Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Turin
Encyclopedia
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Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Founded in the 4th century and elevated to the dignity of an archdiocese on 21 May 1515, by Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
. Its mother church
Mother Church
In Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
is the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Turin)
Turin Cathedral is the major Roman Catholic church of Turin, northern Italy. Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist , it was built during 1491-1498 and it is adjacent to an earlier campanile...
. Since 2010 the Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
has been Cesare Nosiglia
Cesare Nosiglia
Cesare Nosiglia is the current archbishop of Turin since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2010.Nosiglia was born in 1944 in Rossiglione, Italy. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Acqui on 29 June 1968 at the age of 23. Nosiglia was sent to Rome for further studies in...
.
History
The first bishop of Turin whose name has survived was St MaximusMaximus of Turin
Saint Maximus of Turin was a bishop and theological writer. Maximus is believed to have been a native of Rhaetia.-Veneration:His name is in the Roman martyrology on 25 June, and the city of Turin honours him as its patron saint. A life which, however, is entirely unreliable, was written after the...
. He can hardly be considered the first bishop of Turin, even though no other bishop is known before him. Maximus, many of whose homilies
Homily
A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word...
are extant, died between 408 and 423.
It was another Maximus who lived in 451 and 465. In 494 Victor of Turin
Victor of Turin
Victor of Turin succeeded Maximus as bishop of Turin in 465 AD. He is venerated as a saint....
went with St Epiphanius
Epiphanius of Pavia
Epiphanius of Pavia , later venerated as Saint Epiphanius of Pavia, was Bishop of Pavia from 466 until his death in 496. Epiphanius additionally held the offices of lector, subdeacon and deacon....
to France for the ransom of prisoners of war. St Ursicinus (569-609) suffered at the hands of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
. It was then that the Diocese of Moriana (Maurienne) was detached from that of Turin.
Other bishops were Rusticus
Rusticus
Rusticus is a Latin adjective meaning "rural, simple, rough or clownish" and can refer to:Animals:* The rusty crayfish .* The gossamer-winged butterfly genus Rusticus, today usually included in Plebejus...
(d. 691); Claudius of Turin
Claudius of Turin
Claudius of Turin was the Catholic bishop of Turin from 817 until his death. He was a courtier of Louis the Pious and was a writer during the Carolingian Renaissance. He is most noted for teaching iconoclasm, a radical idea at that time in Latin Church, and for some teachings that prefigured...
(817-27), a copious and controversial writer, famous for his opposition to the veneration of images; Regimirus (of uncertain date, in the 9th century), who established a rule of common life among his canons; Amolone (880-98), who incurred the ill-will of the Turinese and was driven out by them; Gezone (1000), who founded the monastery of the holy martyrs Solutor, Adventor
Solutor
Solutor, along with Octavius and Adventor , is patron saint of Turin.Historical detail regarding these martyrs is sparse; their memory is preserved because the three were mentioned in a sermon by Maximus of Turin...
, and Candida; Landolfo (1037), who founded the Abbey of Cavour and repaired the damage inflicted on his Church by the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
incursions; Cuniberto (1046-81), to whom St Peter Damian
Peter Damian
Saint Peter Damian, O.S.B. was a reforming monk in the circle of Pope Gregory VII and a cardinal. In 1823, he was declared a Doctor of the Church...
wrote a letter exhorting him to repress the laxity of his clergy; Uguccione (1231-43), who abdicated the bishopric and became a Cistercian; Guido Canale enlarged the cathedral.
Under Gianfrancesco della Rovere (1510), the diocese of Turin was detached from the metropolitan obedience of Milan and became an archiepiscopal see with the diocese of Mondovì and Ivrea for suffragans, other sees being added later on. In the time of Cesare Cybo the diocese saw the rise of Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, and his successors were also called upon to attempt to restore Roman Catholicism. Cardinal Girolamo della Rovere, in 1564, brought to Turin the Holy Shroud
Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud is a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. The image on the shroud is...
and the body of St Maurice, the martyr.
From 1713 to 1727, owing to difficulties with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, the See of Turin remained vacant. After 1848, Cardinal Luigi Fransoni (1832-62) became notable for his opposition to the Piedmontese Government's reform of the rights of the Church, and in consequence he went into in exile. His successors include Gaetano Alimonda (1883-91) and Agostino Richelmy
Agostino Richelmy
Agostino Richelmy was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1897 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1899.-Early life and education:...
(1897).
List of Archbishops of Turin since 1871
- Lorenzo Gastaldi (1871 - 1883)
- Gaetano Alimonda (9 Aug 1883 - 30 May 1891)
- Davide Riccardi (14 Dec 1891 - 20 May 1897)
- Agostino RichelmyAgostino RichelmyAgostino Richelmy was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1897 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1899.-Early life and education:...
(18 Sep 1897 - 10 Aug 1923) - Giuseppe GambaGiuseppe GambaGiuseppe Gamba was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and an Archbishop of Turin.Giuseppe Gamba was born in Asti, Italy and was educated at the local Seminary of Asti...
(20 Dec 1923 - 26 Dec 1929) - Maurilio FossatiMaurilio FossatiMaurilio Fossati was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as archbishop of Turin from 1930 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933.-Biography:...
(11 Dec 1930 - 30 Mar 1965) - Michele PellegrinoMichele PellegrinoMichele Pellegrino was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1965 until 1977....
(18 Sep 1965 - 27 Jul 1977) - Anastasio BallestreroAnastasio BallestreroAnastasio Alberto Ballestrero, OCD was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1977 to 1989, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1979.-Biography:...
(1 Aug 1977 - 31 Jan 1989) - Giovanni SaldariniGiovanni SaldariniGiovanni Saldarini was an Italian Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Turin.-Early life:Saldarini was born in Cantù in the Italian province of Como, in Lombardy. He was educated at St Peter Martyr Seminary in Venegono and the Theological Faculty, Milan...
(31 Jan 1989 - 19 Jun 1999) - Severino Poletto (19 Jun 1999 - 11 Oct 2010)
- Cesare NosigliaCesare NosigliaCesare Nosiglia is the current archbishop of Turin since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2010.Nosiglia was born in 1944 in Rossiglione, Italy. He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Acqui on 29 June 1968 at the age of 23. Nosiglia was sent to Rome for further studies in...
(11 Oct 2010 - )