The episcopal seat was transferred from Vicohabentia (Voghenza) to the newly founded Ferrara in 657.[1] The earliest known bishop of Vicohabentia is Marcellinus, who was consecrated c. 429–431.[2]
Originally, it seems, the diocese (or at least the diocese of Vicohabentia) was a suffragan of the metropolitanate of Ravenna. Ferrara repeatedly contested that opinion, and claimed to be directly dependent upon the Holy See (the Pope). Pope John XIII, in April 967, confirmed that Ferrara was under papal jurisdiction, as far as election, consecration, investiture, and jurisdiction were concerned. Pope Benedict VII, in April 978, again confirmed the papal jurisdiction in much the same language.[3] At some point between 1106 and 1123, however, the diocese of Ferrara fell under the control of the metropolitan of Ravenna, and Bishop Landolfo was suspended from office because of his refusal to submit to Archbishop Walter of Ravenna.[4]Pope Innocent II restored the original independence of the diocese of Ferrara on 11 March 1133; but on the death of Bishop Landolfo in 1138, the Archbishop of Ravenna asserted the right to consecrate his successor. The Ferrarese were required to produce their documentary proofs before the Pope, who issued a decree in favor of Ferrara as directly dependent upon the Holy See on 22 April 1139.[5]
Ferrara became an archdiocese, though without suffragans, by the Bull Paterna pontificii of Pope Clement XII on 27 July 1735.[6] Pope Clement goes out of his way to state that the diocese had always been directly subject to the Holy See, citing the decree Ad hoc of Pope Innocent II at the Lateran Council of 1139, and recalling subsequent similar rulings of Celestine II, Lucius II, Gregory VIII, Clement III, Celestine III, Innocent IV, Alexander VIII, Innocent XII, and Clement XI. This fortunate arrangement continued until 1976. In a decree of the Vatican Sacred Congregation of Bishops of 8 December 1976, a new arrangement of certain dioceses in ecclesiastical provinces was announced; the diocese of Ferrara was made a suffragan of the Archbishop of Bologna, though the Archbishop of Ferrara was allowed to keep the title of archbishop.[7]
As part of a project begun on orders from Pope John XXIII, and continued under his successors, to reduce the number of dioceses in Italy and to rationalize their borders in terms of modern population changes and shortages of clergy, the diocese of Comacchio was united to the diocese of Ferrara by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops, on 30 September 1986. There was to be one bishop, and one curia, one cathedral, one Council of Consultors and one Council of Priests, and one seminary. The former cathedral of Comacchio was granted the title of Co-cathedral, and its Chapter was retained and not united with the Chapter of the Cathedral of Ferrara.[8]
The old diocesan name of Vicohabentia (Voghenza) was revived in 1967, as a titular See. It has been held by an auxiliary bishop of Cortona and an auxiliary bishop of Rome.[9]
History
The earliest bishop of certain date is Constantinus Ferrariensis, who was present at the Roman Synod of Pope Nicholas I in 861. The synod had been summoned to deal with the case of Bishop John of Ravenna, who had excommunicated innocent persons and opposed pious works, and who, after having been admonished and summoned to a synod, refused to appear.[10] St. Maurelius (not M. Aurelius), Bishop of Vicohabentia and patron of the city of Ferrara, must have lived before this time. His legend is treated by Daniel Papenbroch, in the Acta Sanctorum[11] Some think that the bishops of Ferrara are the successors to those of Voghenza (the ancient Vicus Haventia).
On 25 March 1210, the Emperor Otto IV, residing at Ferrara, issued an edict against heretics in Ferrara: ...omnes hereticos Ferrarie commorantes, Patharenos sive Gazaros, Imperiali banno subjacere...et domus destruantur.[12]
Pope Alexander III visited Ferrara during his Venetian trip, from 10 April to 9 May 1177. At the end of his visit, on 8 May, he dedicated the High Altar in the Cathedral.[13]
Pope Urban III died at Ferrara on 20 October 1187, only a month after having escaped from Verona, where he was being besieged by Frederick Barbarossa. He was buried in the Cathedral.[14] The Conclave to elect his successor began (and ended) on the next day with the election of Cardinal Alberto di Morro, who took the name Pope Gregory VIII. He left Ferrara for Rome on November 16, and died at Pisa on 17 December 1187.[15]
Bishop Niccolò Roberti (1393–1401) was the son of Cabrino de' Roberti da Reggio and his wife Margherita del Sale, and grandson of Filippo de' Roberti da Troia. The bishop had two brothers, Filippo and Alberto, and a sister Giovanna, who was married to Alberto d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara (died 1393). Suddenly, on 22 January 1400, Alberto's son, Niccolò III d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, ordered the arrest of Alberto de' Roberti, the President of the Council; his brother Filippo; their mother Margherita; and Marco de' Pii da Carpi, who was married to the Bishop's sister Taddea. Alberto and Margherita's property was confiscated, and both were beheaded on 6 March 1400. The Bishop's brother Filippo was sent into exile, and Marco Pio was kept in prison. Bishop Niccolò was deposed from his bishopric, though Pope Boniface IX issued a decree vouching for his absolute innocence.[16] The cause of the Marchese's violent actions is unknown.
