The Diocese of Ales-Terralba () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church located in west-central Sardinia. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Oristano (Arborea).Catholic Hierarchy: "Diocese of Ales-Terralba" retrieved January 30, 2016 Ales lies at a distance of 31 km from Oristano in a direct line.
History It is claimed that Pope Gregory IIn a letter of August 591 (Regestum I, 77) to Bishop Martinus in Corsica, Pope Gregory mentions a long-vacant see called "ecclesiam Alirensem", and another called "ecclesia Tainatis." Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Epistolae Vol. 1 (Berlin: Weidmann 1891), pp. 96-97. (590–604) alludes to the episcopal see of Ales (anciently Uselli), in his letter to Januarius of Cagliari in 591.Mattei, p. 266, records the rejection of a "Cassianus," who was actually bishop of Usalensis in Byzacena (Africa proconsularis). He conjectures two other names, however: Vincentius and Agatho. This assertion is now rejected.e.g. by Gams, p. 831; Lanzoni (per silentium); Kehr, p. 458. Enciclopedia della Sardegna I, p. 100.
After this there is no reference to a diocese of Ales until 1147, when the name of Bishop Maurellu appears in a diploma.Kehr, p. 458: "Episcopi Usellenses inde a saec. XII med. inveniuntur; primus, quem novimus, Murrellu sive Maurellus ep. ecclesiae s. Mariae de Bonarcatu consecrationi interfuit." The manuscript actually reads: Pelius Episcopus Dusselieanas.Mattei, p. 267, col. 1. Giovanni Benedetto Mittarelli & Anselmo Costadoni, Annales Camaldulenses ordinis Sancti Benedicti, Volume 3 (Venice: Pasquali 1758), p. 299, no xxxii: "Testes hujus donationis fuere Comes de Laccone archiepiscopus Oristanensis, Paucapelea episcopus sanctæ Justæ, Ildibrandinus episcopus Terralbæ, Relius episcopus Duffelitanus, Ajus archiepscopus Turritanus, Marianus Telle episcopus Gisarchensis, qui etiam interfuere dedicationi præfatæ ecclesiæ ."
When the seat of the bishop was still in Usellus, the church of SS Giusta, Giustina and Enedina served as the cathedral. When the seat moved to Ales, eight km to the southwest, the church of S. Pietro became the cathedral.Cappelletti, p. 251. The cathedral was served and administered by a corporation called the Chapter, consisting of a Dean and eighteen Canons.Mattei, p. 265, column 2.
The climate of Ales and Usellus was so inhospitable that the bishops would spend the summer and autumn in Cagliari.Cappelletti, p. 251.
The diocese of Terralba has no memory of bishops before the 12th century.Kehr, p. 457: "Huius ecclesiae praesules non prius quam saec. XII med. occurrunt." The local traditions of Terralba record a Bishop Mariano, who erected the cathedral about 1144.Mattei, p. 260. The diocese occurs in the Liber Censuum of the late 12th century.Kehr, p. 457. Paul Fabre, Le Liber Censuum de l' Eglise romaine , Paris: E. Thorin 1889), p. 237.
Union of dioceses In the second half of the 15th century, several dioceses on the island of Sardinia were in difficulties due to financial shortages, as well as the movements of peoples. After extensive consultations had taken place between King Ferdinand of Aragon and Sardinia, Isabella I of Castile, and Pope Alexander VI, and after discussions with members of the College of Cardinals (including Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere) and other interested parties,Julius II, "Aequum Reputamus" (p. 168, col. 2: "volens charissimi in Christo filii nostri, tunc sui, Ferdinandi regis et clarissimae in christo filiae nostrae, tunc suae, Elisabethae Regum Hispaniarum, et Sardiniae illustrium , id summopere, prout eidem Praedecessori nostro per eorum litteras significaverunt, desiderantium, votis annuere; habita super iis cum eisdem Fratribus suis deliberatione matura, et de ipsorum consilio...." plans were advanced to consolidate the troubled dioceses. Alexander VI died, however, before the decisions were announced or implemented. After additional consultations, Pope Julius II, on 8 December 1503, in the bull "Aequum Reputamus," united the diocese of Ales and Terralba.Pasquale Tola, Codex diplomaticus Sardiniae Vol. 2 (Turin: e regio typographeo 1868) [Historiae patriae monvmenta, Volume 17], pp. 168-170, with note 3: "...Calaritanae Dolien., et Turritanae Sorren., et Plovacen., necnon Arborensi Sanctae Justae, et Othanensi Bisarquien., et Castren., nec non Usellensi Terralben. Ecclesias, ac eisdem de Alguer, et Ampuriensi de Castel Genoves Parrocchiales, ac Monasteria, nec non Sulcitanen. Ecclesiis Canonicatus ac Praebendas hujusmodi cum annexis, et omnibus juribus et pertinentiis suis authoritate Apostolica sub datum videlicet pridie Idus aprilis, Pontificatus sui anno decimo, perpetuo univit, annexit, et incorporavit." Martini, Storia ecclesiaastica di Sardegna II (1840), pp. 219-220. Buonaiutti, p. p. 283.
