The Diocese of Città di Castello (Latin: Dioecesis Civitatis Castelli o Tifernatensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Perugia-Città della Pieve, in the central Italian region of Umbria.

Its cathedral episcopal see is a Minor basilica: Basilica Cattedrale di Ss. Florido e Amanzio Basilica, dedicated to Saints Floridus (the diocesan patron saint) and Amantius, in Città di Castello. The province and diocese have a Marian second Minor Basilica: Santuario-Basilica della Madonna del Transito Santuario, in Canoscio.

History

Territory

During the persecution of Diocletian (303), St. Crescentianus, a Roman knight, and ten others suffered martyrdom at Tifernum. Crescentianus killed a dragon before he was decapitated. The bishopric was erected circa 450 AD. In 550, by order of the Ostrogothic king Totila, the city then known as Tifernum or Civitas Tiberina was captured and destroyed. Città di Castello was later rebuilt around a castle, giving origin to the name used today.

In 590, the diocese of Tifernum gained territory from the suppressed Diocese of Sant'Angelo in Vado. The bishop was Floridus, who attended the synod of Pope Gregory I in 593.

By the Donation of Pepin (752), it became subject to the Holy See. It lost territories in 1013, to establish the Territorial Abbey of Sansepolcro, and on 19 June 1325 to establish the Diocese of Cortona.

The first-known bishop of this see was Ennodius, present at a Roman council (465) under Pope Hilary.

In 711 Arian Longobards put to death the bishop of the city, Albertus, and his deacon Britius.

In 875 Bishop Rainaldus was summoned to appear before the papal apocrisiarius Gregory and the magister militum Georgius, the vestiarius of the Patriarch of Aquileia, to answer a charge of homicide. Having failed to deal with the situation, despite several letters of excommunication, Rainaldus was summoned by Pope John VIII to appear in Rome and stand trial. Rainaldus appeared at the papal court, but stealthily avoided taking his seat in the synod, and instead fled the city by going over the walls like a thief. Revealing himself to be guilty, he was immediately excommunicated and interdicted. The Pope announced the result in a letter to the Emperor Louis.

Pope Celestine II (Guido di Castello) (1143–1144) was a native of Città di Castello.

In 1375 Città di Castello joined in the insurrection of other cities of the Papal States. Cardinal Robert of Geneva (later Pope Clement VII, Avignon Obedience), undertook to recapture it with Breton mercenaries, but was repulsed. Under Pope Martin V, however, it was taken by Braccio da Montone (1420). Later, Nicolò Vitelli, with the help of Florence and Milan, became absolute ruler.

In 1474 Pope Sixtus IV sent an army commanded by his nephew, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later Pope Julius II). After fruitless negotiations Cardinal Giuliano laid siege to the city, but Vitelli did not surrender until he learned that the command of the army had been given to Duke Federigo of Urbino. The following year Vitelli tried unsuccessfully to recapture the city; fear of Cesare Borgia alone induced him to desist.

On 22 September 1515 it lost more territory to the Territorial Abbey of Sansepolcro.

Synods

A diocesan synod was an irregular but important meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.

Bishop Giovanni Battista Lattanzi (1750–1782) held his first diocesan synod on 23–25 September 1766.

Bishop Francesco Antonio Mondelli (1814–1825) held a diocesan synod on 8–10 April 1818.

Bishop Giovanni Muzi held a diocesan synod on 1 June 1835.

Letterio Turchi (1850–1861) held a diocesan synod on 14–16 June 1853.

Bishops

to 1200

1200 to 1500

1500 to 1800

Since 1800

• Paolo Bartoli (23 Dec 1801 – 19 Jan 1810 Died)
• Francesco Antonio Mondelli (1814–1825)
• Giovanni Alessandro Muzi (1825–1849)
• Letterio Turchi (1850–1861)
• Paolo Antonio Micaleff (Micallef), O.S.A. (1863–1871)
• Giuseppe Moreschi (24 Nov 1871 – 9 Nov 1887 Died)
• Domenico Fegatelli (1888–1891)
• Dario Mattei-Gentili (1891–1895)
• Aristide Golfieri (29 Nov 1895 – 1 May 1909 Died)

[Giustino Sanchini (1909) Bishop-elect]

• Carlo Liviero (8 Jan 1910 – 7 July 1932 Died)
• Maurizio Francesco Crotti, O.F.M. Cap. (20 March 1933 – 25 July 1934 Died)
• Filippo Maria Cipriani (29 Sep 1934 – 8 Oct 1956 Died)
• Luigi Cicuttini (30 Nov 1956 – 7 Sep 1966 Resigned)
• Cesare Pagani (22 Jan 1972 – 21 Nov 1981), next Archbishop of Perugia)
• Carlo Urru (21 April 1982 – 7 Feb 1991 Retired)
• Pellegrino Tomaso Ronchi, O.F.M. Cap. (7 Feb 1991 – 16 June 2007 Retired)
• Domenico Cancian, F.A.M. (16 June 2007 – May 7, 2022 Retired)
• Luciano Paolucci Bedini (18 June 2022 - ; concurrently bishop of Gubbio)

See also

• List of Catholic dioceses in Italy