Patriarchate of Aquileia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Patriarachate of Aquileia was an historical state and episcopal see in north Eastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of Aquileia situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Austrian sea-coast, at the confluence of the Anse an the Torre. For many centuries, and as such played and important part in history, particularly in that of the Holy See and Northern Italy.

1 History
2 See also
3 Sources and references

[edit] History

[edit] From bishopric to patriarchate

Ancient tradition asserts that the see was founded by St. Mark, sent thither by St. Peter, previous to his mission to Alexandria. St. Hermagoras is said to have been its first bishop and to have died a martyr's death (c. 70). At the end of the third century (285) another martyr, St. Helarus (or St. Hilarius) was bishop of Aquileia.

In the course of the fourth century the city was the chief ecclesiastical centre for the region about the head of the Adriatic, afterwards known as Venetia and Istria. In 381, St. Valerian appears as metropolitan of the churches in this territory; his synod of that year, held against the Arians, was attended by 32 (or 24) bishops.

In time, part of Western Illyria, and to the north, Noricum and Rhaetia, came under the jurisdiction of Aquileia. Roman cities like Verona, Trent, Pola, Belluno, Feltre, Vicenza, Treviso and Padua were among its suffragans in the 5th and 6th centuries. As metropolitans of such an extensive territory, and representatives of Roman civilization among the Ostrogoths and Lombards, the archbishops of Aquileia sought and obtained from their barbarian masters the honorific title of patriarch, personal, however, as yet to each titular of the see. This title aided to promote and at the same time to justify the strong tendency towards independence that was quite manifest in its relations with Rome, a trait which it shared with its less fortunate rival, Ravenna, that never obtained the patriarchial dignity.

It was only after a long conflict that the popes recognized the patriarchal title thus assumed by the metropolitans of Aquileia. Owing to the acquiescence of Pope Vigilius in the condemnation of the "Three Chapters", in the Fifth General Council at Constantinople (553), the bishops of Northern Italy (Liguria and Aemilia) and among among them those of the Venetia and Istria, broke off communion with Rome, under the leadership of Macedonius of Aquileia (535-556).

In the next decade the Lombards overran all Northern Italy, and the patriarch of Aquileia was obliged to fly, with the treasures of his church, to the little island of Grado, near Trieste, a last remnant of the imperial possessions in Northern Italy. This political change did not affect the relations of the patriarchate with the Apostolic See; its bishops, whether in Lombard or imperial territory, stubbornly refused all invitations to a reconciliation.

Various efforts of the popes at Rome and the exarchs at Ravenna, both peaceful and otherwise, met with persistent refusal to renew the bonds of unity until the election of Candidian (606 or 607) as Metropolitan of Aquileia (in Grado). Weary of fifty years' schism, those of his suffragans whose sees lay within the empire joined him in submission to the Apostolic See; his suffragans among the Lombards persisted in their schism. They went further, and established in Aquileia itself a patriarchate of their own, so that henceforth there were two little patriarchates in Northern Italy, Aquileia in Grado and Old-Aquileia.

Gradually the schism lost its vigour, and by 700 it was entirely spent; in the synod held that year at Old-Aquileia it was formally closed. It was probably during the seventh century that the popes recognized in the metropolitans of Grado the title of Patriarch of Aquileia, in order to offset its assumption by the metropolitans of Old-Aquileia. In succeeding centuries in continued in use by both, but had no longer any practical significance.

The Patriarchs of Old-Aquileia lived henceforth, first at Cormons, and, from the eighth to the thirteenth century, at Cividale del Friuli (Forum Julii). In the later part of the 8th century, the creation of a new metropolitan see at Salzburg added to the humiliation of Old-Aquileia, which claimed as its own the territory of Carinthia, but was obliged to acquiesce in the arbitration of Charlemagne, by which Ursus of Aquileia (d. 811) was obliged to relinquish to Arno of Salzburg the Carinthian territory north of the Drave. The Hungarian invasion of the 9th century and the decline of the imperial control increased the authority of the Patriarchs.

