Spoleto, the Roman Spoletium, surrendered in the Gothic war (537) to the Byzantine general, Constantine; but in 546 it was recovered by Totila, and it was not retaken by the Byzantines until 552, when Narses restored the fortifications. In 572 Spoleto became the seat of a Lombard duke, Faroald.[3]
Duke Lambert distinguished himself in the wars against the Saracens, but disgraced himself by massacres at Rome in 867; he was afterwards deposed (871), then restored (876), but was a second time excommunicated by Pope John VIII. In 883 Guido II of Spoleto united under his sway the entire dukedom, which from this time was called the Duchy of Spoleto and Camerino. After the death of Charles the Fat (888), Guido had himself crowned Roman Emperor and King of Italy under Pope Stephen V (891); Pope Formosus in 892 also crowned his son Lambert II, who succeeded his father in the dukedom, kingdom, and empire.[5]
Alberico I, Duke of Camerino (897), and afterwards of Spoleto, married the notorious Marozia; he was killed by the Romans in 924. His son Alberico II made himself also master of Rome and remained there until the election to the papacy of his son John XII.[6]
During the conflict between the papacy and the Emperor Henry IV, the latter named other dukes of Spoleto. After this the dukedom was in the family of the Werners (Guarnieri) of Urslingen, Margraves of Ancona.[7]
On 28 July 1155, the city of Spoleto was completely destroyed by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.[8]
The popes maintained at Spoleto a governor, who was often a cardinal. As early as the thirteenth century, and more frequently in the fourteenth, Spoleto was involved in wars with Perugia, Terni, and other cities; in 1324 it was almost destroyed by the Perugians. In 1319 the struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines tore the city. Cardinal Albornoz favoured the city for the services which it rendered in the restoration of the papal power, and made it independent of Perugia.
On 15 January 1820, Spoleto became a metropolitan see, thanks to a bull of Pope Pius VII entitled Pervetustam Episcopalium,[10] and the ancient Diocese of Norcia was revived, with its territory taken from that of Spoleto.[11]
Bishops
Spoleto venerates as its apostle St. Brictius, who is also venerated in other cities of Umbria and Tuscany. The legend of his life is full of anachronisms.[12]
At the time of Bishop Petrus (573) Spoleto was under Arian rule. It is told that an Arian bishop in Spoleto wished to enter the Church of San Pietro, then the cathedral, by force, but was stricken with blindness.[citation needed]
Bishop Alfonso Visconti (1601) began the construction of the diocesan seminary.[14]
After the death of Cardinal Locatelli on 13 February 1811, King Napoleon of Italy on 14 April 1813 nominated Canon and Archpriest Antonio de Longo of Florence to be Bishop of Spoleto;[15] the Canons of Spoleto were unwilling to obey the imperial-royal command, and were therefore nearly all exiled. Pope Pius VII was in no position to intervene, since he himself was a prisoner of the Emperor Napoleon at Fontainebleau.
Chapter and cathedral
Bishop Adalbert (1015) laid the foundations of the new cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Primianus. He also moved the episcopal residence within the city to the monastery of S. Eufemia.[16]
Having destroyed the city in 1155, in 1185 Frederick Barbarossa presented to the cathedral the so-called Madonna of St. Luke, a Byzantine work with inscriptions of a dialogue between Mary and Jesus.[17]
In 1417, on the death of Bishop Jacopo, who was a partisan of Pope John XXIII, the clergy wished to proceed to the election of a new bishop, but the people prevented them, proclaiming as bishop Nicolò Vivari, the nominee of Pope Gregory XII.[18] Again in 1433 the clergy wished to revive their right of electing a bishop, but the intervention of Pope Eugenius IV prevented them.
In 1691 the cathedral Chapter was composed of two dignities (the Archdeacon and the Prior) and twelve Canons.[19]
Synods
In 1468, Cardinal Berardo Eroli (Bishop of Spoleto, 1448–1474) held a diocesan synod, attended by approximately 230 priests.[20]
Bishop Pietro Orsini (1581–1591) held a diocesan synod in Spoleto in 1583, and had the decisions published.[21]
A diocesan synod was held by Archbishop Giovanni de' Conti Sabbioni (1838–1852) on 10–12 May 1842.[22]
^Pius VII, bull Ad tuendam, of 3 January 1821, in: Bullarii Romani continuatio (in Latin). Vol. Tomus septimus, pars ii. Prato: Typographia Aldina. 1852. pp. 2085–2097. Sansi, Memorie aggiunte, pp. 148-149.