On 8 January 1438, Pope Eugene IV opened the seventeenth ecumenical council in Ferrara, but the plague of 1439 compelled him to move the sessions to Florence.[17]
Cathedral and Chapter
The Cathedral of San Giorgio was begun in 1132, and consecrated in 1135 by Bishop Landolfo (1105–1138/1139), with the participation of the Papal Legate in Bologna, Cardinal Azzo. The High Altar was consecrated by Pope Alexander III on 18 May 1177. It also served as a parish church, and the Archpriest of the Cathedral Chapter served as the pastor of the congregation. In 1735, when the diocese became a metropolitanate with an Archbishop, the Cathedral became a metropolitan cathedral.[18] It was granted the title and privileges of a Minor Basilica by Pope John XXIII on 13 November 1959.[19]
Pope Paul III visited the city of Ferrara along with seventeen cardinals in April 1543. At the Solemn Mass held in the Cathedral on 24 April, the Feast of Saint George, he granted to all the Canons the right to call themselves Monsignor.[20]
In 1746, the Chapter of the Cathedral was composed of seven dignities and thirteen Canons.[21] The dignities were: the Archpriest, the Provost, the Archdeacon, the Primicerius, the Custos, the Treasurer, and the Dean.[22]
The Chapter was abolished on the Feast of Corpus Christi, 1798, in accordance with French laws, which had come into force in the Cisalpine Republic. It was restored in 1799, but abolished again in 1800. Napoleon restored the Chapter by a decree of 8 June 1805, but also reordered its composition. According to his orders, there were to be: the Archpriest, the Provost, the Treasurer, the Theologus, the Penitentiary, and ten additional Canons. The arrangement still holds good, with the addition of Honorary Canons, currently five in number, with two Emeriti and three Supernumerarii; there are also seven Mansionarii, each with a five year term.[23]
On 12 April 1530 a new set of Statutes was approved for the Cathedral Chapter, Reverendi Capituli Dominorum Canonicorum Ecclesiae Ferrariensis nova Statuta anno 153o die XII mensis Aprilis condita.[24]
Seminary
The Council of Trent, in its 23rd Session, meeting on 15 July 1563, issued a decree, the 18th chapter of which required that every diocese have a seminary for the training of clergy.[25]
The seminary of the diocese of Ferrara was founded by Bishop Paolo Leoni (1578–1590), in accordance with the decrees of the Council of Trent, and opened on 22 July 1584. In 1723, Cardinal Tommaso Ruffo (1717–1738) purchased the Palazzo Costabili-Trotti, to which he transferred the personnel of the seminary in 1724. In 1755, Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi (1746–1768) added the Palazzo Libanori-Guastavillari. The seminary was closed in 1798 by the French occupation officials, though it was allowed to reopen in the next year. In 1955, the seminary moved to its present quarters, a completely modern building.[26]
Synods
A diocesan synod was an irregular but important meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.[27]
In 1278 Bishop Guglielmo held a synod (Cleri Conventus), and on 9 December issued a set of Statutes.[28]
Bishop Guido held a diocesan synod in 1332 and published its Statutes and those of his predecessors which he had collected. It included a section on sorcerers (xliii), who were subject to excommunication.[29]
On 27 February 1579, Bishop Paolo Leoni held a synod in Ferrara.[30] He held another in 1588;[31] and another on 12 April 1589.[32]
Diocesan synods were held by Bishop Giovanni Fontana in 1590, 1591, 16 April 1592,[33] 1593, 1594, 1595, 1596, 1587, and 1599.[34]
Cardinal Leni held a diocesan synod in 1612.[35] Cardinal Magalotti held a synod in 1637.[36] Cardinal Stefano Donghi held his first synod in Ferrara in 1666.[37]
Cardinal Taddeo del Verme held a diocesan synod in Ferrara in 1711.[38] Cardinal Thomas Ruffo held a diocesan synod in 1726.[39] A diocesan synod was held by Cardinal Marcello Crescenzi in June 1751.[40] Cardinal Alessandro Mattei held a diocesan synod in 1781.[41]
Parishes and churches
There are 171 parishes in the diocese.[42] In addition there are 20 churches in the city of Ferrara which are not parishes; 2 in Comacchio; and 10 elsewhere in the diocese.[43]
^J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXV (Venice: A. Zatta 1782), pp. 598-606.
