The Diocese of Casale Monferrato (Latin: Dioecesis Casalensis) is a Roman catholic diocese in northwest Italy, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli which forms part of the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont. The diocese, which adheres to the Roman Rite, was established on 18 April 1474; in 2004 it had a population of 103,500 of whom 101,200 were baptised. Alceste Catella has been bishop of the diocese since 15 May 2008.  The cathedral of Casale Monferrato in Via Liutprando. [edit] History Casale Monferrato, the ancient Bodincomagus, is a city in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont (Italy), on the River Po, and has been a stronghold since the time of the Lombards. Liutprand, King of the Lombards enlarged it, and Emperor Otto II made it the chief town of a marquisate, giving it to the sons of Aleran, Duke of Saxony; later it was inherited by Emperor Michael VIII, Palaeologus, who sent thither his son Theodore. In 1533, the dynasty of the Palaeologi being extinct, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor gave it to the House of Gonzaga. From 1681 to 1706 it was in the hands of the French, from whom, in 1713, it passed to the House of Savoy. Casale was created a see in 1474 by Sixtus IV; previously it belonged to the Diocese of Asti. Its first bishop was Bernardino de Tebaldeschi; his successor was Gian Giorgio Paleologo (1517), who also governed the marquisate for his nephew, a minor. Among its noteworthy bishops were: the Dominican Benedetto Erba (1570), most zealous for the Christian instruction of children and the introduction of the Tridentine reforms, in which good work he was associated with St. Charles Borromeo; he was also the founder of the monti di pietà; Giulio Careta (1614), who imitated other contemporary bishops and founded an oratory for priests, and when the pest was ravaging Casale (1630) himself nursed the sick; Scipione Pasquali (1645), author of a history of the campaign of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy against Montferrat. Among the churches of Casale are the cathedral, one of the finest monuments of Lombard architecture, and that of Sant’Ilario (Hilary of Poitiers).[1] [edit] Bishops of the diocese [edit] Parishes The diocese, which covers an area of 970 km², is divided into 115 parishes[2]. The majority, like Casale itself, are in the Province of Alessandria, while the rest are divided between the provinces of Asti and Turin. A list of parishes by province and commune follows; locations (villages or neighbourhoods) within a commune are shown in brackets. [edit] Province of Alessandria - Alfiano Natta
- S. Antonio Abate (Sanico)
- S. Eusebio (Cardona)
- S. Marziano
- Altavilla Monferrato
- S. Giulio
- S. Defendente (Franchini)
- Balzola
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Borgo San Martino
- Santi Quirico e Giulitta
- Bozzole
- Visitazione di Maria Vergine
- Cabella Ligure
- SS. Nome di Maria (Guazzolo)
- Camagna Monferrato
- S. Eusebio
- Camino
- S. Lorenzo
- S. Pietro Apostolo (Castel San Pietro)
- Casale Monferrato
- Addolorata. A parish, located in the Borgo Ala quarter to the east of the old city walls, founded in 1802 as SS. Crocifisso e B.V. Addolorata. The church had been built in the previous century for the lay confraternity of SS. Crocifisso e B.V. Addolorata, founded in 1614 and the custodians of the ‘Entierro’, a Good Friday devotional tradition. Designed by Francesco Ottavio Magnocavalli, the church contains wooden statues of the crucifixion and of the Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) by the sculptor Felice Cassini. The parish’s name was changed to Addolorata in 1987.
