The very first catalog of the bishops of Cesena was drawn up by Antonio Casari of Cesena in the middle of the 16th century. The work is lost, but its contents, and a good deal more, were published by Fra Bernardino Manzoni, O.Min., of Cesena, the Inquisitor of Pisa, in his Caesenae chronologia (1643).[2] The claim used to be made that the founder of Christianity in Cesena, and its first bishop, was Philemon, to whom Paul of Tarsus addressed an epistle.[3] Another 1st century bishop, Isidorus, is said to have lived in the time of Pope Anacletus (c.79–c.91) and to have been a martyr; his existence depends on a single document, which no one has seen, and Isidore is therefore generally rejected.[4] A bishop is posited in the second half of the 2nd century, since Pope Eleutherius (c. 174–189) consecrated his cathedral; but until the Edict of Milan, Christianity was an illegal assembly, and was not allowed to own property or build churches; the story is rightly rejected as an "impudent forgery".[5]
In medieval times Cesena was governed by various families, among them the Ordelaffi di Forli and the Malatesta, the latter being remembered for their justice and good government.
On 27 May 1357, a major fire destroyed many of the buildings in the episcopal compound.[8]
On 1 February 1377, Cesena was the witness to, and the victim of, an assault by Breton mercenary troops in the service of Pope Gregory XI and the Papacy. The massacre was ordered by Cardinal Robert of Geneva, the papal legate in northern Italy.[9]
In 1500, Cesare Borgia, having resigned the cardinalate and been given the title of "Gonfaloniere of the Holy Roman Church" and Captain General of the papal armies, began the conquest of the Romagna.[10] In late 1500 he seized Pesaro and Rimini, and, on 25 April 1501, Faenza as well.[11] His father Pope Alexander VI awarded him the title of Duke of Romagna, and Cesena became his capital. The Borgia pope, however, died on 18 August 1503, and the new pope, Julius II (della Rovere) was not interested in maintaining a semi-independent duchy in the Romagna. After the surrender of his castles to Pope Julius II, Cesare Borgia, no longer Duke of Romagna, fled Rome, seeking refuge in Naples. Cesena, though loyal to Duke Cesare,[12] with the rest of Romagna again acknowledged the immediate authority of the Holy See (1504).[13]
Chapter and cathedral
A new cathedral was built upon the petition of the Provost and Chapter and the citizens of Cesena, with the permission of Pope Urban VI, and named in honor of S. Giovanni Battista. Construction began in 1408.[14] The cathedral was staffed and administered by a corporation called the Chapter, which consisted of two dignities (not dignitaries), the Provost and the Archdeacon, and fifteen Canons. In addition there was a Theological Prebend and a Penitential Prebend.[15] In the mid-19th century, the Chapter was composed of three dignities (Provost, Archdeacon, Archpriest) and ten Canons.[16]
Synods
A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.[17]
Bishop Odoardo Gualandi (1557–1588) presided over two diocesan synods, in 1565 and 1566.[18] His nephew, Bishop Camillo Gualandi (1588 – 11 Feb 1609) held a diocesan synod on 15 October 1590.[19]
Cardinal Jan Kazimierz Denhoff (1687–1697) held a diocesan synod in the cathedral of Cesena from 30 June to 2 July 1693.[20]
On 16–18 June 1777, Bishop Francesco Agoselli (1763–1791) presided at a diocesan synod.[21]
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.[22] These considerations applied to Cesena and Sarsina. In 1980, Cesena claimed an estimated Catholic population of 152,000, with 201 priests. Sarsina, in 1980 had only 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 only 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.[23]
^Manzoni, pp. 5-6. Kehr V, p. 127: "Primum antistitem Caesenates s. Phllemonem, b. Pauli apostoli discipulum, colunt; sed quis credulus hoc putet?" The name has been warped into "Silemone" by some authors: Lanzoni, pp. 716-717.
