ''Administrator'' * Giovanni Ricci (1545 – 19 Nov 1554 Resigned) * Figliuccio de Figliucci (19 Nov 1554 – 1558) *

Salvatore Pacini Salvatore may refer to: * Salvatore (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * "Salvatore", a song by Lana Del Rey, on her 2015 album ''Honeymoon'' * Salvatore (band), a Norwegian instrume ...

(1558–1581) * Masseo Bardi, O.F.M. (29 May 1581 – 1597) * Ludovico Martelli (1597–1600) *

Fausto Malari Fausto Malari or Fausto Molari or Fausto Mellari (died 1608) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Chiusi (1602–1608). Biography Malari was a native of Siena. He is attested as Vicar General of the Archbishop of Siena in 1592 a ...

(Molari, Mellari) (22 Apr 1602 – 1608) * Orazio Spannocchi (1609–1620) *

Alfonso Petrucci Alfonso Petrucci (c. 1491 – July 16, 1517) was an Italian people, Italian nobleman, born to the Petrucci Family. He was the son of Pandolfo Petrucci. In 1511, he was made a cardinal, which gave the Petrucci dynasty some influence within the chur ...

(1620–1633) *

Giovanni Battista Piccolomini Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rak ...

(20 Jun 1633 – 14 Jul 1637) * Ippolito Campioni,

O.S.B. The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

(14 Dec 1637 – 27 Jan 1647) *

Carlo de' Vecchi Carlo de' Vecchi (1611 – 13 March 1673) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Titular Archbishop of ''Athenae'' (1667–1673) and Bishop of Chiusi (1648–1657).Gauchat, p. 155. Biography Carlo de' Vecchi was born in Siena, Italy in 1611. ...

(2 Mar 1648 – 12 Mar 1657 Resigned) *

Alessandro Piccolomini Alessandro Piccolomini (13 June 1508 – 12 March 1579) was an Italian humanist, astronomer and philosopher from Siena, who promoted the popularization in the vernacular of Latin and Greek scientific and philosophical treatises. His early works ...

(12 Mar 1657 – 6 Nov 1661) * Marco Antonio Marescotti (1664–1681) * Lucio Borghesi (25 May 1682 – 31 Jul 1705) *Gaetano Maria Bargagli,

(22 Feb 1706 – 30 Jun 1729) *Giovanni Battista Tarugi (23 Dec 1729 – 14 Sep 1735) *Pio Magnoni (9 Jul 1736 –1747) *Giustino Girolamo Bagnesi,

(15 Jul 1748 – Jan 1775) *Giuseppe Pannilini (1775–1823)

Diocese of Chiusi e Pienza

''United: 15 June 1772 with the Diocese of Pienza''
''Pienza was immediately Subject to the Holy See'' *Giacinto Pippi (1824–1839) *Giovanni Battista Ciofi (1843–1870) *Raffaele Bianchi (1872–1889 Resigned) *Giacomo Bellucci (30 Dec 1889 – 19 Feb 1917)Born in Scanzano in the diocese of Sovana e Pitigliano in 1832, Bellucci was a priest of that diocese. He held doctoral degrees in theology and Canon Law, and was a Protonotary Apostolic ''ad instar participantium''. He was a member of the Theological College of Siena. He was parochial Archpriest of Capalbio. In 1885 he served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Sovana e Pitigliano (1885–1889) following the resignation of Bishop Antonio Sbrolli. He was named Bishop of Chiusi e Pienza by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

on 30 December 1889.l He wrote pastoral letters against Masonry and against Socialism. He died on 19 February 1917. Ritzler-Sefrin, ''Hierarchia catholica'' VIII, pp. 212, 523. *Giuseppe Conti (22 Mar 1917 – 24 Apr 1941) *Carlo Baldini, O.M.D. (31 Jul 1941 – 2 Jan 1970) *Alberto Giglioli (7 Oct 1975 – 30 Sep 1986 Appointed, Bishop of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza) ''30 September 1986: United with the Diocese of Montepulciano to form the Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza''

Notes

Books

* p. 753-754. (Use with caution; obsolete) * * * * * * * * *

Studies

*Barni, Enrico; Bersotti, Giacomo (1999). ''La Diocesi di Chiusi''. Chiusi: Edizioni Luì. * *Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1908)
''Italia pontificia''
vol. III. Berlin 1908. pp. 231–251. *Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)
'. Faenza: F. Lega. pp. 552–554. *Schwartz, Gerhard (1913)
''Die Besetzung der Bistümer Reichsitaliens unter den sächsischen und salischen Kaisern : mit den Listen der Bischöfe, 951-1122''
Leipzig-Berlin 1913, pp. 262–263 (Roselle). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiusi Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy 1986 disestablishments in Italy Chiusi Pienza