The Italian Roman Catholic diocese of Acquapendente was an ecclesiastical territory in Lazio. The seat of the bishop was in the cathedral of Acquapendente, dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre (San Sepolcro). The diocese was established in 1649, when it was created in the place of the suppressed diocese of Castro. In 1986, along with other dioceses, it was merged into the diocese of Viterbo, Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone, Tuscania e San Martino al Monte Cimino."Diocese of Acquapendente" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016."Titular Episcopal See of Acquapendente" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

History

In 1649, in consequence of a conspiracy, Cristoforo Girarda, a Barnabite of Novara and Bishop of Castro, was assassinated in the Second War of Castro. In punishment of this crime, Pope Innocent X ordered Castro to be destroyed, and raised Acquapendente to the dignity of an episcopal city (Bull, 13 September 1649), directly under the Holy See. Its bishops, however, retained the appellation "post Castrenses." The first incumbent of the new See was the Hieronymite Pompeo Mignucci of Offida, who had been Archbishop of Ragusa. He took possession on 10 January 1650.

Bishop Nicolò Leti (1655–1674) held a diocesan synod in Acquapendente on 9–10 May 1660, and published the Constitutions of the synod. Bishop Florido Pierleoni, C.O. (1802–1829) held a diocesan synod in 1818.

By the middle of 1986, papal policy in the selection of bishops had concentrated in the person of Bishop Luigi Boccadoro: the Diocese of Viterbo e Tuscania, the diocese of Acquapendente (since 1951), the diocese of Montefiascone (since 1951), and the Administratorship of the diocese of Bagnoregio (since 1971); he was also the Abbot Commendatory of Monte Cimino. On September 30, 1986, Pope John Paul II moved to consolidate these several small dioceses by suppressing them and uniting their territories"in unam dioecesim iuridice redigeremus, satis enim eas coeptis, institutis, moribus, mente coaluisse....perpetuo unimus, unione, ut dicunt, exstinctiva; quae proinde adquiret atque comprehendet in suo territorio uniuscuiusque harum Ecclesiarum territorium" into the diocese of Viterbo e Tuscania, whose name was changed to the Diocese of Viterbo.Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. 78 (Città del Vaticano: Typis polyglottis vaticanis 1986), pp. 906-907. The diocese of Acquapendente ceased to exist.

The title of Acquapendente, though not the diocese structure, was revived in 1991, to serve as a titular see. It is currently the episcopal title of an auxiliary bishop.

Bishops of Acquapendente

Pompeo Mignucci, O.S.H. (1650–1654)Born in Offida (diocese of Ascoli Piceno), Mignucci held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure (Rome, 1617). In his Order he was commendatore di s. Giovanni di Pola e di s. Nicola di Gradisca. He served as Archbishop of Ragusa (1647–1650). He was appointed Bishop of Acquapendente by Pope Innocent X in the consistory of 10 January 1650. He died in October 1654. Cappelletti, Le chiese d'Italia V, pp. 573-574. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, pp. 88 with note 2; 291 with note 7. Nicolò Leti (14 Jun 1655 – 30 Sep 1674 Resigned)Gauchat, p. 88 with note 3. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 92. Lodovico Magni, O.F.M. Conv. (1 Oct 1674 – 1680 Died)Magni had been Procurator General of his Order in the Roman Curia. Gian Lorenzo Castiglioni (9 Dec 1680 – 5 Aug 1682 Died)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 4. Giambattista Febei (12 Jul 1683 – 14 Apr 1688 Died)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 5. Alessandro Fedele (17 Apr 1690 –1696)On 20 Feb 1696 Fedele was appointed Bishop of Jesi. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 6. Nicolò Nardini (21 May 1696 – Jul 1697 Died)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 7. Ambrosio Angelini (20 Nov 1697 – 9 Dec 1710 Resigned)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 8. Bernardino Egidio Recchi (26 Jan 1711 – Feb 1728 Died)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 9. Ferdinando Agostino Bernabei, O.P. (12 Apr 1728 –1729)On 23 December 1729 Bernabei was appointed Bishop of Osimo e Cingoli. Cappelletti, p. 576. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 10. Simone Gritti (23 Dec 1729 – 25 Nov 1743 Resigned)Ritzler-Sefrin, V, p. 92 with note 11. Bernardo Bernardi, O.F.M. Conv. (28 Nov 1746 – 31 Oct 1758 Died)Bernardi: Cappelletti, p. 576. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 92 with note 3. Giovanni Domenico Santucci (22 Nov 1758 – 4 Jun 1763 Died)Santucci: Cappelletti, p. 576 (who places the death on 13 June). Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 92 with note 4. Clemente Maria (Vincent) Bardini, O.S.B. (18 Jul 1763 – 4 Jul 1790 Died) Bardini: Cappelletti, p. 576. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 92 with note 5. Paolo Bartoli (21 Feb 1794 –1801) On 23 Dec 1801 Bartoli was appointed Bishop of Città di Castello. Cappelletti, p. 577. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 92 with note 6. Florido Pierleoni, C.O. (20 Sep 1802 – 29 Dec 1829 Died)Pierleoni: Cappelletti, pp. 577-578. Ritzler-Sefrin, VII, p. 82. Niccola Belletti (15 Mar 1830 –1843)On 19 Jun 1843 Belletti was appointed Bishop of Foligno. Cappelletti, p. 578. Ritzler-Sefrin, VII, pp. 83, 199. Felicissimo Salvini (19 Jun 1843 –1847)On 12 April 1847 Salvini was appointed Archbishop of Camerino. The diocese of Acquapendente was offered to Msgr. Brioli, the Vicar-General of Rimini, but he declined the appointment. Cappelletti, p. 578. Ritzler-Sefrin, VII, p. 83; VIII, p. 176. Giovanni Battista Pellei (14 Jun 1847 – 22 Nov 1877 Died)Pellei had been Bishop of Segni (1845–1847). Ritzler-Sefrin, VII, p. 346; VIII, p. 113. Concetto Focaccetti (1878–1887)Foccaccetti had been Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Acquapendente from 1867 to 1873, and was titular Bishop of Lystra (Turkey). He was appointed Bishop of Montefiascone on 25 July 1873, and transferred to the diocese of Acquapendente on 15 July 1878. He resigned on 14 May 1887, and was appointed Titular Archbishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia. He died on 26 September 1889. Ritzler-Sefrin, VIII, pp. 113, 305, 356, 393. Gisleno Veneri (23 May 1887 –1919 Retired)On his retirement on 15 December 1919, Veneri was appointed titular Bishop of Darnis (Libya). He died on 15 November 1937. Ritzler-Sefrin, VIII, p. 113. Tranquillo Guarneri (8 Mar 1920 – 21 Jul 1937 Died) Giuseppe Pronti (17 Mar 1938 – 1 Jan 1951 Appointed, Bishop of Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino) Luigi Boccadoro (14 Jun 1951 – 27 Mar 1986 Appointed, Bishop of Viterbo, Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone, Tuscania e San Martino al Monte Cimino)

References

Bibliography p. 660.

Attribution