^Acta Sanctorum MaiiTomus II (Antwerp: Michael Cnobarus 1680), pp. 154-161. Ughelli, p. 518, assigns a date of 634. Cappelletti, p. 25, and Gams, p. 694, give the date of 686 for the beginning of his episcopate.
^F. Gregorovius, History of Rome in the Middle Ages, Volume IV.2 second edition, revised (London: George Bell, 1896) Book VIII, Chapter vi. 3, pp. 608-622. John Paul Adams, Sede vacante 1187; retrieved: 2018-07-28.
^Barotti, pp. 66-67. Ferranti, III, pp. 10-13, who states, on the authority of Ughelli and without evidence, that the Pope transferred Bishop Niccolò to another See.
^Santolaria de Puey y Cruells, Annuario Diocesano 2017, pp. 129-133. The Canon Theologicus also serves as Censor librorum (Censor of books and other printed matter) for the diocese (p. 76).
^Syrnodi Ferrariensis constitutiones et decreta ab illu striss. D. D. Jo. Bapt. Cardinali Lenio Episcopo Ferrariae. Ferrariae: Baldinus, 1612.
^Synodi Ferrariensis constitutiones et decreta Em° D. D. Laurentio Card. Magalotto, Episcopo Ferrariae anno 1637, iussu E." D. D. Francisci Cardinalis Machiavelli eiusdem Ecclesiae Episcopi in lucem edita. Ferrara: apud Gironum 1644.
^Constitutiones et decreta primae Synodi dioecesanae ab Emo Card. Stephano Donghio S. Ferr. Eccl. Episcopo. Ferrariae: typis Bolzoni, 1666.
^Synodus dioecesana Emi Taddaei Card. de Verme Episcopi Ferrariensis. Ferrariae: typis Pomatelli 1711.
^The diocesan Annual lists each parish, its administrator, and contact information. Annuario Diocesano 2013. Arcidiocesi di Ferrara-Comacchio (in Italian). Ferrara: Archidiocesis Ferrariensis. 2013. pp. 42–80. The 2017 edition gives historical data on each church.
^Viator was one of four bishops appointed by Pope John VIII on 4 March 881 to adjudicate a dispute between the bishops of Verona and Trent. Kehr, p. 208 no. 4.
^At the Lateran synod of March 981, Bishop Leo complained to the Emperor Otto II and Pope Benedict VII against Archbishop Honestus of Ravenna concerning property given to the Church of Ravenna, led by Bishop Andrea, by Pope Leo III. Barotti, p. 7. Kehr, pp. 208-209, nos. 6-7.
^In a letter of 8 November 1055 to Bishop Rolandus, Gregorius was denounced by Pope Victor II as a dissipator of church property rather than a custodian. The Pope annulled all of his charters and subscriptions to documents. Kehr, p. 209, no. 8.
^Bishop Rolandus was present at the Council of Pavia in 1046. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIX (Venice: A. Zatta 1774), p. 618.
^Grifo, successor of Bishop Landolfo, was ordered by Pope Innocent II (between 1139 and 1143) to observe faithfully the arrangements made by Landolfo for S. Giorgio Transpadana. Kehr, p. 213 no 23. He received a letter from Pope Celestine II on 6 March 1444, confirming the dependence of the diocese of Ferrara directly on the Holy See. These privileges were confirmed again by Pope Lucius II on 15 March 1144. Kehr, p. 213-214, nos. 24-25.
^Amato: Ughelli, pp. 538-539. Barotti, pp. 24-25. Gams, p. 694 column 2.
^Presbiterino: Barotti, pp. 25-28. Gams' dates, p. 694 column 2, are only those of the earliest and latest of Presbiterino's documents.
^Tebaldo: Barotti, pp. 28-29. Gams, p. 694, assigns the dates 14 March 1183 to 13 February 1186; the latter date, however, is merely the date of his latest known document.
^Stefano: Ughelli, pp. 539-540. Barotti, pp. 29-30.
