The comune of Adria is north of the Po River, some 88 km (56 mi) north of Ravenna. Its territory comprises roughly the northeastern Italian civil Province of Rovigo (Rovigo itself is not an episcopal see), and a part of one town in the Province of Padua.
Tradition dates the preaching of the Gospel in Adria from the days of Saint Apollinaris, himself consecrated bishop by Saint Peter. The figure of this Bishop of Ravenna has a singular importance in the hagiographical legends of the northeast of Italy. Even if Emilia, Romagna and the territory around Venice were Christianized and had bishops before Piedmont, for example, their conversion does not go back beyond the end of the second century.
The diocese was established by the 640s AD as the Diocese of Adria. The first known bishop of Adria is Gallonistus, who was present at a synod in Rome (649) under Pope Martin I.[3] The Venerable Bede's Martyrology mentions a Saint Colianus, Bishop of Adria, but nothing is known about him.[4]
The diocese of Adria was a suffragan of Ravenna until 1818, despite its location in the territory of Venice.[5] On 1 May 1818, in the bull "De Salute", Pope Pius VII removed the diocese of Adria from subjection as a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Ravenna, and assigned it to the Patriarchate of Venice.[6] In the same bull, the diocese of Adria lost one parish to the Diocese of Padova, and six to the Archdiocese of Ferrara.[7] Adria gained two parishes from the Archdiocese of Ravenna, and two other parishes from the Archdiocese of Ferrara.[8]
The city of Adria had a population of c. 8,000 inhabitants in 1747.[9] A list of the parishes of the diocese and their populations c. 1850, estimated at 140,000 persons, is given by Francesco de' Lardi.[10] The diocese had in the early 20th century, a population of 190,400: 80 parishes, 300 churches, chapels and oratories; 250 secular priests, 72 seminarians, 12 regular priests and 9 lay-brothers; 90 confraternities; 3 boys schools (97 pupils) and 6 girls schools (99 pupils).[citation needed]
In a decree of the Second Vatican Council, it was recommended that dioceses be reorganized to take into account modern developments.[11] A project begun on orders from Pope John XXIII, and continued under his successors, was intended to reduce the number of dioceses in Italy and to rationalize their borders in terms of modern population changes and shortages of clergy. The change was made urgent because of changes made to the Concordat between the Italian State and the Holy See on 18 February 1984, and embodied in a law of 3 June 1985. Rovigo had become the capital of the civil province, and a more important center of social and political life than Adria, and an addition to the title of the diocese of Adria was decided upon. The change was approved by Pope John Paul II in an audience of 27 September 1986, and by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops of the Papal Curia on 30 September 1986. The diocese was renamed Diocese of Adria–Rovigo.[12] At the same time, it seemed appropriate "for a more appropriate looking out for the good of souls" that the Basilica of S. Stephen Pope and Martyr be granted the dignity of being a co-cathedral.[13]
The cathedral of the diocese of Adria is the Cattedrale di SS. Pietro e Paolo, in Adria,[14]province of Rovigo. The cathedral was administered and staffed by a corporation called the Chapter, consisting of an archpriest and seven canons; there were also twelve priests who carried out various religious functions. The archpriest served as pastor of the cathedral parish.[15] By 1747, the number of canons had been increased to twelve.[16]
It has a Co-Cathedral in the city of Rovigo, the Concattedrale di S. Stefano Papa e Martire, dedicated to the martyr Pope Stephen I. Rovigo was never a diocese.
^J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Vol. XII. Lanzoni, p. 943.
^The Bollandists identify him as the same person as Gallonistus: Lanzoni, p. 943: "un Golianus è molto oscuro e dì incerta età, sicché gli antichi Bollandisti credettero di identificarlo con il vescovo Callionistus o Gallionistus del 649 (Acta Sanctorum Februarii, II, p. 69; Ughelli X, p. 197)."
^Kehr V, p. 189: "licet civitas Adria cum territorio suo in Venetiarum provincia sita esset, metropolitanae iurisdictioni Ravennatum archiepiscoporum subiecti erant usque ad a. 1818."
^Bullarii Romani continuatio, Volume 15, (in Latin), (Roma: Ex Typographia Reverendae Camerae Apostolicae, 1835, pp. 38 § 13: subiectione erga archiepiscopalem Ravennatensem ecclesiam eximimus, ac liberamus episcopalem ecclesiam Adriensem, quam pariter metropolitino juri ejusdem patriarchalis ecclesiae Venetiarum perpetuo subjicimus, atque supponimus."
