The Diocese of Verona () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. The diocese belongs to the Episcopal Conference of Italy, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Venice. The bishop of Verona has his seat in Verona, Veneto."Diocese of Verona" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016."Diocese of Verona" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016. The episcopal throne is in the cathedral, which had originally been dedicated to S. Maria Matricolare and S. George.Kehr VII. 1, p. 229.
History
Sources? The Carmen Pipinianum (Pippin's Song) is a 9th-century heroic poem, which includes a description of Verona and its churches, and gives a list of the first eight bishops: St. Euprepius, Dimidrianus (Demetrianus), Simplicius, Proculus, Saturninus, Lucilius (Lucillus, Lucius), , and Saint Zeno. Lanzoni, pp. 920-924.
Less important are the three fragments of the so-called Velo di Classe, now believed to be the altar cover from San Firmo e Rustico in Verona,Lanzoni, pp. 924-927. the pianeta (chasuble) of Classe in Ravenna, on which are represented not only the bishops of Verona, but also other saints and bishops of other dioceses venerated at Verona in the ninth century. These liturgical textiles, are not, of course, historical documents, but devotional aids.
Early bishops
It was once believed that S. Euprepius was a disciple of S. Peter the Apostle, a fact inscribed on the façade of the Church of S. Proculo in Verona. Lanzoni (p, 932) points out that the only bishop venerated in Verona as a saint for centuries was Zeno, which casts doubt on the status of "Saint" Euprepius: "S. Zenone fu per molti secoli l'unico vescovo venerato in Verona come santo...." The sixth bishop, Lucilius, attended the Council of Sardica in 347,J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus III (Florence: A. Zatta 1759), p. 47. which indicates that there is a problem with the list of bishops, with the dates, or with both.Lanzoni, pp. 931, 932. Since S. Zeno had been the eighth bishop, the episcopacy of Euprepius, and therefore of the erection of the see, must be placed not in the mid-third century, before the temporary peace given to the Church under Emperor Gallienus (260), but rather a generation later, under the first period of the reign of Diocletian, when the Church enjoyed peace. In the same "Carmen", mention is made of St. Firmus and St. Rusticus, martyred at Verona, probably under Maximian. Other evidence indicates that Firmus was killed at Carthage, c. 251–253, and that Rusticus was killed at Lambaesis (Africa) c. 259.Lanzoni, pp. 921-922
Zeno is called a martyr in the "Carmen" and is placed in the time of Gallienus (c. 260). At any rate the existence of a distinguished S. Zeno, Bishop of Verona, a contemporary of St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340–397), and author of a series of religious discourses, is historically attested, so as the ancient documents know but one bishop of that name, it must be concluded that, as early as the ninth century, the legend had corrupted chronology.
For the rest, we know from the sermons of Saint Zeno of Verona how deeply paganism was still rooted in Verona in his time, particularly in the country districts.
In the second half of the 6th century, other bishops, Solatius and Junior, following the other bishops of the province of Ravenna, joined the schism of the Three Chapters.Lanzoni, p. 933, no. 23.
Bishop Rotaldus imposed community life on the cathedral Canons (806) and reorganised the education of the clergy.Cappelletti X, pp. 752-755. As early as 1754, however, doubts were being expressed as to the authenticity of some of the documents of Bishop Rotaldus concerning the sharing of income and properties with the cathedral Chapter: In 813, however, he surrendered control of the Canons of the cathedral of Verona to the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Aquileia.Cappelletti X, p. 782, where he mistakenly prints "MCCCXIII" for "DCCCXIII". Among the masters of his school, the Archdeacon Pacificus (c. 776–c. 844) was known for his knowledge of the Greek language and Hebrew language,A.M. Allen, A History of Verona (New York: Putnam 1910), p. 8. although the Italian historian Cristina La Rocca demonstrates this claim to be a twelfth century fabrication. Pacificus apparently supported the revolt of Bernardus, son of Pippin, against the Emperor Louis the Pious in 817, and was confined to the monastery of Nonantola for the rest of his life.Cristina La Rocca, "A man for all seasons: Pacificus of Verona and the creation of a local Carolingian past," in: Yitzhak Hen and Matthew Innes (editors), The Uses of the Past in the Early Middle Ages (Cambridge University Press 2000), pp. 250- .
Nottingus (840) was the first Italian bishop to denounce the heretic Godescalcus de Orbais.Godescalc (Gottschalk) was condemned by the Synod of Mainz in 848, and by the Synod of Quierzy in 849. Ivan Basić, "Imperium and regnum in Gottschalk's Description of Dalmatia," in: , points out that our knowledge comes from a letter of May 840, from Hrabanus Maurus to Bishop-elect Notting, who sought sound information on the predestination issue from Hrabanus.
In 876, Bishop Adelardus (c. 875–911) found himself in trouble with the pope. On 2 November, he was summoned to appear before a papal synod to answer charges of oppressing the monastery of Nonantula by 30 November, or if that proved impossible, by 25 December. By another letter Pope John VIII reminded Adelardus that he had warned him several times through missi and bishops not to harass the monastery. Then, in accordance with a decision of the synod, he ordered Adelardus not to employ the property of Nonantula for his own purposes. Finally, on 17 April 877, Pope John announced to the Emperor Charles the Bald that he had excommunicated Adelardus. Pope John then wrote to the clergy of Verona that he had excommunicated Adelardus until he should come to the Papal Court and give adequate explanations for his conduct.Biancolini, Notizie I, p. 876. Kehr, VII. 1, pp. 219-220. Cappelletti X, p. 757. He was restored to the papal good graces quickly, and was in attendance at Pope John VIII's council of Ravenna in November 877.J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio editio novissima, Tomus XVII (Venice: A. Zatta 1772), p. 342.