[edit] Expansion and collapse

German feudal influence was henceforth more and more tangible in the ecclesiastical affairs of Old-Aquileia. In 1011 one of its patriarchs, John IV, surrounded by thirty bishops, consecrated the new Cathedral of Bamberg. Poppo, or Wolfgang (1019-42), a familiar and minister of emperor Conrad II, consecrated his own cathedral at Aquileia on 13 July 1031, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Under his reign the city received also a new line of walls. Poppo also managed to free definitively from the Duchy of Carinthia and warred against Grado.

In 1047, the Patriarch Eberhard, a German, assisted at the Roman synod of that year, in which it was declared that Aquileia was inferior in honour only to Rome, Ravenna, and Milan. In 1063, however, Pope Leo IX declared Grado to have the supremacy, but Gotebald retained the support of the Emperor Henry III. In 1077 the patriarchs received the ducal title over Friuli by emperor Henry IV, an act traditionally regarded as the birth of the state of Aquileia. The Patriarchate subsequently extended their political control in the area: regions under Aquileian control in the following centuries included Trieste, Carinthia, Styria, Cadore and the central part of Istria. At its maximum height, the Patriarchate of Aquileia was one of the largest states in Italy. Noblemen from the Patriarchate were protagonists in the Crusades. In 1186 Patriarch Gottfried (Gitifredo Tedesco) crowned Frederick Barbarossa's son, Henry VI, as King of Italy: in retaliation, pope Urban III deposed him.

Damaged by earthquakes and other calamities, and reduced to a few hundreds inhabitants, Aquileia was nearly abandoned in the 14th century: the capital of the state was moved to Udine, in central Friuli, which had been a favourite residece of the patriarch since the 13th century.

Aquileia lost gradually to other metropolitans several of its suffragans, and when the Patriarchate of Grado was at last transferred (1451) from that insignificant place to Venice, the prestige of Old-Aquileia could not but suffer notably. Since the transfer of the patriarchical residence to Udine the Venetians had never lived in peace with the patriarchate, of whose imperial favour and tendencies they were jealous. When the patriarch Louis of Teck (1412-39) compromised himself in a war between Hungary and Venice, the latter seized on all the lands donated to the patriarchate by the German Empire. The loss of his ancient temporal estate was acquiesced a little later in 1445 by the succeeding patriarch, in return for an annual salary of 5,000 ducats allowed him from the Venetian treasury. Henceforth only Venetians were allowed to hold the Patriarchate of Aquileia.

Under the famous Domenigo Grimani (Cardinal since 1497), Austrian Friuli was added to the territory of the patriarchate whose jurisdiction thus extended over some Austrian dioceses.

[edit] Extinction of the Patriarchate

The 109th and last Patriarch of Aquileia was Daniel Dolfin, coadjutor since 1714 of his predecessor, Dionigio Dolfin, his successor since 1734, and Cardinal since 1747.

The Venetian claim to the nomination of the Patriarch of Aquileia had been met by a counter-claim on the part of Austria since the end of the fifteenth century when, as mentioned above, Austrian dioceses came to be included within the jurisdiction of the patriarchate.

Finally, Benedict XIV was chosen as arbiter. He awarded (1748-49) to the Patriarchate of Udine the Venetian territory in Friuli, and for the Austrian possessions he created a vicariate Apostolic with residence at Goerz, independent of the Patriarch of Aquileia, and exempt (i.e. immediately dependent on the Holy See), in whose name all jurisdiction was exercised.

This decision was not satisfactory to Venice, and in 1751 the Pope divided the patriarchate into two archdioceses; one at Udine, with Venetian Friuli for its territory, the other at Goerz, with jurisdiction over Austrian Friuli. Of the ancient patriarchate, once so proud and influential, there remained but the parish church of Acquileia. It was made immediately subject to the Apostolic See and to its rector was granted the right of using episcopal insignia seven times in the year.