Pope Clement VII granted the Emperor Charles V the privilege of nominating candiddates to vacant archbishoprics, bishoprics and cardinalatial monasteries in the kingdom of Sardinia in 1533. The grant was for the emperor's lifetime. Pope Sixtus V renewed the grant to Charles' son, King Philip II of Spain in 1586. Pope Paul V granted it to King Philip III of Spain and his successors in 1609.Martini II, p. 245.
Bishop Francesco Masones y Nin (1693–1704) conducted a diocesan synod in 1696.Ibba, pp. 71-72.
Populations The population of Ales in 1692 was around 1,000 persons.Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 401, note 1. In 1761, it was reckoned at around 2,000.Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 428, note 1. In 1820, the village of Ales had a population of 749, and the village of Terralba a population of 3,040.Ibba, p. 95, Tavola 9. In 1920, there were reported to be 59,530 Catholics in the entire diocese, organized into 42 parishes.Buonaiutti, p. p. 283. In 2017, the inhabitants of Ales were numbered at 1,410 by the National Institute of Statistics; the comune of Terralba had a population of 10,201.
Contemporary arrangement The Bishop of Ales-Terralba, Roberto Carboni, O.F.M. Conv., was promoted on 4 May 2019 to be Archbishop of Oristano and on the same date was appointed Apostolic Administrator of his former diocese of Ales-Terralba. However, on 3 July 2021, without losing his position as Archbishop of Oristano, he was reappointed Bishop of Ales-Terralba. The announcement specifies that this act unifies the two dioceses in persona Episcopi ('in the person of the Bishop').
Bishops Diocese of Ales
... ( 1147) : MaurelluMaurellus (Pellus): Mattei III, pp. 266-267. ( 1182) : Comita PaisMattei, p. 267. Cappelletti, p. 252. ... ( 1234–1237) : Joannes MarrasCappelletti, p. 252. Gams, p. 831, col. 1. Eubel I, p. 510. ( 1312–1320) : Robertus Drago, O.P. ( ? – ? ) : Joannes (1330–1367) : Joannes de VieriA reservation on the appointment of a successor to Bishop John had been placed by Pope John XXII. Joannes de Vieri had been a priest of the diocese of Galtelli. He was appointed bishop of Ales by Pope John XXII on 27 June 1330. G. Mollat, Jean XXII: Lewttres communes Vol. 10 (Paris: E. de Boccard 1929), p. 387, no. 50382. Eubel I, p. 510. (1367–1373) : JacobusJacobus had been archpriest of Arborea (Oristano). Eubel I, p. 510. ( 1396) : Christophorus, Roman Obedience ( ? – ? ) : Gometius, Roman Obedience (1396–1402) : Antonius, Roman Obedience (1402–1403) : Jacobus, Roman Obedience (1412–1413) : Petrus, Avignon Obedience (1413–1418) : Petrus Spinola, O.S.B., Pisan Obedience (1418–1421) : Bernardus Rubei, O.F.M. (1421–1425) : Joannes de Campo(longo), O.Carm. (1425–1439) : Jacobus de Villanova, O.F.M. (1439–1444) : Joannes Garsiae, O.P. (1444–1454) : Bernardus Michaelis, O.P. (1454–1463) : Antonius de Bich (1463–1484) : Joannes de la Bona (1484–1490) : Pedro GarciaGarcia was appointed on 21 July 1484. On 14 June 1490, he was appointed, Bishop of Barcelona Catholic Hierarchy: "Bishop Pedro Garcia" retrieved January 30, 2016 (1493–1506) : Juan Crespo, O.S.A.(2 Oct 1493–1506)
Diocese of Terralba
