ASCOLI PICENO, DIOCESE OF. — Bishopric of the Marches, immediately subject, from its earliest origins, to the Apostolic See. Already mentioned by Julius Caesar under the name Asculum Picenum, the city of A. is situated on a wedge-shaped elevation with a flattened summit, at the confluence of the Tronto and Castellano rivers, approximately 25 km from the Adriatic. It is the provincial capital (2,089 sq. km) and the seat of a diocese whose boundaries are delimited to the east by the diocese of Ripatransone, to the north by that of Montalto, to the west by Rieti and Norcia, and to the south by Teramo. The ecclesiastical district has 170 parishes, 174 diocesan priests and 43 religious priests; a population of 142,000 inhabitants, almost all Catholic.
A respectable though late tradition, accepted by all local historians, attributes to St. Emidio the preaching of the Christian faith in A. and the origin of the episcopal Church in the 4th century. While acknowledging the existence at that time of an established Christian community, it nevertheless does not seem possible to accept everything concerning the saint’s apostolate and episcopate in the city, since it derives from a legendary narrative, probably dating from the 11th century (BHL, 2535). In the 5th century the bishop of Ascoli, Lucenzio, the first known to us from the documents, was sent as a legate of Pope Leo I to the Council of Chalcedon (451; Jaffé-Wattenbach, 470). During the episcopate of Pietro Camaiani, the diocese ceded part of its territory to the newly established diocese of Ripatransone (1571), and shortly thereafter, under the episcopate of Cardinal Gerolamo Berneri, to that of Montalto (1586). The city and territory belonged to the March of Ancona, in which A. held fourth place among the most important capitals. From 1502 it was constantly under the Papal States and, from 1824, was the seat of a delegation until its annexation in 1860.
Abbeys. — Of the numerous abbeys, S. Savino was distinguished for its antiquity (6th century). The female monastery of S. Angelo (S. Angelo Magno), rich in history and art, was famous; nevertheless, after the various transformations it underwent, culminating in its conversion into a civil and military hospital in 1866, today only the Romanesque church (13th century) and abundant archival material remain (Libro Maggiore di S. Angelo Magno, manuscript of 1754 in the municipal library).
Monuments. — A. preserves various monumental churches built during the period extending from the 13th to the 15th century, among them S. Vittore, where characteristic wall paintings by local artists may still be admired, and S. Francesco, the finest Gothic monument in the city. The Cathedral, dedicated to St. Emidio, despite its cold and inexpressive 16th-century façade, contains significant architectural elements from earlier periods.
Museums-Archives. — In the Cathedral, in the Treasury, certain sacred relics are preserved. Examples of Christian art are numerous in the rich civic Picture Gallery, which houses the famous cope of Niccolò IV, a 13th-century textile of English workmanship, donated by the Pope to his native city. There is a chapter archive and a curial archive, with documents no earlier than the 15th century. — Vedi Tav. X.