Roman Catholic Diocese of Belluno-Feltre


The Diocese of Belluno-Feltre is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the Veneto, northern Italy, created in 1986. The historic Diocese of Belluno and Diocese of Feltre were united under the name diocese of Belluno e Feltre in 1818. The diocese is a suffragan of the Patriarchate of Venice.

History

Christianity is said to have been first preached there by St. Hermagoras, a disciple of St. Mark and first Bishop of Aquileia, and next by Prosdocimus, first Bishop of Padua. Ferdinando Ughelli places the first bishop, Theodorus, in the reign of Emperor Commodus and the second, St. Salvator, as succeeding under Pertinax. About 300 another Theodorus is thought to have brought from Egypt the remains of St. Giovata, patron of the city.
The first bishop known to history is a certain Laurentius. In 587, he attended the schismatic assembly convened by Severus, Patriarch of Aquileia, in connection with the schism of the Three Chapters.
At the end of the 10th century Belluno was affected by the political disturbances then agitating the Venetian provinces. Bishop Joannes II obtained from Emperor Otto I for himself and his successors the title of count and temporal sovereignty over the city and the surrounding territory. He also fortified the city.
The twelfth century was a stormy period for Belluno, in both civil and ecclesiastical respects. In 1197 Bishop Gerardo de Taccoli was murdered by the inhabitants of Treviso, after which Pope Innocent III united the Diocese of Belluno with that of Feltre. The two dioceses continued to be suffragans of the Patriarch of Aquileia.
In 1462, at the request of the Venetian Republic, the two dioceses were separated. The first Bishop of Belluno was then Ludovico Donato. Bishops Pietro Barozzi, Mose Buffarello, and Bernardo Rossi rebuilt the cathedral. Luigi Lollin promoted the love of learning among the clergy and left bequests to provide for a number of priests at the University of Padua. Giulio Berlendis completed the work of enforcing the Tridentine reforms, and Gianfrancesco Bembo, a member of the Somaschi, was zealous in the cause of popular education. In 1818 the diocese was reunited with that of Feltre.

Bishops

Diocese of Belluno

United: 1197 with Diocese of Feltre
Split: 1462 to reestablish Roman Catholic Diocese of Feltre
Latin Name: Bellunensis
Metropolitan: Patriarchate of Venice
United: 1 May 1818 with Roman Catholic Diocese of Feltre
Latin Name: Bellunensis et Feltrensis
Metropolitan: Patriarchate of Venice

Episcopal lists