^Uguccione, a native of Pisa, had been a professor of law at Bologna, where he had been the teacher of Pope Innocent III. Around 1188, he produced his Summa decretorum. He executed a document as Bishop dated 24 August 1192. He died on 29 March 1208. Ughelli, p. 540 (producing two bishops named Ugo by interposing a Theobaldus, who was actually a predecessor). Barotti, pp. 30-35. Wolfgang P. Müller, "Huguccio of Pisa: Canonist, Bishop, and Grammarian?" Viator 22 (1991) 121-152. Richard K. Emmerson (2013). Key Figures in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 636–637. ISBN978-1-136-77518-5.
^Manini II, p. 83. Giordano was elected, but refused the office.
^Rolandus was still alive on 27 April 1231. Ughelli, II, p. 540. Barotti, p. 35. Gams, p. 694 column 2.
^A bull of Pope Innocent IV refers to the late Gravendinus as electus in a bull of confirmation of a grant to the priory of S. Georgio de Ferrara, O.S.A. The original grant, which is quoted, was dated 29 May 1237. Ughelli, II, p. 540. Barotti, pp. 35-36. Gams, p. 694 column 2.
^A native of Ferrara, Fontana was still only electus when he made a grant to Ugo, Abbot of S. Bartolomeo, on 16 August 1243. Due to the military actions of the Emperor Frederick II, the death of Pope Gregory IX (1241) and then the death of Pope Celestine IV (1241), and the vacancy in the Holy See until the election of Pope Innocent IV on 25 June 1243, it was impossible to procure confirmation of his election. He was transferred to the diocese of Florence in 1250, and then to Ravenna in 1251. When Innocent IV ordered a crusade against Ezzelino III da Romano, in 1254, Archbishop Filippo acted as the Pope's agent in trying to detach Ezzelino's supporters. Filippo Fontana died in 1274, and his body was returned to Ferrara, for burial in S. Bartolommeo. Ughelli, II, p. 542-544. Barotti, pp. 37-43. Gams, p. 694 column 2. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, pp. 247 with note 3; 250; 415.
^Quirini, a Venetian patrician, who had been bishop-elect of Creta, was provided (appointed) Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Innocent IV on 12 August 1252. On 20 December 1257, the diocese had a Vicar Capitular, i.e. the episcopal seat was vacant. Barotti, pp. 43-46. E. Berger, Les Registres d'Innocent IV III (Paris: Fontemoing 1897), p. 100 no. 5918. Eubel, I, pp. 215, 248.
^He was approved as Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Gregory X, who died in January 1275. Gregory named him Apostolic Legate to the Insubres (Lombardy). A document, notarized by order of Bishop Guilelmus, was dated 4 October 1286. Barotti, pp. 48-51. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Federico had been Bishop of Ivrea. He was transferred to the diocese of Ferrara by Pope Nicholas IV on 12 February 1289. He died on 16 May 1303. Ughelli, II, p. 544. Barotti, pp. 51-56. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Ottobono held the benefice of the Archdiaconate of Tongres (Liège). He was appointed bishop by Pope Boniface VIII, who died on 11 October 1303, before the bulls could be executed. The appointment was confirmed by Pope Benedict XI on 9 January 1304, but Ottobono refused the appointment. He never took possession of the diocese. Ughelli, p. 545. Barotti, p. 56. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^A native of Vicenza, Guido was a member of the family of the Conti di Monte Bello. He had been Inquisitor of Ferrara, and then the Prior of the Dominican Province of Lombardy. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XI on 3 April 1304. He died in 1332; his successor was appointed on 29 February 1332. Ughelli, p. 545. Barotti, p. 56-59. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Guido da Baisio, a Canon of Reggio, had been Bishop of Reggio Emilia (1312–1329), then Bishop of Rimini (1329–1332). He was transferred to the diocese of Ferrara by Pope John XXII on 29 February 1332. He died on 21 April 1349. Ughelli, pp. 545-546. Barotti, pp. 59-61. Eubel, I, pp. 197, 248, 417.
^A gentleman of Florence, Filippo held the offices of Prior of S. Pietro di Scaraggio and Provost of the Cathedral Chapter of Florence. He was appointed Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Clement VI on 21 October 1349. He was transferred to the diocese of Florence by Pope Innocent VI on 27 February 1357. He died between April and July 1363. Ughelli, p. 546. Barotti, pp. 61-62. Eubel, I, pp. 248, 250.
