CREMA, DIOCESE of. — In Lombardy, province of Cremona; before 1580 the territory of Cremasco was divided among three dioceses: Cremona, Lodi, and Piacenza.
The church of Cremasco links its origin to the name of Gregorio XIII, who, by his bull Super universos of 11 April 1579, at the request of the Republic of Venice, under whose sovereignty C. and its territory lay, raised the town to the status of a diocese, assigning it as a suffragan see to the metropolitan see of Milan; but shortly thereafter, by a subsequent bull of 20 October 1582, he subjected it to Bologna. Only a little more than a century ago, precisely in 1835, did C. return to subjection to Milan.
The spread of Christianity in the territory of Cremasco formed part of the evangelization of the regions of northern Italy; the oldest traces may be dated to the 4th century, and in all probability the first evangelizers came from nearby Milan during the episcopate of s. Ambrogio (374–397). Piacenza, during the episcopate of s. Savino (380–420), and Lodi, under the episcopate of s. Bassiano (381–409), exercised a notable influence there in that same century and in the following one.
Archaeological discoveries, as well as the antiquity and name of the church, document that the cradle of Christianity in the land of Cremasco was Palazzo Pignano, a locality not far from C., historically much older and more important than the latter.
C., certainly earlier than the 6th century, to which some have wished to assign its foundation by incorporating it into the legendary enterprise of Count Cremete, who in the second half of that century is said to have fortified it rather than founded it, owes its prestige to the period of the glorious Italian communes; today it has 25,000 inhabitants and is the most industrial centre of the province of Cremona.
The episcopal succession of C. is distinguished by distinguished names; it is enough to recall Dalmazio Minoretti, who governed it from 1915 to 1930, and later became archbishop of Genoa and cardinal.
The diocese of C., the smallest in Lombardy, has 59 parishes, with a population of 70,853 inhabitants. The clergy consists of 133 diocesan priests (1948). The recently constructed seminary accommodates 80 students. Several male religious institutes carry out their activity in the diocese: the Capuchins and the Figli del S. Cuore di Gesù of Verona, as well as various congregations of nuns, which have 40 religious houses there.
In the Middle Ages, flourishing religious communities developed there, with churches, convents, and hospitals.
Among the historical monuments, the ancient parish church of Palazzo Pignano, from the 10th century, deserves mention, with relics of the preceding basilica, dating from before the 8th century.
The Duomo, dedicated to the S.ma Vergine Assunta, a distinguished monument of art, is one of the finest examples of Lombard architecture of the 14th century, the work of the Comacine masters. Begun in the last quarter of the 13th century, it was completed around the middle of the following century. It is in the Lombard Gothic style, but nevertheless preserves certain parts, such as the portal, from the older Romanesque-style cathedral destroyed by Federico Barbarossa in the famous siege of 1159.
The sanctuary of S. Maria della Croce, just outside the city, is famous. It is a concentric-plan building by the architect Giovanni Battagio of Lodi, a disciple of Bramante, who began it in 1490, taking as his inspiration the temple of the Grazie in Milan by the great master. It was subsequently completed in 1500 by the Cremasco architect G. A. Montanaro; in the restoration of 1903, L. Beltrami and E. Gussalli completed it, following the original design, with the smaller domes.