Diocese of Verona
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The diocese of Verona is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in northern Italy. It has its seat in Verona, Veneto.
[edit] History
The origins of the Church in Verona are mostly known through in the "Carmen Pipinianum" ('Pippin's song', ninth century), which includes a list of the first eight bishops, from St. Euprepius to Saint Zeno of Verona, who died in 380. Less important is the famous pianeta (chasuble) of Classe in Ravenna, on which are represented not only the bishops of Verona, but also other saints and bishops of other dioceses venerated at Verona in the ninth century.
St. Zeno having been the eighth bishop, the period of St. Euprepius, and therefore of the erection of the see, must be placed not before the temporary peace given to the Church under Emperor Gallienus (260), but rather under the first period of the reign of Diocletian, when the Church enjoyed peace. In the same "Carmen" mention is made of St. Firmus and St. Rusticus, martyred at Verona, probably under Maximian.
The list of the earliest bishops is as follows: Euprepius, Dimidrianus (Demetrianus), Simplicius, Saint Proculus, Saturninus, Lucilius, present at the Council of Sardica in 343 (called Lucillus by St. Athanasius and Lucius in the signatures of the bishops at Sardica), Gricinus, Zeno. This St. Zeno is called a martyr in the "Carmen" and is placed in the time of Gallienus. At any rate the existence of a distinguished St. Zeno, Bishop of Verona, a contemporary of St. Ambrose of Milan, and author of a series of religious discourses, is historically attested, so as the ancient documents know but one bishop of that name, it must be concluded that, as early as the ninth century, the legend had corrupted chronology.
For the rest, we know from the sermons of St. Zeno how deeply paganism was still rooted in Verona in his time, particularly in the country districts.
His successor was Syagrius. Other bishops were: St. Petronius (c. 410); Gaudentius (465); St. Valens (522-31); Solatius and Junior, who joined the schism of the Three Chapters; Hanno (about 758); Ratoldus, who imposed community life on the canons (806) and reorganised the education of the clergy. Among the masters of his school the deacon Pacificus was eminent for his knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, although the Italian historian Cristina La Rocca disputes this acclaim as twelfth century fabrication. Nottingus (840) was the first to denounce the heretic Godescalcus. Adelardus (876) was excommunicated for invading the monastery of Nonnantula. Ratherius (930), a Benedictine and a distinguished author, was thrice driven from his see by usurpers, among whom was the notorious Manasses of Arles. He also fostered learning in the cathedral school. Joannes (1027) was distinguished for sanctity and learning. Bruno (1073), who wrote some interpretations of Scripture, was killed by one of his chaplains.
In the time of Bishop Ognibene (1157), a distinguished canonist, Pope Lucius III died at Verona, in 1183, after meeting Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and holding a synod there. There, too, was held the conclave which elected Pope Urban III, who spent nearly all of his brief pontificate at Verona. Bishops Jacopo da Breganze (1225) and Gerardo Cossadocca (1254) were exiled by the tyrant Ezzelino. Manfredo Roberti (1259) suffered insult and imprisonment at the hands of the Ghibellines (the emperor's supporters against the papacy). Bonincontro (1295) died in the odour of sanctity. Bartolommeo della Scala (1336), a Benedictine, was calumniated to his nephew Mastino, Lord of Verona, who slew him with his own hand, and among the penalties for this crime inflicted by Pope Benedict XII was the revocation of the privilege of nominating bishops.
Pietro della Scala reformed the lives of the clergy and vainly endeavoured to bring the canons under his own jurisdiction instead of that of the Patriarch of Aquileia. When the Visconti dynasty obtained possession of Verona, Pietro was banished. Francesco Condulmer (1439) founded the college of acolytes to add to the beauty of public worship and to form a learned and pious clergy; the school still exists. This institution was necessary because, with the establishment of the University of Verona, the cathedral school had been suppressed, and the young clerics who attended the university were at that time dispensed from officiating in church functions: the acolytes of the new college were obliged both to study and to attend ecclesiastical functions. Ermolao Barbaro also did much for the reform of the diocese.
Cardinal Giovanni Michiel (1471) was a munificent restorer of the cathedral and the episcopal palace, as also was Cardinal Marco Corner (1592). For Gian Matteo Giberti (1524), Pietro Lippomano and Luigi Lippomano (1544, 1548) see articles under their respective names. Agostino Valier (1565) was a cardinal. Sebastiano Pisani (1650) was a zealous pastor. Giovanni Bragadin (1733) was a mirror of all the virtues; in his episcopate the Patriarchate of Aquileia was suppressed, and Pope Benedict XIV brought the chapter under the bishop's jurisdiction and laid down wise rules for the government of the diocese. Giovanni Andrea Avogadro (1790) abdicated the see to return to the Society of Jesus.
Councils of Verona worthy of note are those of 1184, at which the pope presided, and 1276, against the Bogomilian Patarenes who were somewhat numerous in the Veronese territory, even among the clergy.
At Verona is the mother-house of the Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and their college for the Central African missions. The Congregation of the Stimmatini was also founded at Verona.
The diocese was suffragan of Aquileia, then of Udine; since 1818 it has been suffragan of Venice.