^Bernardo had been Bishop of Como, from which he was transferred to the diocese of Ferrara by Pope Innocent VI. He died in Ferrara on 16 March 1379. Ughelli, p. 546. Barotti, p. 62. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Cardinal Pierre d'Estaing was Papal Legate in Italy, residing in Bologna, from July 1371 until March 1374. On 13 October 1371 he was assigned the administration of the diocese of Ferrara. He was named Bishop of Ostia on 28 September 1373. He returned to Avignon in 1374, and negotiated a peace between the Church and Florence in August 1376. He died in Rome in November 1377. Pierre Jugie, "Estaing, Pierre d',"Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 43 (1993).
^Aldobrandino was the son of Rinaldo d'Este and grandson of Aldobrandino d'Este. He was named Bishop of Atri by Pope Clement VI on 29 March 1348, and in 1352 he was transferred to the diocese of Modena, which he governed for 25 years. He was transferred to Ferrara in 1377, and died there in 1381, according to his tombstone, on 31 October. B. Ricci, Di Aldobrandino d'Este vescovo di Modena e Ferrara e di un frammento di sue visite pastorali Modena, tip. Vincenzi, 1904 (Estratto dagli «Atti e Memorie della R. Deputazione di Storia patria per le provincie modenesi »., Serie V, Vol.3, vol. 4). Ughelli, p. 547. Barotti, pp. 62-63. Eubel, I, pp. 71, 353 (who omits d'Este from the list of Bishops of Ferrara, wrongly, and makes him die as Bishop of Modena).
^Guido had been a Canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Ferrara, and had been Bishop of Modena. He was appointed Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Urban VI in 1381 (according to Ughelli). He died in 1383. Ughelli, p. 547. Barotti, pp. 63-64. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Marcapesci was Bolognese, and a doctor of Canon Law. His tombstone states that he died in 1392. Barotti, p. 64. Eubel, I, p. 248.
^Marcapesci was Prior of S. Agatha in Ferrara, and Vicar of the Bishop. He was elected Abbot of Nonantola in 1366. He was appointed Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Boniface IX on 4 February 1393. He was named Archbishop of Soltania in Persia on 24 January 1401. Ughelli, pp. 547-548. Barotti, pp. 65-74. Eubel, pp. 248, 457.
^Bojardi was the son of Selvatico, Lord of Rubiera; his cousin Gherardo Bojardi was a Councilor of Marquis Niccolò of Ferrara. He had previously been Bishop of Modena, for less than a year. He was transferred to Ferrara by Pope Boniface IX on 24 January 1401. He was responsible for the transfer of the alleged relics of the martyr Maurelius in 1429. He resigned in December 1431. Barotti, p. 74. Ferranti, III, pp. 15-31. Eubel, I, pp. 248, 353.
^Fra Bartolommeo was a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV (della Rovere). He was appointed Bishop of Massa Maritima in 1472, at the age of 25, and transferred to the diocese of Ferrara on 11 July 1474. In 1475, Sixtus IV granted him the right to appoint to all benefices in the diocese, though he and the Cathedral Chapter were to agree on those normally in the gift of the Chapter. On 13 April 1480, he was named titular Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (a title which he was allowed to hold while Bishop of Ferrara). He died in Bologna in September 1494. Barotti, pp. 96-97. Ferranti, III, pp. 152-195. Eubel, II, pp. 153; 164; 187 with note 2.
^Borja-Lanzol was the son of Galcerán de Borja y Moncada, cousin of Pope Alexander VI, and Tecla Navarro de Alpicat. Juan was already Archbishop of Monreale, appointed on 13 September 1483, though he never visited the diocese. Pope Alexander named him a cardinal on 31 August 1492, and gave him the titular church of Santa Susanna. He was appointed Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Alexander on 29 October 1494, though he did not take possession of the diocese until 1497, and was non-residentiary. He was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Church in 1500. He died in Rome on 1 August 1503. Ferranti, III, pp. 196-244. Eubel, II, p. 153.
^Cardinal Ippolito d'Este (I), the son of Duke Ercole of Ferrara, was Administrator of a number of dioceses, but he was never consecrated a bishop. He is to be distinguished from his nephew and namesake. C. Marcora(1958), "Il cardinale Ippolito I d'Este," in Memorie Storiche della diocesi di Milano V, Milano 1958, pp. 325-520 (in Italian).
^Cardinal Salviati was a nephew of Pope Leo X. In the 1520s he was Legate in Spain and then three times Legate in France. He had an auxiliary bishop in Ferrara from 1529, Ottaviano di Castello of Bologna, Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law). He was appointed Bishop of Albano in 1543. Eubel, III, p. 196 with note 3.