^"De Salute", p. 39 § 17: "Item a dioecesi Addensi secernimus paroeciam de Barbona, eamque ecclesiae Patavinae subjicimus: pàroecias etiam sex, quibus Adriensis ecclesia potitur in regione citra Padum in vicinitate dioecesis Ferrariensis, ab eadem Adriensi dioecesi secernimus, easque Ferrariensi archiepiscopatui addicimus."
^"De Salute", p. 39 § 17: "Tandem a dioecesi Ravennatensi se
jungimus pàroecias, seu loca, Crispini et s. Appollinaris; nec non a dioecesi Ferrariensi binas alias pàroecias de Fiesso et Pissatolce : easque dioecesi Adriensi perpetuo attribuimus."
^Directoriae normae clare a Concilio impertitae de dioecesium recognitione; indicia atque elementa apta ad actionem pastoralem aestimandam ab episcopis suppeditata quibus plurium dioecesium regimen commissum est.
^Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (1987), pp. 442-443: "intra eius fines sitam esse urbem Rhodigium, quae est caput provinciae civilis eiusdem nominis, atque sedes praecipua vitae socialis, politicae ac religiosae censetur."
^"...simul etiam visum est expedire ut, ad aptius animarum bono prospiciendum, in eadem urbe Rhodigio basilica Deo dicata in honorem S. Stephani Papae et Martiris ad dignitatem Ecclesiae Concathedralis evehatur."
^Leo(pertus) was present at the first Roman council of 861. Ughelli, II, p. 401. J.D.Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio editio novissima Tomus XV (Venice: Antonio Zatta 1772), p. 605, and cf. p. 603.
^Bishop Theodinus was present at the Synod of Ravenna in November 877, presided over by Pope John VIII. J.D.Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio editio novissima Tomus XVII (Venice: Antonio Zatta 1770), p. 342. Ughelli, II, p. 401. Gams, p. 768.
^Bishop Paulus was the recipient of a letter from Pope John X in 920. Ughelli, II, p. 401. Bocchi, pp. 4-5. Philippus Jaffe, Regesta pontificum Romanorum editio altera Tomus I (Leipzig: Veit 1885), p. 450, no. 3561.
^Contarini was appointed by Urban VI in August 1384. Bocchi, p. 18. De' Lardi, p. 25
^A native of Ferrara, Ugo was appointed bishop of Adria on 1 September 1386, by Urban VI. On 7 May 1392, Bishop Ugo was appointed Bishop of PaduabyPope Urban VI, and on 25 May 1392 he consecrated the new cathedral in Padua. De' Lardi, pp. 25-26. Eubel I, p. 71.
^Rolandinus: "ex archivo Classensi sub hoc anno reperiuntur Rolandinus episcopus Adriensis, et Angelus de Ricasolis episcopus Faventinus." Johanne-Benedicto Mittarelli & Anselmo Costadoni, Annales Camaldulenses ordinis Sancti Benedicti, (in Latin) Tomus sextus (1351 – 1430), (Monasterii Sancti Michaelis de Muriano: Jo. Baptistam Pasquali, 1761), p. 166. Bocchi, p. 18. De' Lardi, p. 25.
^Joannes was appointed on 26 August 1392 by Pope Boniface IX. Eubel I, p. 71.
^Bishop Jacobus died on 10 July 1444. Eubel I, p. 71; II, p. 80.
^Roverella, a Doctor in utroque iure and papal chamberlain, was appointed bishop of Adria on 15 July 1444, by Pope Eugenius IV. On 26 September 1445, Roverella was appointed Archbishop of Ravenna. He was named a cardinal by Pope Pius II on 18 December 1461, and allowed to retain the diocese of Ravenna. He resigned in 1475, in favor of his nephew. Bocchi, p. 22. Eubel II, pp. 80, 221 fwith note 1.
^A native of Ferrara, Giacomo held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure, and was a canon of the cathedral of Ferrara. He was appointed bishop of Adria by Pope Eugenius IV on 26 September 1445. He died in Ferrara on 20 December 1446. Bocchi, p. 22. Eubel II, p. 80.
^Costabili died in Rome in 1519, and was buried in S. Maria del Popolo. De' Lardi, pp. 31-32.
^Cardinal Pisani was appointed by Pope Leo X, but after three months he resigned in favor of Cardinal Rangone. De' Lardi, p. 32.
Zattoni, Girolamo (1905–06) "Il valore storico della Passio di S. Apollinare e la fondazione dell episcopato a Ravenna e in Romagna," in: Rivista storico-critica delle scienze teologiche, vol. 1 (Roma 1905), pp. 662–677; Vol. 2 (Roma 1906), pp. 179–200 and 677-691.
