Roman Catholic Diocese of Aosta
| Diocese of Aosta Dioecesis Augustana | |
|---|---|
 Aosta Cathedral | |
| Location | |
| Country | Italy |
| Ecclesiastical province | Turin |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 3,262 km2 (1,259 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2006) 122,589 119,546 (97.5%) |
| Parishes | 93 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | 4th century |
| Cathedral | Our Lady of Assumption and St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Aosta |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Franco Lovignana |
| Emeritus Bishops | Giuseppe Anfossi |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| www.diocesiaosta.it | |
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Aosta (Latin: Dioecesis Augustana) has existed in its modern form since 1817.[1] It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Turin.
History
Although Ursus is sometimes said to have been the first bishop, this is controverted. The first certainly known bishop is St. Eustasius, whose name coupled with Aosta is signed to a letter sent to Pope Leo I by the second Synod of Milan in 451.[2] In the cathedral treasury is a consular diptych of Anicius Petronius Probus, Roman consul in 406, which shows the Emperor Honorius. (It was discovered in 1833.) From the ninth century the list of bishops is fairly complete. Bernard of Menthon (1008), Archdeacon of Aosta, founded the hospice on the Alps named after him, as a relief to pilgrims.[3]
In the 10th and early 11th centuries, the bishops of Aosta ruled the surrounding country as its secular counts. The two titles were separated at or following the death of Bishop Anselm in 1026, owing to Conrad II's desire to strengthen his position near the important Little St Bernard Pass and distrust of Burchard, Anselm's successor and a relative of various nobles opposed to Conrad's claims in Burgundy. (Burchard would subsequently rise in a failed revolt; he was later translated to Lyons.) Anselm (1033-1109), Archbishop of Canterbury, was a native of Aosta and probably related to its dynasty of bishops; rather than remain in local service, however, he travelled to Bec Abbey in Normandy and ultimately became primate over Norman England instead.
The see was suppressed in 1802 and reëstablished in 1817.
Territory and parishes
The diocese, which covers an area of 3,262 km² and has a population of 129,288, is divided into 93 parishes.[4] All are in the (civil) region of Aosta Valley. A list of parishes by commune follows; locations (villages or neighbourhoods) within a commune are shown in brackets.[5]
Aosta Valley
- Allein
- Saint Stephen
- Antey-Saint-André
- Saint Andrew
- Aosta
- Mary (mother of Jesus)
- Anselm of Aosta
- John the Baptist (the cathedral)
- Saint Lawrence
- Saint Stephen
- Saint-Martin-de-Corléans
- Notre-Dame-des-Neiges (Porossan)
- Saint Nicholas and Saint Barbara (Excenex)
- Saint Bernard of Mont-Joux (Signayes)
- Arnad
- Martin of Tours
- Arvier
- Saint Sulpice
- Avise
- Saint Brice
- Ayas
- Martin of Tours (Antagnod)
- Saint Anne (Champoluc)
- Aymavilles
- Christ the King
- Bard
- Assumption of Mary
- Bionaz
- Saint Margaret
- Brissogne
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria
- Brusson
- Saint Maurice
- Challand-Saint-Anselme
- Anselm of Aosta
- Challand-Saint-Victor
- Saint Victor of Soleure
- Chambave
- Saint Lawrence
- Chamois
- Saint Pantaleon
- Champdepraz
- Saint François de Sales
- Champorcher
- Saint Nicholas
- Charvensod
- Columba of Sens
- Châtillon
- Saint Peter
- Cogne
- Saint Ursus
- Courmayeur
- Saint Pantaleon
- Saint Margaret (Entrèves)
- Donnas
- Saint Peter
- Nativity of the Theotokos (Vert)
- Doues
- Saint Blaise
- Emarèse
- Saint Pantaleon
- Etroubles
- Assumption of Mary
- Fénis
- Saint Maurice
- Fontainemore
- Anthony the Great
- Gaby
- Michael (archangel)
- Gignod
- Saint Hilary of Poitiers
- Gressan
- Saint Stephen
- Gressoney-La-Trinité
- Holy Trinity
- Gressoney-Saint-Jean
- John the Baptist
- Hône
- Saint George
- Introd
- Conversion of Saint Paul
- Issime
- Saint James
- Issogne
- Assumption of Mary
- Jovençan
- Saint Ursus
- La Magdeleine
- Saint Mary Magdalene
- La Salle, Italy
- Saint Cassian
- Saint Ursus (Derby)
- La Thuile
- Saint Nicholas
- Lillianes
- Saint Roch
- Montjovet
- Nativity of the Theotokos
- Saint Germain (Saint-Germain)
- Morgex
- Assumption of Mary
- Nus
- Hilary of Poitiers
- Saint Bartholomew (Lignan)
- Ollomont
- Saint Augustine
- Oyace
- Michael (archangel)
- Perloz
- Jesus
- Pollein
- Saint George
- Pontboset
- Gratus of Aosta
- Pontey
- Martin of Tours
- Pont-Saint-Martin
- Saint Lawrence
- Pré-Saint-Didier
- Saint Lawrence
- Quart
- Saint Eusebius (Bas-Villair)
- Saint Sebastian (Ville-Sur-Nus)
- Rhêmes-Notre-Dame
- Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rhêmes-Saint-Georges
- Saint George
- Roisan
- Saint Victor
- Saint-Christophe
- Saint Christopher
- Saint-Denis
- Denis of Paris
- Saint-Marcel
- Pope Marcellus I
- Saint-Nicolas
- Saint Nicholas
- Saint-Oyen
- Saint Oyen
- Saint-Pierre
- Saint Peter
- Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses
- San Remigio
- Leonard of Noblac
- Saint-Vincent
- Saint Vincent
- Sarre
- Saint Maurice
- Saint Eustace (Chesallet)
- Torgnon
- Martin of Tours
- Valgrisenche
- St. Gratus
- Valpelline
- Saint Pantaleon
- Valsavarenche
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Valtournenche
- Anthony the Great
- Maria Regina Vallis Augustanae (Breuil-Cervinia)
- Verrayes
- Martin of Tours
- Martin of Tours (Diémoz)
- Verrès
- Saint Giles
- Villeneuve
- Assumption of Mary
Bishops of Aosta
There follows a partial list of the bishops of the diocese.[6]
- Saint Eustasius (fifth century)
- Saint Gratus of Aosta (Grat, Grato; second half of fifth century), patron saint of the diocese.