^Lanzoni, p. 717: "In conferma dell'episcopato e del martirio di questo preteso greco, che si disse essere stato ordinato nientemeno che da papa Anacleto, gli scrittori locali citavano « una memoria autentica dell'archivio dell'arcivescovado di Ravenna », memoria mai veduta e conosciuta da alcuno, e, per giunta, tanto incredibile."
^Kehr V, p. 128: "Antiqua Caesenatum ecclesia cathedralis, quam ab Eleutherio pp. a. 192 dedicatam esse Caesenates chronographi satis imprudenter fabulantur." Lanzoni, p. 717: "Basta enunciare codesto racconto per qualificarlo con il Kehr (o. e, 128) una « impudens fabula »."
^Urban VI's letter is dated 4 August 1378. The reason given for the petition was that the old cathedral, built in the citadel, was difficult of access. Cappelletti II, pp. 544-545.
^Benedictus XIV (1842). "Lib. I. caput secundum. De Synodi Dioecesanae utilitate". Benedicti XIV ... De Synodo dioecesana libri tredecim (in Latin). Vol. Tomus primus. Mechlin: Hanicq. pp. 42–49. John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis (March 19, 1997): Acta Apostolicae Sedis 89 (1997), pp. 706-727. Andrea Tilatti, "Sinodi diocesane e concili provinciali in italia nord-orientale fra Due e Trecento. Qualche riflessione," Mélanges de l'Ecole française de Rome. Moyen-Age, Temps modernes T. 112, N°1. 2000, pp. 273-304.
^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."
^Pope Gregory I, letter to Marinianus, Bishop of Ravenna: L. Hartmann (ed.), Gregorii I papae Registrum Epistolarum Tomi II, Pars I (Berlin: Weidmann 1893), p. 424 [Monumenta Germaniae Historica] (in Latin)
^Pope Gregory I wrote a letter in October 603 to Marinianus, Bishop of Ravenna, instructing him to investigate the case of Abbot Fortunatus, whom Bishop Natalis had instituted in the monastery of S. Lawrence and Zeno in Cesena, but whom Bishop Concordius, Natalis' successor, had removed without apparent cause. Lanzoni, p. 721. Kehr V, p. 128, no. 1; 130, no. 1.
^Bishop Maurus attended the Lateran council of Pope Martin I on 5 October 649, as representative of Bishop Maurus of Ravenna. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus X (Florence: Zatta 1764), p. 866. Lanzoni, pp. 718-719. Ughelli II, p. 446.
^Florus was present at the Roman synod of Pope Agatho in 679. He subscribed the synodal letter which was sent to the Council of Constantinople of 680. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XI (Florence: Zatta 1766), p. 315. Lanzoni, pp. 718-719.
^Bishop Romanus was present at the Roman synod of Pope Eugenius II on 15 November 826. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIV (Venice: A. Zatta 1759), p. 999. The subscription reads Romano episc. Cerense, which is an easy scribal error for Cesense. Ughelli II, p. 446.
^Bishop Florus was present at the Roman synod of Pope Nicholas I on 18 November 861. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XV (Venice: A. Zatta 1770), p. 603. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 23. Cappelletti II, p. 532.
^Bishop Petrus was present at the synod held in Ravenna by Pope John VIII in August 877, after his meeting with the Emperor Charles the Bald, to deal with proper hierarchical subordination and plundering of church property. Ughelli II, p. 446. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XVII (Venice: A. Zatta 1772), p. 342.
^Maurus was the nephew of Pope John IX (898–900), according to Ughelli II, p. 446. His "Life" was written by Peter Damiani, who states that his uncle made him a bishop, which would point to Pope John XI (931–936). J.P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Latinae Tomus CXLIV (Paris 1853), pp. 945-952.
^Bishop Constantius was the nephew and probably the immediate successor of Bishop Maurus. Schwartz, p. 167.
^Bishop Goffredo was present at the synod of Ravenna. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XVIII (Venice: A. Zatta 1773), p. 440. Schwartz, p. 167.
^Desiderius was the successor of Joannes, and was left a mule in his Testament of 1262 by Count Gerardus of Bertinori. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 28.