^Lanzoni, pp. 443-444, argues that there was only one Laurentius, but that he did not belong to the 6th century.
^Bishop Caecilianus received an admonition from Pope Liberius (352–366). Kehr, p. 6, no. 1.
^Bishop Achilleus was ordered by the Emperor Honorius to say Mass in Rome during the schism between Boniface and Eulalius. Kehr, p. 6, no. 1, note. He founded the church of S. Pietro, which became the first cathedral. Lanzoni, p. 444, no. 3. Campello, Historie di Spoleto I, pp. 237 and 240, conjectures that the synod which ended the schism was held in Spoleto.
^Bishop Amasius was consecrated on 23 May 476, and died on 23 July 489. Lanzoni, p. 444, no. 5. Epiphanius, who is mentioned at the same time, was Bishop of Spello, not Spoleto.
^There is no proof of the episcopal status of Meletius. Lanzoni, p. 444. Campello, I, p. 249, calls Meletius an archbishop and claims that he was the first Metropolitan of Spoleto. Campello, p. 297, claims that he died on 16 December 497, which is impossible, given the known facts about Bishop Joannes.
^Bishop Joannes received a mandate from Pope Gelasius I (492–496). Kehr, p. 6, no. 1. Lanzoni, pp. 444-445, no. 6 ("Del resto non è neppùr necessario di credere alla testimonianza di quella tarda Passione, cioè che il vescovo Giovanni morisse con l'aureola del martirio.") Ughelli, p. 1256, says that Joannes was the Archdeacon of Meletius, and that he was elected bishop in 500; Coleti's note 5 demonstrates the impossibility of Ughelli's date. Ughelli claims that Bishop Joannes survived until 541, when he was killed by soldiers of Totila. Gams, p. 728, following Cappelletti (p. 338) puts his death in 547. This would give Bishop Joannes a rule of over fifty years.
^He is called Joannes Laurentius by Ughelli, p. 1257, and is said to have come to Rome from Syria as a young man in the reign of Justinian I (527–565). He was appointed bishop by Pope Vigilius (537–555), and he ruled the Church of Spoleto for eleven years. He resigned to become a hermit, and died on 3 February 576. Cappelletti, pp. 341-342. Gams, p. 728 (whose dates appear to be conjectural.
^Bishop Paulinus received a letter from Pope Pelagius I. Kehr, p. 7, nos. 3-5. Lanzoni, p. 445.
^Petrus is said to have been the successor of Laurentius. He is mentioned in the Dialogues of Pope Gregory I, c. 574. Ughelli, p. 1257 (who gives his date of death as 29 June 590). Cappelletti, p. 342. The skepticism of Lanzoni, p. 446, is raised by a Bishop Peter, buried in a church of S. Peter, on a Feast of S. Peter.
^Pope Gregory I wrote six letters to Bishop Chrysanthus, in one of which he ordered him, on the complaint of a priest Valentinus, to take legal steps against certain excommunicated monks, and, once he had discovered the truth, to deal with them. Cappelletti, IV, pp. 342-343. Kehr, IV, pp. 7-8, nos. 6-11. Lanzoni, p. 446, no. 8.
^Bishop Adeodatus attended the Lateran council of Pope Martin I in 649. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima editio, editio novissima, Tomus X (Florence: A. Zatta 1764), p. 866.
^Lupus: Ughelli reports that he restored the church of S. Paolo near Spoleto in 1002. Ughelli, I, p. 1258. Schwartz, p. 239.
^Bishop Adalbert (not Heribertus) attended the Roman synod of Pope Benedict VIII of 1015. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima editio, editio novissima, Tomus XIX (Venice: A. Zatta 1774), p. 363. Schwartz, p. 239.
^In a letter to the Emperor Henry IV, Pope Gregory VII indicates that certain persons unknown to him (quibusdam nobis etiam ignotis personis) were occupying the episcopal thrones of Foligno and Spoleto. Evidently they had not received papal approval and were intrusive. Schwartz, p. 240.
