The Catholic diocese of Sarsina (Sassina, Saxena, BobiumGirolamo Zattoni, "Indipendenza del vescovo di Bobbio dalla giuridizione metropolitica di Ravenna," in: ) was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, seated in Sarsina, in the province of Forlì, some 32 km south-southwest of Cesena. The diocese was founded in the 5th century, and was suffragan (subordinate) to the archbishop of Ravenna. The diocese existed until 1986, when it was united with the diocese of Cesena."Diocese of Sarsina" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 7, 2016."Diocese of Sarsina" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 7, 2016.

History The patron of the city is Saint Vicinius,Santi e Beati: San Vicinio di Sarsina believed to have been bishop about the year 300.

In the bull "Dominici Gregis", of 1 September 1824, Pope Leo XII states that the diocese of Sarsina had existed since the 5th century. "Nosque pariter peculiarem habendam esse rationem censemus hujusce antiquissimae sedis Sarsinatensis, cujus episcoporum usque a saeculo quinto extat memoria...."

In the tenth century the bishops obtained the temporal sovereignty of the city of Sarsina and the surrounding district. They were styled Counts of Bobio.Braschi, Relatio, p. 7. From 1327 till 1400 it was disputed by the Ordelaffi of Forlì, the popes, and the bishops.

The archives of the diocese used to be kept in the castle of Ceola, but they were heavily damaged in the 16th century.Kehr, Italia pontificia V, p. 117. Bishop Angelo Peruzzi (1581–1600) had the castle decorated with effigies of his predecessors, to each of which was affixed a short verse, giving no dates and generally vague as to episcopal accomplishments. The verses are nonetheless used as historical source material.Ughelli II, p. 652. Cappelletti II, pp. 483-484.

Bishop Giovanni Battista Braschi (1699–1718) reported in his Relatio of 1704 that the cathedral had once had a Chapter with three dignities (the Provost, the Archdeacon, and the Archpriest), but that the Archdeaconry survived. There had once been two Canones supernumerarii, but they too had lapsed.Braschi, Relatio, p. 8. In 1749, there was one dignity, the Archdeacon, and fourteen Canons, though the population of Sarsina was about 600 persons.Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 368, note 1.

In 1807 Napoleon, who was President of the Cisalpine Republic, suppressed the diocese, in accordance with policies originally established by the French Civil Constitution of the Clergy. The arrangement was ratified by Pope Pius VII on 16 September 1803.Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica Vol. LXI (Venice: Tipografia Emiliana 1853), p. 211. The diocese was re-established in 1817.

In 1824, the diocese was so poor that it was not able to support the bishop in proper style, and therefore it had to be united to the diocese of Bertinoro, with the bishop of Bertinoro acting as administrator of the diocese of Sarsina, whose episcopal throne was left vacant. "Nos mente reputavimus, cum statum accepimus Sarsinatensis episcopalis ecclesiae, cujus mensa perexiguum nunc exhibit redditum annuum scutorum circiter sexcentum; quae nullo modo satis esse possunt ad episcopalem sustinendam dignitatem." The diocese of Sarsina was provided with a bishop by Pope Pius IX in 1872, ending the administratorship.

The diocese was suffragan of the archdiocese of Ravenna.

Consolidation of dioceses The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), in order to ensure that all Catholics received proper spiritual attention, decreed the reorganization of the diocesan structure of Italy and the consolidation of small and struggling dioceses.In its decree Christus Dominus, section 22, it stated: "Concerning diocesan boundaries, therefore, this sacred synod decrees that, to the extent required by the good of souls, a fitting revision of diocesan boundaries be undertaken prudently and as soon as possible. This can be done by dividing dismembering or uniting them, or by changing their boundaries, or by determining a better place for the episcopal see or, finally, especially in the case of dioceses having larger cities, by providing them with a new internal organization.... At the same time the natural population units of people, together with the civil jurisdictions and social institutions that compose their organic structure, should be preserved as far as possible as units. For this reason, obviously, the territory of each diocese should be continuous." These considerations applied to Cesena and Sarsina. In 1980, Cesena had estimated Catholic population of 152,000, with 201 priests. Sarsina, in 1980 had 13,200 Catholics, and 34 priests.

On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. Bishop Luigi Amaducci had governed both Cesena and Sarsina since 1977.

Instead, the Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese. On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Cesena and Sarsina be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Caesenatensis-Sarsinatensis . The seat of the diocese was to be in Cesena, and the cathedral of Cesena was to serve as the cathedral of the merged dioceses. The cathedral in Sarsina was to become a co-cathedral, and the cathedral Chapter was to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be one diocesan Tribunal, in Cesena, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the former diocese of Sarsina. Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (1987), pp. 671-673. .

Bishops to 1200

... Vicinius (4th cent.)Vicinius is the first bishop of Sarsina, according to his hagiographical "Life" found in a local prayer book (lectionary), written in the 11th century. Cappelletti II, pp. 484-486, quoting the "Life" from a manuscript in the Vatican Library. Lanzoni, p. 503-504.

