Roman Catholic Diocese of Belluno-Feltre

The diocese of Belluno-Feltre is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the Veneto, northern Italy, created in 1986. The historic diocese of Belluno and diocese of Feltre were united under the name diocese of Belluno e Feltre in 1818. The diocese is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Venice.^[1]

History

At the end of the 10th century Belluno was affected by the political disturbances then agitating the Venetian provinces. Bishop Joannes II (959) obtained from Emperor Otto I for himself and his successors the title of count and temporal sovereignty over the city and the surrounding territory. He also fortified the city.

Christianity is said to have been first preached there by St. Hermagoras, a disciple of St. Mark and first Bishop of Aquileia, and next by Prosdocimus, first Bishop of Padua. Ferdinando Ughelli places the first bishop, Theodorus, in the reign of Emperor Commodus and the second, St. Salvator, as succeeding under Pertinax. About 300 another Theodorus is thought to have brought from Egypt the remains of St. Giovata, patron of the city.

The first bishop known to history is a certain Laurentius. In 587, he attended the schismatic assembly convened by Severus, Patriarch of Aquileia, in connection with the schism of the Three Chapters.

The twelfth century was a stormy period for Belluno, in both civil and ecclesiastical respects. In 1197 Bishop Gerardo de Taccoli was murdered by the inhabitants of Treviso, after which Pope Innocent III united the Diocese of Belluno with that of Feltre.

In 1462, at the request of the Venetian Republic, the two dioceses were separated. The first Bishop of Belluno was then Ludovico Donato. Bishops Pietro Barozzi, Mose Buffarello, and Bernardo Rossi (1499) rebuilt the cathedral. Luigi Lollin (1595) promoted the love of learning among the clergy and left bequests to provide for a number of priests at the University of Padua. Giulio Berlendis (1655) completed the work of enforcing the Tridentine reforms, and Gianfrancesco Bembo, a member of the Somaschi (1695), was zealous in the cause of popular education. In 1818 the diocese was reunited with that of Feltre.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Catholic Hierarchy page
2. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia article

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.