Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro

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The Italian Catholic diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro was until 1977 the historic diocese of Montefeltro. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.^[1] The current diocese includes all the parishes of San Marino.

[edit] History

The earliest mention of Montefeltro, as Mona Feretri, is in the diplomas by which Charlemagne confirmed the donation of Pepin.

The first known bishop of Montefeltro was Agatho (826), whose residence was at San Leo.

Other bishops were:

Valentino (1173), who finished the cathedral;
Benvenuto (1219), deposed as a partisan of Count Ederigo;
Benedetto (1390), a Benedictine monk, rector of Romagna and Duke of Spoleto;
the Franciscan Giovanni Seclani (1413), who built the episcopal palace of Calamello;
Cardinal Ennio Filonardi (1549);
Giovanni Francesco Sarmani (1567), founder of the seminary of Pennabilli, thenceforth residence of the bishops, the episcopal see having been transferred there.

Under Bishop Flaminios Dondi (1724) the see was again transferred to San Leo, but later it returned to Pennabilli. The historic diocese was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Urbino.^[2]