[Rufinus]Rufinus (426) and his seven successors, Valerius (430) Faustus (457), Probus (460), Laurentius (501), Adeodatus (515), Felix (532), and Sergius (550), are known only from a locally produced poem. The dates are unverifiable in the absence of other evidence. The Laurentius who attended the Roman synods of Pope Symmachus (498–502), in fact, was Bishop of Boviano (Bobianum) not Sarsina (Bobium), and should be excluded from even the unverified local list. Ughelli II, p. 654. Lanzoni, p. 504. ... [Benno]Benno is known only from his effigy and verses in the Rocca di Ciola. And yet, he is credited with forty-five years in the diocese. Ughelli II, p. 654, admits that his dates are unknown. Gams, p. 724, puts him in 770, and credits him with changing the name of the cathedral from S. Vicinius to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Cappelletti II, p. 488. ... Lupo (attested 879)Pope John VIII ordered the archbishop of Ravenna to consecrate Lupo as Bishop of Sarsina in 879. Kehr, Italia pontificia V, p. 117, nos. 1 and 2. ... Wido (Guido) (attested 967)Bishop Wido subscribed a document of Pope John XIII in April 967. Schwartz, p. 179. Joannes (attested 969)Bishop Joannes was present at the Roman synod of Pope John XIII on 26 May 969. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIX (Venice: A. Zatta 1774), p. 21. Schwartz, p. 179. ... Alboardus (997–1024)Alboardus: Gams, p. 724, column 1 (who names him Alexander, following Cappelletti II, p. 490). Schwartz, p. 179. ... Divizo (1139?–1149?)Divizo: Ughelli II, p. 657. Cappelletti II, p. 496. ... Ubertus (attested 1055)Pope Adrian IV took the Church of Sarsina under papal protection and confirmed its possessions. Kehr V, p. 118, no. 3. ... Ubertus (attested 1154)Bishop Ubertus took part in the consecration of the cathedral of Rimini. Ughelli II, p. 657, no. 19. Cappelletti II, p. 497. ... Albericus (1176– ? )Bishop Albericus (Alericus) was present at the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 463. Cappelletti II, pp. 497-498. It was assumed that Bishop Albericus served until the appointment of his successor in 1221, but it has been shown that he was succeeded by Joachim, who was transferred from Sarsina to the diocese of Faenza on 10 February 1209 by Pope Innocent III. Eubel I, pp. 245, 436.

1200 to 1500

Joachim ( ? –1209)Bishop Joachim was transferred from Sarsina to the diocese of Faenza by Pope Innocent III on 10 February 1209. Eubel I, pp. 245 with note 1; 436 with note 1. Albericus (attested 1209–1221)Albericus: Gams, p. 724. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 436. Albertus Rufinus (attested 1230–1257)On 9 January 1232, Pope Gregory IX wrote to the Emperor Frederick II, commending Rufinus and the Church of Sarsina to the emperor's attention. The pope wrote to the nobles, soldiers, and people of Sarsina on 1 December 1234, to obey the bishop in his temporal jurisdiction which he derived from several emperors. Ughelli II, pp. 659-660. Cappelletti II, pp. 498-500. Joannes Guido, O.Cist. (attested 1265)Guido, who was bishop-elect was murdered toward the end of 1265. Pope Clement IV wrote a long letter on 31 December 1265 to the archbishop of Ravenna, instructing him to cooperate with Cardinal Simon Paltineri, the papal legate, in ejecting any intruder and preserving the property of the diocese. Ughelli II, pp. 661-662. Eubel I, p. 436 (where the date of death is manifestly incorrect). Gratia (1266–1271)Gratia was elected by the archbishop of Ravenna, acting as compromisor chosen by the Chapter, and approved by Pope Clement IV on 20 February 1266. Pope Clement also excommunicated the podestà, magistrates, and men of the city of Cesena for taking advantage of the disorders and seizing the territory of the diocese of Sarsina. Bishop Gratia died in 1271. Ughelli II, p. 663. Eubel I, p. 436. Henricus Ugucius Franciscus Calboli (1327–1361?)Francesco Calboli had to defend the city by force of arms against Francesco Ordelaffi. Joannes de Nomayo (1361–1385) Benedictus Matteucci Accorselli, 0.S.B. (1386–1395)Accorselli was the last bishop to exercise temporal sovereignty. Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica Vol. LXI (Venezia 1856), p. 209. Jacobus da S. Severino (1395–1398) Joannes Philippi Negusanti (1398–1445)Negusanti was a native of Fano. He was appointed Bishop of Sarsina on 26 October 1398 by Pope Boniface IX (Roman Obedience). On 25 February 1401, he was absolved from ecclesiastical censures which he had incurred because he had not been consecrated a bishop within the canonical time of six months. He died in 1445. Eubel I, 438 with note 6. Daniele di Arluno, C.R.S.A. (1445–1449)Daniele de Arnulo (Alunno) had been Bishop of Forlì, according to the chronology of the bishops of Sarsina, and exchanged episcopal thrones with Mariano Farinata on 27 January 1445; after four years, he was transferred back to Forlì, and Mariano Farinata was transferred to Sarsina. Cappelletti II, p. 507. However, Eubel II, p. 230, following Ughelli II, p. 671, does not consider him to have been Bishop of Forlì before his appointment to Sarsina. by Pope Nicholas V.