Bishopric of Adria
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The Bishopric of Adria is an bishopric, suffragan to the patriarchate of Venice, which comprises roughly the northeastern Italian Province of Rovigo (Rovigo itself is not an episcopal see), and a part of one town in the Province of Padua.
[edit] Ecclesiastical history
Tradition dates the preaching of the Gospel in Adria from the days of St. Apollinaris, himself consecrated bishop by St. Peter. The figure of this Bishop of Ravenna has a singular importance in the hagiographical legends of the northeast of Italy. Even if Emilia, Romagna and the territory around Venice were Christianized and had bishops (the two facts are concomitant) before Piedmont, for example, their conversion does not go back beyond the end of the second century.
The first known bishop of Adria is Gallonistus, who was present at a synod in Rome (649) under pope Martin I (Mansi, XII). Venerable Bede's Martyrology mentions a St. Colianus, Bishop of Adria, but nothing is known about him. Amongst the bishops of Adria is the Blessed Aldobrandinus of Este (1248-1352).
The diocese had in the early 20th century, for a population of 190,400: 80 parishes; 300 churches, chapels and oratories; 250 secular priests; 72 seminarians; 12 regular priests; 9 lay-brothers; 90 confraternities; 3 boys schools (97 pupils); 6 girls schools (99 pupils).
[edit] Sources and references
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia. [1]
- Zattoni, Il valore storico della Passio di S. Apollinare e la fondazione dell episcopato a Ravenna e in Romagna, in the "Rivista storico-critica delle scienze teologiche", I, 10 and II, 3.