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Castello. A former parish (still extant in the 1830s) served by Nostra Donna della Concezione: a small church founded in 1623 and used by the castle’s garrison.[3]
- Cuore Immacolato di Maria
- Sacro Cuore di Gesù
- S. Clemente (Rolasco)
- S. Domenico
- Sant’Evasio
- S. Germano (San Germano). The collegiate church of San Germano was parished in 1578. It was rebuilt in 1780 on a new site, and on a larger scale, to a design by Magnocavalli.[3]
- S. Giacomo Apostolo (Terranova)
- S. Giovanni Battista (Casale Popolo)
- Sant’Ilario, parish erected in 1520.[4]
- Patrocinio di S. Giuseppe (Roncaglia)
- S. Maria degli Angeli (Santa Maria del Tempio)
- Natività di Maria Santissima (Grangia di Gazzo). Of unknown antiquity, but certainly created before it passed from the the diocese of Vercelli to that of Casale in 1574, the parish was united with that of Terranova in 1872.[5]
- Santi Maria e Carlo
- Santo Stefano. The parish was erected a little before 1500.[6]
- Spirito Santo
- Castelletto Merli
- S. Eusebio
- Castelletto Monferrato
- S. Siro
- Cella Monte
- Santi Quirico e Giulitta
- Cereseto Monferrato
- S. Pietro Apostolo
- Cerrina Monferrato
- Natività di Maria Vergine (Montalero)
- S. Candido (Montaldo)
- Santi Nazario e Celso
- Coniolo
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Conzano
- S. Lucia
- S. Maurizio (San Maurizio)
- Cuccaro Monferrato
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Frassinello Monferrato
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Frassineto Po
- S. Ambrogio
- Fubine
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Gabiano
- S. Carpoforo (Cantavenna)
- S. Pietro Apostolo
- Santi Aurelio e Eusebio (Varengo)
- Giarole
- S. Pietro Apostolo
- Lu
- S. Valerio
- Mirabello Monferrato
- S. Vincenzo
- Mombello Monferrato
- S. Bononio Abate (Pozzengo)
- Santi Pietro e Anna
- Santo Spirito (Casalino)
- Moncestino
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Morano sul Po
- S. Giovanni Battista
- Murisengo
- Natività di Maria Vergine (Sorina)
- S. Antonio Abate
- S. Candido (S. Candido)
- Occimiano
- S. Valerio
- Odalengo Grande
- S. Quirico
- Odalengo Piccolo
- Santi Maria e Pietro Apostolo
- Olivola
- S. Pietro Apostolo
- Ottiglio
- Santi Eusebio e Germano
- Ozzano Monferrato
- S. Salvatore
- Pomaro Monferrato
- S. Sabina
- Pontestura
- S. Agata
- Natività di Maria Vergine (Quarti)
- Ponzano Monferrato
- S. Antonio Abate (Salabue)
- S. Giovanni Battista
- Rosignano Monferrato
- S. Giacomo Apostolo (Stevani)
- S. Martino (San Martino)
- S. Vittore Martire
- Sala Monferrato
- Natività di Maria Vergine
- San Giorgio Monferrato
- S. Giorgio
- San Salvatore Monferrato
- S. Anna (Fosseto)
- Santi Martino e Siro
- Serralunga di Crea
- Madonna di Crea
- Solonghello
- Santi Andrea e Eusebio
- Terruggia
- S. Martino
- Ticineto
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Treville
- S. Ambrogio
- Valenza
- S. Agata (Villabella)
- Valmacca
- Natività di Maria Vergine
- Vignale Monferrato
- S. Bartolomeo
- Villadeati
- S. Giorgio (Zanco)
- Santi Remigio e Grato
- Villamiroglio
- S. Stefano (Vallegioliti)
- Santi Filippo e Michele
- Villanova Monferrato
- S. Emiliano
[edit] Province of Asti - Calliano
- S. Desiderio (S. Desiderio)
- SS. Nome di Maria
- Casorzo
- S. Vincenzo
- Cocconato
- S. Maria della Consolazione
- Cortiglione
- S. Eusebio
- Grana
- Assunzione di Maria Vergine
- Grazzano Badoglio
- Santi Vittore e Corona
- Moncalvo