^Bishop Salomon is said to have been present at a Roman synod of Pope Paschal II, held in 1101, 1102, and 1103, but there is no proof. Schwartz, p. 240.
^After the agreement between Pope Alexander III and the Emperor Frederick II in Venice, Vitechirius was deposed. Ughelli, p. 1261. Cappelletti, p. 357. Gams, p. 728 column 1.
^Bishop Rasisericus (according to the subscription list) was present at the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima editio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 214. Ughelli, p. 1261. Cappelletti, p. 357.
^Gams, p. 728 column 2. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 461.
^Nicolaus Porta was transferred to the diocese of Constantinople in c. 1234. Cappelletti, pp. 360-361, refers to the bull of translation of 1236. Eubel I, pp. 206, 461.
^Bartholomaeus: Cappelletti, p. 361. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Ughelli, p. 1263. Cappelletti, p. 361. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Rolandus was approved by Pope Nicholas III on 10 May 1278. He died at Perugia on 3 April 1285, as he was returning from Rome, where he had been in litigation against the Archdeacon of Spoleto over the finances of the bishop's official income. Ughelli, p. 1263. Cappelletti, p. 361. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Paparone had been Bishop of Foligno. He was transferred to the diocese of Spoleto by Pope Honorius IV on 21 July 1285. During his administration fighting broke out between the Benedictines and the Franciscans over the possession of the monastery of Castel del Norcia. To settle the scandal, Pope Celestine V removed the monastery from episcopal jurisdiction and settled the quarrel through papal authority. Paperone died on 3 March 1290. Ughelli, pp. 1263-1264. Cappelletti, p. 362. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 461.
^Fra Francesco had been named bishop of Senigallia by Pope Celestine V. but Pope Boniface VIII transferred him to the diocese of Spoleto on 28 March 1295. He died in 1299. Ughelli, p. 1264. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Niccolò began his career as a lector at the studium at the Dominican convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. He was appointed Bishop of Spoleto on 1 July 1299 by Pope Boniface VIII. On 18 Dec 1303 Alberti was appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia e Velletri. He died in 1321. Emilio Panella, O.P., "Niccolò da Prato"; retrieved 28 April 2019 (in Italian). Eubel I, p. 461.
^Joannes was Archdeacon of Angers and a papal chamberlain. He was named Bishop of Spoleto on 23 December 1303 by Pope Benedict XI. Ughelli, p. 1265 (who wrongly states that Joannes was never consecrated a bishop). Cappelletti, pp. 362-363 (who wrongly states that Joannes survived until 1309). Eubel I, p. 461.
^A member of the prominent Florentine family, Bartolomeo had been a personal friend of Pope John XXII, had been governor of Interamna (Terni), and had built the city's aqueduct. He was appointed Bishop of Spoleto on 27 February 1320, and governed until at least 1344. Ughelli, p. 1265. Cappelletti, p. 363, finds evidence for his activity until 4 July 1344; Ughelli says he held the diocese until 1346. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Petrus: Cappelletti, p. 363. Gams, p. 728 column 2. Eubel I, p. 461 note 4.
^Joannes had been Bishop of Trent(o). He was transferred to Spoleto on 23 October 1349 by Pope Clement VI. Cappelletti, pp. 363-364. Gams, p. 728 column 2. Eubel I, p. 461, 498.
^Jacopo had been Bishop of Arezzo. He was transferred to the diocese of Spoleto on 18 July 1371 by Pope Gregory XI, and then brought to Rome as papal Vicar of the city of Rome. He died in Rome on 18 July 1374. Ughelli, p. 1266. Cappelletti, p. 364. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Gaillard was appointed by Gregory XI on 24 November 1372. He and the people of Spoleto chose the party of Clement VII (Avignon Obedience) in the schism of 1378, and therefore Gaillard was deposed from his bishopric by Urban VI (Roman Obedience). In his place Urban appointed an apostolic administrator in 1379, the Spaniard, Fernando. Gaillard died in Avignon in 1383. Ughelli, p. 1266. Cappelletti, p. 364. Eubel, I, p. 461.
^Palladini was appointed by John XXIII on 18 July 1410. He died in 1417. Cappelletti, pp. 364-365. Eubel I, p. 461.