^Gebizo had been Abbot of the monastery of Saints Boniface and Alessio on the Aventine Hill in Rome. In 1076, he had been papal legate in Italy, and in 1076 he was sent to Dalmatia, where he held a synod; he and Bishop Fulcoinus of Forosempronio crowned Duke Demetrius King of the Illyrians and Dalmatians. He was named Bishop of Cesena in 1083. He was still alive on 3 March 1097. He was never a cardinal. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 28-29. Klaus Ganzer, Die Entwicklung des auswärtigen Kardinalats im hohen Mittelalter (Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1963), p. 37.
^Ugo: Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 29-30. Schwartz, p. 169.
^Bishop Benno was still alive in 1141. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 31. It is sometimes wrongly stated that he was a cardinal, out of a confusion with Cardinal Beno (Bennone) (1057–1098), a schismatic opponent of Pope Gregory VII and Pope Urban II. Cf. Rudolf Hüls, Kardinäle, Klerus und Kirchen Roms 1049–1130 (Tübingen: Max Niemeyer 1977), p. 191.
^Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 39. Cappelletti II, p. 538. On very slim evidence.
^Eberhard is also called Everardus and Honerardus. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 39-40. Cappelletti II, pp. 538-539.
^On 8 July 1286, Archbishop Bonifacio Fieschi de' Conti di Lavagna of Ravenna presided over a provincial council, held in Forlì. It was attended by the bishops of Imola, Faenza, Forlimpopoli, Aimericus of Cesena, Sarsina, Adria, and Forlì, as well as procurators of the bishops of Bologna, Cervia, Modena, and Parma.J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXIV (Venice: Zatta 1780), p. 614. Coleti, pp 40-42.
^Bishop Gerardus was transferred to the diocese of Cervia by Pope John XXII. He died in 1329. Eubel I, pp. 154, 183.
^Bishop Thomas was transferred to the diocese of Ancona on 16 June 1326, by Pope John XXII. He died in 1342. Eubel I, pp. 87, 154.
^Acciaioli was a Florentine, the brother of Angelo Acciaioli, Bishop of Florence. Joannes was a doctor of Canon Law. He was exiled by Francesco degli Ordelaffi in 1335. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 52. Eubel I, p. 154.
^A native of Bologna, Guilelmus had served as Inquisitor in Picenum. He was appointed by Pope Clement VI on 3 October 1348, following the death of Bishop Bernardus. On 23 January 1349, Pope Clement VI wrote to Guilelmus, accepting his excuse of inquisitorial business, dispensing him from not yet having come to Rome for his consecration as a bishop within the canonical time limit. He died early in 1358. Lucas Wadding, Annales Minorum Vol. VIII (Rome 1733), pp. 375-376. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 53-54. Eubel I, p. 154.
^A native of Bologna, Bencivenus had been Vicar of Bishop Aimericus of Bologna. He weas appointed Bishop of Cesena on 11 March 1362 by Pope Innocent VI. He died on 13 June 1364. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 55. Eubel I, p. 154.
^Lucius had perhaps been a Canon of Pisa, and was a collector of papal revenues in Tuscany, residing in Florence. Pope Urban V appointed him Bishop of Cesena on 11 December 1364. In 1372, Pope Gregory IX appointed him Apostolic Visitor of the diocese of Pisa. Bishop Lucius was transferred to the diocese of Volterra by Pope Gregory XI on 9 January 1374. He died early in 1375. Ughelli II, p. 460. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 55-56. Eubel I, pp. 154, 536.
^Joannes was a master of theology. He was appointed Bishop of Cesena on 9 January 1374. He held office until April 1376. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 57, note 1. Cappelletti II, p. 542. Eubel I, p. 154.
^Ludovicus (Luigi, Aloysius) consecrated an altar of S. Sixtus in Pisa in 1378. Coleti points out that the Roman archives have no information about him. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 57, notes 2 and 3 (by Zaccaria). Cappelletti II, p. 542. Eubel I, p. 154 (hesitantly).
^Jacobus was an appointee apparently of Urban VI (Roman Obedience). Cappelletti II, p. 542. Eubel I, p. 154.