Ratherius (932–968), a Benedictine and a distinguished author, was thrice driven from his see, in 952, 955, and 968, by usurpers, among whom was Manasses of Arles. After the third expulsion, he resigned and took refuge in the monastery of Lobbia, where he died in 974.Cappelletti X, pp. 757-758. Kehr, pp. 221-222, nos. 14-16. He also fostered learning in the cathedral school. Joannes (1027) was distinguished for sanctity and learning. Bishop Bruno (1073), who wrote some interpretations of Scripture, was killed by one of his chaplains.Bishop Bruno may was an opponent of the Emperor Frederick, who was in opposition to Pope Gregory VII. Biancolini I, p. 189.
Barbarossa, the popes, and Verona In the time of Bishop Ognibene (1157–1185), a distinguished canonist, Pope Lucius III visited Verona. During his stay, and the stay of his successor, the episcopal palace was used as the papal residence, and the bishop of Verona had to find quarters at the church of S. Giorgio.Cappelletti X, p. 767. Pope Lucius had been driven out of Rome by his own Romans, because he had opposed the Romans in their war against Tusculum. He was searching for heretics in the north, by which he meant those who denied the temporal or spiritual sovereignty of the pope, and was eager for a meeting with the Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. The pope arrived in Verona on 22 July 1184, but Frederick was detained in Germany by festivities surrounding the coronation of his son Henry as king. They finally met in late October, and held a series of acrimonious meetings.Frederick wanted himself and his son crowned emperors by the pope, as well as the en banc pardon of all his clergy who had supported his schism against Pope Alexander III. Lucius wanted help in rescuing Tusculum and returning to power in Rome. Finally they held a synod in Verona on 4 November 1184, denouncing various heresies, including the Paterini, the Cathari, the Humiliati of Lyon, the Passagini, the Josephini, and the Arnaldisti (by which he meant the Romans who rejected papal temporal power), and ordering their uprooting.Gabriele Zanella, Itinerari ereticali: Patari e catari tra Rimini e Verona, Istituto storico italiano per il medio evo, Studi storici (Rome, 1986). Lucius III issued the papal bull Ad Abolendam on the same day. Pope Lucius died, still in residence in Verona, on 25 November 1185, and was buried in the cathedral.Jaffé, p. 492. Oliviero Iozzi, La tomba di Lucio III in Verona (Roma 1907).
The cardinals met immediately after the burial of Lucius III, and unanimously selected as his successor Cardinal Umberto Crivelli, the Archbishop of Milan, "a violent and unyielding spirit, and a strong opponent of Frederick." He chose the name Urban III, and he spent nearly all of his brief pontificate with the Papal Court at Verona, besieged by Frederick with unbelievable fury. Anyone heading for Verona to appeal to the pope was subject to imprisonment, torture, and execution. Urban finally escaped from Verona at the end of September 1187, but died at Ferrara on 20 October 1187.Gregorovius IV. 2, pp. 612-614.
Frederick II, Ezzelino da Romano, and Verona
In 1229, the cities of the Marches, as well as Verona, revolted against the authority of Pope Gregory IX in favor of the Emperor Frederick II. The result was an intensified struggle between the Ghibellines (supporters of the Empire) and the Guelphs (supporters of the Papacy). In 1232, Frederick visited Verona, and, seeing that some cities of the Marche of Vicentino were collaborating with the Lombard League, the Ezzolino family entered into a firm alliance with Frederick, and obtained control over most of the lower Po valley. When Frederick died in 1250, EzzolinoEzzolino (Iscelinus) was married to Frederick II's illegitimate daughter, Seluaggia. became the leader of the entire Ghibelline party in the Po valley. Bishops Jacopo da Breganza (1225–1254) and Gerardo Cossadocca (1255–1259), who stood with the Papacy, were exiled by the Imperial Vicar, Ezzelino III da Romano. In February 1258, Ezzolino rounded up and executed a dozen and more citizens and nobles of Verona, who had been conspiring against him. In the summer, Archbishop Philip of Ravenna, who was also papal Legate, and bishop-elect Cossadoca, organized an expedition of Brescians, Modenese, and Veronese exiles, against Ezzolino's force of 300 soldiers, which was in Cremona; they expected to keep it from returning to Verona. Ezzolino met them at Torcella and soundly defeated them. The archbishop and the bishop-elect were among those captured and imprisoned, on 28 August 1258. The next day Ezzolino entered Brescia. During military operations in September 1259, however, Ezzolino was wounded, captured, and imprisoned, where he died on 27 September 1259. In September 1260, Mastino della Scala (Scaliger) was elected Podestà of Verona, but when he was not reelected, he had himself elected Captain of the People in 1262, and from that point, following the example of Ezzolino, he was Lord of Verona.Prisius de Cereta, "Annales Veronenses", in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptorum Tomus XVIIII (Hannover: Hahn 1866), pp. 15-16.