- S. Antonio di Padova
- Montemagno
- Santi Martino e Stefano
- Montiglio Monferrato
- S. Anna (Sant’Anna)
- Santi Antonio e Giacomo (Carboneri)
- S. Lorenzo
- S. Maria (Scandeluzza)
- S. Vittore (Colcavagno)
- Moransengo
- Santi Agata e Vitale
- Penango
- S. Grato
- S. Vittore (Cioccaro)
- Robella
- S. Giacomo
- Tonco
- Santi Maria e Giuseppe
- Tonengo
- Concezione Immacolata di Maria Vergine
[edit] Province of Turin - Brozolo
- S. Giorgio
- Brusasco
- S. Pietro Apostolo
- S. Pietro Apostolo (Marcorengo)
- Cavagnolo
- Santi Eusebio e Secondo
- Monteu da Po
- S. Giovanni Battista
- Rivalba
- S. Rocco
- Verrua Savoia
- S. Giovanni Battista
- Santi Sebastiano e Giacomo (Sulpiano)
[edit] Statistics At the end of 2006 the diocese had a population of 103,900 of whom 97.7% had been baptised as Catholics.[7]
| Year | Population | Priests | Deacons | Religious | Parishes | | | baptised | total | % | number | secular | regular | baptised
per priest | | men | women | | | 1949 | 138,268 | 138,358 | 99.9 | 385 | 256 | 129 | 359 | | 140 | 670 | 146 | | 1959 | 133,482 | | | 349 | 241 | 108 | 382 | | 180 | 635 | 146 | | 1970 | 128,750 | 129,000 | 99.8 | 266 | 188 | 78 | 484 | | 108 | 505 | 147 | | 1980 | 118,300 | 119,000 | 99.4 | 191 | 148 | 43 | 619 | 1 | 55 | 332 | 148 | | 1990 | 107,000 | 109,217 | 98.0 | 165 | 124 | 41 | 648 | 8 | 49 | 230 | 115 | | 1999 | 102,500 | 104,900 | 97.7 | 135 | 106 | 29 | 759 | 8 | 33 | 165 | 115 | | 2000 | 102,500 | 105,100 | 97.5 | 132 | 103 | 29 | 776 | 9 | 35 | 159 | 115 | | 2001 | 102,450 | 105,080 | 97.5 | 128 | 100 | 28 | 800 | 12 | 34 | 163 | 115 | | 2002 | 101,700 | 104,058 | 97.7 | 126 | 96 | 30 | 807 | 13 | 34 | 160 | 115 | | 2003 | 101,700 | 104,000 | 97.8 | 127 | 98 | 29 | 800 | 13 | 33 | 150 | 115 | | 2004 | 101,200 | 103,500 | 97.8 | 129 | 100 | 29 | 784 | 12 | 33 | 145 | 115 | | 2006 | 101,500 | 103,900 | 97.7 | 125 | 97 | 28 | 812 | 13 | 32 | 149 | 115 | [edit] References - ^ History section taken originally from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Casale Monferrato which is unfortunately strewn with errors.
- ^ "Diocesi di Casale Monferrato: Parrocchie". Diocesi di Casale Monferrato. http://www.webdiocesi.chiesacattolica.it/cci_new/vis_diocesi.jsp?idDiocesi=44.
- ^ a b Casalis, Goffredo, ed. (1836), "Casale", Dizionario geografico storico-statistico-commerciale degli stati di s. m. il re di Sardegna, Vol III, Torino, p. 673, http://books.google.com/books?id=iW8PAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA673 .
- ^ Casalis, Goffredo, ed. (1836), "Casale", Dizionario geografico storico-statistico-commerciale degli stati di s. m. il re di Sardegna, Vol III, Torino, p. 672, http://books.google.com/books?id=iW8PAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA672 .
- ^ ‘Terranova’, MonferratoArte. A databank established by the Associazione Casalese Arte e Storia as an amplified version of C. Aletto, Chiese extraurbane della Diocesi di Casale Monferrato: repertorio storico-biografico degli edifici di culto (San Salvatore Monferrato: 2006).
- ^ Casalis, Goffredo, ed. (1836), "Casale", Dizionario geografico storico-statistico-commerciale degli stati di s. m. il re di Sardegna, Vol III, Torino, p. 671, http://books.google.com/books?id=iW8PAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA671 .
- ^ *Annuario pontificio for the years up to 2007 as reported by www.catholic-hierarchy.org on the page [1]
[edit] External links
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