^Ughelliu II, p. 461, no. 58. Coleti conjectures that he might have been appointed by Clement VII or Benedict XIII. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 57-58. Eubel I, p. 154, simply follows Gams, p. 682.
^Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 58. Eubel I, p. 154, simply follows Gams, p. 682.
^Jacobus de Saladinis was a Canon of Ascoli. As bishop, he went over to the Avignon Obedience, and was excommunicated by order of Pope Boniface IX. He wrote his Testament in Ascoli in 1401, and died there in 1405. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 58. Eubel I, p. 154, simply follows Gams, p. 682.
^Malesardi was elected on 2 December 1405, and approved by Pope Innocent VII on 31 January 1406. He brought the current cathedral to a useable condition, though his successors continued the work for many years. He died on 6 March 1419. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 58-60. Ughelli II, p. 462. Eubel I, p. 154 with note 4.
^Paulus was the Datary of Pope Martin V. He was appointed Bishop of Cesena on 27 February 1425. He died in 1431, before 13 June, the date of the appointment of Augustinus Favorini. Ughelli II, p. 462. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 60. Eubel I, p. 154.
^Favorini was titular Archbishop of Nazareth. His appointment as Administrator of Cesena was revoked in December 1435. He died in Rome in 1443. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 60. Cappelletti II, p. 546. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 113 with note 1; 200 with note 1.
^Antonius Malatesta had been Provost of the cathedral of Fossombrone. He was appointed Bishop of Cesena by Pope Eugenius IV on 5 December 1435. He took part in the Council of Florence in 1439. He oversaw the construction of the campanile of the cathedral. He died in 1475. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 61. Cappelletti II, pp. 546-547. Eubel II, p. 113.
^Venturelli was appointed on 23 August 1475 by Pope Innocent VIII. He died on 23 August 1486. Eubel II, p. 113.
^Menzi held the degree of doctor of Canon Law, and was Auditor General of causes in the Apostolic Camera (Treasury). He was appointed on 11 May 1487 by Pope Innocent VIII. He died in 1504. Eubel II, p. 113 with note 4.
^Santori was a native of Viterbo, and served as papal Datary and Dean of the Clerics of the Apostolic Camera. He was appointed by Pope Julius II on 22 July 1504. On 1 December 1505, he was named a cardinal. He died at the papal court on 22 March 1510. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica III, pp. 10, no. 10, with note 3; 144.
^Spiriti was a native of Viterbo, and a nephew of Cardinal Santori. He was appointed Bishop of Cesena on 8 April 1510. He took part in the Fifth Lateran Council in 1514, under Pope Leo X, and in the Council of Trent in 1547, under Pope Paul III. He was given a coadjutor, his nephew, on 27 November 1545, and was named titular Patriarch of Jerusalem and papal Referendary on 28 February 1550. He worked in Rome, and died in the Roman Curia on 5 November 1556. Corriere Cesenate: "Una lettera di Michelangelo Buonarroti al vescovo di Cesena"; retrieved: 12 July 2012. Eubel III, p. 144 with note 4. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 69. Eubel III, p. 144 with note 4 (wrongly indicating that he was "senesc."); 210 with note 7.
^Giovanni Battista was the nephew of Bishop Cristoforo Spiriti. At the age of 24, he was appointed coadjutor and administrator of his uncle, from 27 Nov 1545 until 1557. Coleti saw documents signed by him dated 2 August 1557 and 4 October 1557. He was never consecrated a bishop. Coleti, Series episcoporum, p. 70. Eubel III, p. 144 with note 5.
^Tonti was born in Rimini in 1566, of a family originally from Cesena (or Pistoia, according to Cappelletti II, p. 548). He studied at Bologna and took the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He went to Rome, where he served in various capacities for Cardinal Francesco Borghese and Cardinal Scipio Caffarelli-Borghese. Tonti became titular Archbishop of Nazareth on 5 November 1608, and a cardinal on 24 November 1608. On Christmas Eve he was named papal Datary. He was transferred to the diocese of Cesena by Pope Paul V (Borghese) on 11 March 1609, though he continued to live in Rome, serving as papal Datary, until 1612. He died on 21 April 1622. Ughelli II, pp. 464-465. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, pp. 11, 48, 127, 254 with note 3.