^Vivari seems to have been an appointee of Gregory XII, made on 29 May 1410. Gregory, who had been deposed from the papacy by the Council of Pisa in May 1409, deposed Bishop Palladini and substituted Vivari, causing a schism. On 1 Feb 1419 Vivari was appointed Bishop of Chieti by Pope Martin V. Eubel I, p. 461, with note 8.
^A Canon of Bordeaux, Giacomo (Jacques) held the degree Doctor in utroque iure, and was Auditor causarum Sacri Palatii (judge in the papal Curia). He had been bishop-elect of Penne, appointed by John XXIII on 28 January 1415. He was transferred to Spoleto by Pope Martin V on 1 February 1419. He was transferred to the diocese of Carpentras on 7 July 1424. He died in 1425. Ughelli, pp. 1267-1268. Eubel I, pp. 168 with note 8; 395 with note 12; 461.
^Bucci had been Bishop of Aquino. He was transferred to Spoleto by Pope Martin V on 7 July 1424. He died in November. Eubel I, p. 461. Bishop Giacomo del Camplo appears to have stayed on as Apostolic Administrator. Ughelli, p. 1268.
^Sardi had previously been Bishop of Valva. He was transferred to Spoleto by Martin V on 21 May 1427. He died in 1445. Ughelli, p. 1268. Eubel I, p. 461; II, p. 241.
^Conti had previously been Bishop of Carpentras, from 4 February 1426. He was transferred to the diocese of Spoleto on 30 May 1446 by Pope Eugene IV. He died in 1448. Cappelletti, p. 365. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 168; II, p. 241.
^A native of Milan, Visconti had been a Referendary of the Two Signatures, papal collector of revenues in Portugal, and papal Nuncio to the Emperor Rudolph. Visconti had been Bishop of Cervia from 1591 to 1601, and served as papal Nuncio to the King of Spain, and then Legate in Hungary and Poland. He was created a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII on 3 March 1599, and assigned the titular church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina on 17 March. He was transferred to the diocese of Spoleto by Pope Clement VIII on 10 September 1601. He died at Macerata on 19 September 1608, and was buried at Loreto. Eubel, III, p. 164 with note 17. Ughelli, pp. 1269-1270. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, pp. 321 with note 3.
^A native of Genoa, Durazzo had been named titular Archbishop of Chalcedon and papal Nuncio to Spain. He was appointed a cardinal on 2 September 1686 by Pope Innocent XI, and assigned the titular church of San Pietro in Vincoli. He was appointed Bishop of Spoleto on 27 August 1691. He resigned the diocese on 7 February 1695. Cardinal Durazzo was named Bishop of Faenza in the Consistory of 11 November 1697. He died on 27 April 1710. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, pp. 13 no. 22; 199 with note 4.
^Benedetti: Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 362 with note 7.
^Ancaiani was born in Spoleto in 1684. He obtained the degree Doctor in utroque iure from the Sapienza in Rome in 1715, and became a Referendary of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures., eventually becoming its Dean. He served on the SC of Immunity. He was appointed Bishop of Spoleto by Pope Benedict XIII on 16 November 1739, and was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Guadagni on 30 November. He was dead before 8 March 1743. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 386 with note 2.
^Bonavisa: Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 386 with note 3.
^Locatelli: Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 386 with note 5.
^Canali was a native of Perugia. He was appointed Bishop of Spoleto on 26 September 1814 by Pope Pius VII. On 28 August 1820 Canali was transferred to the diocese of Tivoli (1820–1827. He was named a cardinal on 30 September 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI, though the fact was kept secret until 23 June 1834. He died in Rome on 11 April 1835. Cappelletti, p. 370. Sansi, Memorie aggiunte, p. 140. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, pp. 232, 351, 369.
^Pagliari was born in Camerino in 1834, and became a priest of the diocese of Gubbio. He was a teacher in the seminary of Gubbio, and Provost of the Cathedral Chapter. He was named Archbishop of Spoleto by Pope Leo XIII on 28 February 1879. He died on 5 February 1900. Il Monitore ecclesiastico (in Italian). Vol. II. Maratea. 1879. p. 14.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, p. 527.
Benigni, Umberto. "Spoleto."The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. Retrieved: 26 April 2019.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Spoleto". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