- Jucundus (Joconde, Giocondo; died 522)
- Agnellus (Agnello; died 528)
- Gal (Gallo; died 546), like Gratus and Agnellus he was buried in the church of St. Laurence[7]
- Plocéan (late sixth century?), an Arian who, according to the legend of Saint Ursus of Aosta, was strangled in his bed by two devils.[8]
- Ratborn † (before 876 - after 877)
- Liutfred † (since 966 or 969)
- Anselm I † (994 - 14 January 1026)
- Burchard † (before 10 March 1026 - after July 1033, translated to Lyon), lost county of Aosta to Humbert the White-Handed, prompting a failed rebellion against Conrad II
- Anselm II † (1075 or 1090)
- Boson I de la Porte Saint-Ours † (before 1099 - after 1113 or 1114)
- Herbert † (before November 1132 - after March 1138)
- Armann †
- Boson II de la Porte Saint-Ours † (?)
- Hugues d'Avise †
- Bienheureux Arnulphe d'Avise † (before 1152 - after October 1158)
- Guillaume de la Palud de Gressan † (before November 1161 - end 1170)
- Aymon de la Porte Saint-Ours † (end 1170 or beginning 1071 - after April 1176)
- Guy † (before June 1180 - after August 1185)
- Valbert † (before May 1186 - 26 October 1212)
- Jacques de Portia † (before April 1213 - 1219 bishop of Asti)
- Boniface of Valperga (1219–1243)
- Rodolphe du Châtelard de La Salle † (18 December 1243 - 2 March 1246 bishop of Tarentaise)
- Pierre de Pra † (before September 1246 - after April 1256)
- Pierre d'Étroubles † (before December 1258 - 1 September 1259)
- Pierre III de Sarre or du Palais † (before December 1260 - after July 1263)
- Humbert of Villette † (before 25 April 1266 - 29 March 1272)
- Aymon de Challant † (before 30 August 1272 - 21 December 1273, bishop of Vercelli)
- Simon de Duin † (before 1 February 1275)
- Nicolas I of Bersatoribus † (before December 1283 - 7 October 1301)
- Emerico di Quart (Bienheureux Éméric de Quart) (1302–1313)
- Paolo Giuseppe Solaro (Paul-Joseph Solar de Villeneuve) (1784–1803)
- André Jourdain (appointed 1832)
- Jacques-Joseph Jans (appointed 1867)
- Joseph-Auguste Duc (1872–1907)
- Jean-Vincent Tasso (1908–1919)
- Claudio Angelo Giuseppe Calabrese (1920–1932)
- Francesco Imberti (1932–1945)
- Maturino Blanchet (1946–1968)
- Ovidio Lari (1968–1994)
- Giuseppe Anfossi (1994 - 2011)
- Franco Lovignana since 9 novembre 2011
Notes
- ↑ Cheney 2007.
- ↑ A’Becket 1907 cites Savio 1899.
- ↑ A’Becket 1907
- ↑ Diocesi di Aosta n.d.a
- ↑ The list of parishes was derived from Diocesi di Aosta n.d.b and CCI n.d.
- ↑ The source for Paolo Giuseppe Solaro and his successors is http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/aost0.htm
- ↑ Agnellus and Gal, like Grat, the second bishop, are buried in the church of St. Laurence in Aosta. Diocesi di Aosta: Parrocchie di San Lorenzo in Aosta
- ↑ Sant' Orso di Aosta
References
- A’Becket, John Joseph (1907), "Aosta", The Catholic Encyclopedia I, New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Battandier, Albert (1906), Annuaire pontifical catholique, Paris: Maison de la Bonne Presse. (Cited by A’Becket 1907 as ‘BATTANDIER, Ann. Cath. Pont., 1906’.)
- Diocesi di Aosta (n.d.a), La Diocesi di Aosta: I numeri della diocesi.
- Diocesi di Aosta (n.d.b), Elenco delle parrocchie della Diocesi di Aosta.
- CCI (n.d.), "Parrocchie", Diocesi di Aosta, Annuario Diocesano.
- Cheney, David M. (2007), "Diocese of Aosta", Catholic-Hierarchy.
- Savio, Fedele (1899), Gli Antichi Vescovi d'Italia, 2: Piemonte, Turin, pp. 69–108.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
External links
- Official website (Italian)
| ||||||
Coordinates: 45°44′00″N 7°19′00″E / 45.7333°N 7.3167°E