^Denhoff was born in Warsaw in 1649. He was a Canon of Gniezno, and Archdeacon of Warsaw. He was sent to Rome by King John III Sobieski of Poland as his ambassador, to seek aid from Pope Innocent XI against the Turks, who were advancing on Vienna. On 2 September 1686, the pope named him a cardinal, and on 10 November 1687 appointed him Bishop of Cesena. He held a diocesan synod in 1693. He resigned the diocese on 2 June 1697, and died eighteen days later. Coleti, Series episcoporum, pp. 75-76. Ritzler and Sefrin V, pp. 13, 46, 59 and 134 with note 5.
^Fontana: Ritzler and Sefrin V, p. 134 with note 6.
^Battaglini: Ritzler and Sefrin V, p. 134 with note 7.
^Guicciardi: Ritzler and Sefrin V, p. 134 with note 8.
^Bellisomi was a native of Pavia, born in 1736. He served as Nuncio in Cologne and in Portugal. He was named a cardinal on 21 February 1794, and was transferred to the diocese of Cesena from the titular diocese of Tyana (Turkey) on 22 September 1795. Bellisomi was the leading candidate in the papal election of 1799–1800, with 19 votes (of 35), but he was opposed by the Austrian faction, which had sufficient votes to exclude him from the required ⅔ majority. He died in Cesena on 9 August 1808. Notizie per l'anno ... 1802 (in Italian). Roma: Cracas. 1802. p. 13. Notizie: per l'anno .... 1823 (in Italian). Roma: Cracas. 1823. p. 51. Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 138 with note 3.
^Castiglione was appointed Bishop of Montalto on 11 August 1800. He was named a cardinal by Pope Pius VII on 8 March 1816, and on the same day transferred to the diocese of Cesena. On 4 August 1821, Castiglioni was appointed Grand Penitentiary, and on 13 August appointed suburbicarian Bishop of Frascati. He was elected Pope Pius VIII on 31 March 1829, and died on 30 November 1830. Artaud de Montor, Alexis François (1911). The Lives and Times of the Popes. Vol. IX. New York: Catholic publication society of America. J.N.D. Kelly and Michael Walsh, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes 2nd edition (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 310-311.
^Cadolini was a native of Ancona. On 19 April 1822, he was appointed Bishop of Cesena by Pope Pius VII. He held a diocesan synod. He was named a cardinal on 19 June 1843 by Pope Gregory XVI. On 12 Feb 1838, he was appointed Bishop of Ancona e Numana. He died on 1 August 1851. Cappelletti II, p. 552. Gams, p. 666, column 2. Ritzler and Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, pp. 73, 124.
^Castracane had previously been Bishop of Cervia (1834–1838). He was transferred to the diocese of Cesena by Pope Gregory XVI on 12 February 1838. He carried out a restoration project on the cathedral (1843–1844). He died in June 1848. Cappelletti II, p. 553. Ritzler and Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, pp. 124, 146.
Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi. Vol. Tomus VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06. (in Latin)
Cappelletti, Giuseppei (1844). Le chiese d'Italia (in Italian). Vol. secondo. Venezia: Antonelli. pp. 525–556.
Coleti, Nicolaus (Niccolò) (1779). Series episcoporum Caesenatium a Ferdinando Ughellio contexta a Nicolao Coleto aliquantulum aucta, et emendata. Nunc a Francisco Antonio Zaccaria ut fieri potuit, restituta, atque ad nostrum tempus perducta. Caesenae: apug Gregorium Blasinium 1779. (in Latin)
Manzoni, Bernardino (1643), Caesenae chronologia in duas partes divisa : in quarum prima ecclesiae antistites, secunda civitatis domini Pisis [Pisa]: Typis Amatoris Massae & Laurentij de Landis. (in Latin)
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