( 1144) : MarianusMarianus: Cappelletti, p. 257. ( 1146) : IldebrandinusMittarelli & Costadoni, Annales Camaldulenses ordinis Sancti Benedicti, Volume 3, p. 299, no xxxii: "Testes hujus donationis fuere Comes de Laccone archiepiscopus Oristanensis, Paucapelea episcopus sanctæ Justæ, Ildibrandinus episcopus Terralbæ, Relius episcopus Duffelitanus, Ajus archiepscopus Turritanus, Marianus Telle episcopus Gisarchensis, qui etiam interfuere dedicationi præfatæ ecclesiæ ." ( 1182–1206) Marianus Zorrachi ( 1210–1224) : Torgodorius de MuroTorgodorius was named archbishop of Arborea (Oristano) on 30 October 1224. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, pp. 101, 479. ( 1228–1248) : Guantinus de ScuroConstantinus: Mattei, pp. 260-261. (c. 1299/1300) : FuratusFuratus is mentioned as the deceased bishop of Terralba in the appointment bull of Bishop Oddo Sala. Following his death, the Chapter appointed a committee to exercise the Way of Compromise. The committee chose Canon Mariano de Ruo of Arborea, but he was rejected by the pope. Georges Digard, Les registres de Boniface VIII Vol. 2 (Paris: Ernest Thorin 1890), p. 647, no. 3486. (1300–1302) : Oddo Sala, O.P.Oddo was appointed by Pope Boniface VIII on 14 March 1300. He was transferred to the mainland diocese of Pola (Istria) on 7 February 1302. He became archbishop of Arborea (Oristano, Sardinia) on 30 March 1308, and archbishop of Pisa on 10 May 1312. Cappelletti, p. 258. Eubel I, pp. 101, 400, 404, 479. Georges Digard, Les registres de Boniface VIII Vol. 2 (Paris: Ernest Thorin 1890), p. 647, no. 3486. (1302–1329) : Robertus Vacca, O.Min.Robertus died at the papal court in Avignon in 1329. Mattei, p. 261. Cappelletti, p. 258. Georges Digard, Les registres de Boniface VIII Parts 9-13 (Paris: A. Fontemoing 1907), p. 541, no. 4781. Eubel I, p. 479. (1329–1332) : Martinus, O.E.S.A.Martinus had been Prior of the Priory of S. Luca (Iglesias, Diocese of Sulci Sardinia). He was appointed bishop of Terralba on 20 October 1329, by Pope John XXII, because of the reservation caused by the death of Bishop Robert at the papal court. Georges Mollat, Jean XXII. Lettres communes Vol. 9 (Paris: E. de Boccard 1929), p. 55, no.47034. (1332–1356) : Joannes Rubei, O.Carm.Pope John XXII had placed a reservation on the appointment of the next bishop of Terralba. Following the death of Bishop Martin, Giovanni Rossi, who held the degree of master of theology, was appointed by Pope John XXII on 6 April 1332. Mattei, pp. 261-262. G. Mollat, Jean XXII: Lettres communes Vol. 11 (Paris: E. de Boccard), p. 168, no. 56831. Eubel I, p. 479. (1356–1364) : Guglielmo d'AragonaMattei, p. 262. (1364–1389) : JoannesJoannes had been Bishop of Bisaccia. He was transferred to Terralba by Pope Urban V on 13 September 1364. He appears to have chosen against Urban VI in the Western Schism, following the king of Aragon and Sardinia. Urban attempted to replace Joannes with Francesco Pasarino on 25 October 1378. Eubel I, p. 479. (1378– ? ) : Francesco Passarino, Roman Obedience (c. 1386) : Fennis, Roman Obedience (1409–1411?) Francesco, Roman Obedience (1411–1412) : Francesco di Roma, O.E.S.A., Pisan-Roman ObedienceFranciscus de Roma was appointed by John XXIII on 5 October 1411. Mattei, p. 262. Eubel I, p. 479. (1389–1412) : Pietro Ferrari, O.F.M., Avignon Obedience (1412–1419) : Guglielmo, Avignon Obedience (1419–1425) : Matteo Serra, O.P. (1425–1436) : Dominicus Joannis, O.P. (1436–1443) : Jacobus Fortesa (1443–1444) : Joannes de Aranda, O.E.S.A. (1475–1484) : Joannes Pellis (1484–1503) : Joannes Orient, O.F.M. (1503–1507) : Sede vacante
Diocese of Ales e Terralba Diocese of Ales united with Diocese of Terralba: 8 December 1503
From 1507 to 1704