^Luigi was the son of Duke Ercole II d'Este of Ferrara. On 2 June 1561 he was still in minor orders, i.e. not yet consecrated a bishop. Eubel, III, p. 196 with note 5.
^Rossetti was appointed to the diocese of Ferrara on 8 October 1563. He died on 25 February 1577. Eubel, III, p. 196. (Eubel names him as Bishop of Comacchio before he came to Ferrara, but his data on p. 173 does not accord with his data on p. 196.)
^Fontana was appointed Coadjutor bishop for Bishop Paolo Leoni, who had become senile, on 11 September 1579. Leoni died on 7 August 1590 (or in 1597, according to Eubel). Fontana held diocesan synods in 1590, 1592, 1593, 1594, 1595, 1596, 1597, and 1599. Fontana died on 5 July 1611. Barotti, pp. 119-121. Eubel, III, p. 197 with note 9; Gauchat, IV, p. 186. Lorenzo Paliotto (2002). Giovanni Fontana vescovo di Ferrara (1590-1611) (in Italian). Ferrara: Cartografica. ISBN978-88-88630-00-7.
^Leni had previously been Bishop of Mileto (Italy). He wa named a cardinal on 24 November 1608 by Pope Paul V, and assigned the Roman titular church of San Sisto. He was transferred to the diocese of Ferrara by Pope Paul V on 3 August 1611, and made his solemn entry into the city on 14 March 1612. He was Archpriest of the Lateran Basilica from 1620 to 1627, where he presided over the opening and closing of the Holy Door in 1625. He died on 3 November 1627. Barotti, pp. 122-125. Eubel-Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 186 with note 2.
^Magalotti was named a cardinal on 7 October 1624, and assigned the titular church of Santa Maria in Aquiro. He was appointed Bishop of Ferrara on 5 May 1628 by Pope Urban VIII. He died on 19 September 1637. Eubel-Gauchat, IV, p. 186 with note 3.
^Macchiavelli the nephew of Cardinal Lorenzo Magalotti, his predecessor, and a cousin of Cardinal Francesco Barberini and Cardinal Antonio Barberini. He was only twenty-eight years old when appointed Bishop of Ferrara by Pope Urban VIII on 11 October 1638. He was already a Canon of the Vatican Basilica, Auditor of the Roman Rota (1633–1638), and had been an Apostolic Nuncio in Cologne during the talks that led to the Peace of Westphalia. He was named titular Latin Patriarch of Constantinople in 1640, and allowed to keep the diocese of Ferrara. He was named a cardinal on 16 December 1641. He died in Ferrara on 22 November 1653. Barotti, pp. 127-128. Manini, pp. 193-205. Eubel-Gauchat, IV, pp. 24 no. 46; 162; 186 with note 4.
^Cerri: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 200 with note 2.
^Del Verme: Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 200 with note 6.
^Ruffo was administrator for life, according to the Bull of 27 July 1735, which granted the bishops the title of Archbishop; he was also Bishop of Palestrina. Cappelletti, p. 170. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 200 with note 7.
^Elci: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 215 with note 2.
^Barberini: Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 215 with note 3.
^On 13 January 1843, Cardinal della Genga resigned the diocese of Ferrara, to become Papal Legate in Urbino and Pisa. He was one of the three cardinals who attempted to govern Rome during the Second Roman Republic of 1849–1851, and the exile of Pope Pius IX. In 1852, on the return of the pope, he took up the post of Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars in the Papal Curia. Brevi memorie del cardinale Gabriele Della Genga (in Italian). Civita Castellana: pei tipi di Pietro Del Frate. 1861.
Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi. Vol. Tomus VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. (in Latin)
Balboni, Dante (1967). Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie écclesiastiques, 16 (1967) sub voce "Ferraria", coll. 1192-98, corretto da Antonio Samaritani, Enrico Peverada e Lorenzo Paliotto.
Lanzoni, Francesco (1898). Il primo vescovo di Comacchio, in Atti e memorie della regia deputazione di storia patria per le Provincie di Romagna, Terza serie, vol. XXVII, 1909, pp. 62–70
Andreoli, Alberto (ed.) (2001). L'antica diocesi di Voghenza: le radici cristiane di Ferrara : atti della Giornata di studi, Castello di Belriguardo, 25 giugno 2000.(in Italian). Ferrara: Arstudio C, 2001.
