HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA. - Title given by the Conventual father C. Eubel (v.) to his critical collection of the chronological episcopal lists of all Catholic episcopal sees. The author chose as his terminus a quo the year 1198, the year in which begins the continuous series of the Registri Vaticani and of the Regesta Pontificum Romanorum inde ab a. 1198 ad a. 1305 (2 vols., Berlin 1873-75) by A. Potthast. Initially Father Eubel intended to treat only the Middle Ages; in reality he himself and his collaborators went beyond the initial chronological boundaries, for the benefit of scholars, and vol. V, which is in preparation, will carry the episcopal lists up to 1730. It is a scholarly work of great value, though susceptible of improvements in details, based on archival sources, especially those of the Vatican Archive. It definitively replaces, for the period treated, the more schematic and in many parts outdated work of P. B. Gams (v.), Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae quotquot innotuerunt o beato Petro Apostolo (Ratisbon 1873, supplement, ibid. 1886, anastatic ed., Leipzig 1931), compiled only from printed works, such as, for example, the Gallia christiana (v.) for France and the Italia sacra (v.) for Italy. Four volumes have so far been published:
I. H. C. Medii Aevi sive Summorum Pontificum, S. R. E. Cardinalium, Ecclesiarum Antistitum series ab anno 1198 usque ad annum 1431 perducta. E documentis tabularii praesertim Vaticani collecta, digesta, edita (1st ed., Münster in W. 1898; 2nd ed., ibid. 1913).
II. H. C... ab anno 1431 usque ad annum 1503 perducta (1st ed., ibid. 1901; 2nd ed., ibid. 1914). These first two volumes are due to Eubel.
III. H. C. Medii et recentioris Aevi... Saeculum XVI ab anno 1503 complectens (1st ed., ibid. 1910); the volume, begun by the priest G. Van Gulik, was brought to completion by Eubel (the 2nd ed., ibid. 1923, edited by L. Schmitz-Kallenberg).
IV. H. C... a pontificatu Clementis Papae VIII (1592) usque ad pontificatum Alexandri Papae VII (1667) (ibid. 1935), the work of the Conventual father P. Gauchat.
V. In preparation, by the Conventual fathers R. Ritzler and P. Sefrin; it will cover the period between the years 1667-1730.
Each volume is divided into two parts: the first is reserved for the Popes and cardinals, the latter arranged by creation under the name of each pope, by titles and by surnames, with various annotations in footnotes; the second is devoted to the bishops, whose dioceses are arranged in the alphabetical order of the curial names, in Latin. Each name is accompanied by the dates of appointment (in the case of transfer or removal) and of death, with the indication of the archival sources, and in their absence with references to Gams; other brief but valuable notices are relegated to the footnotes. Each volume is furnished with at least 3 appendices: the Provinciale sive conspectus provinciarum per catholici orbis terrarum situs ac regiones dispositus, for the period covered in the individual volume; the index of dioceses in the vernacular; the list of the «auxiliares seu vicesgerentes in pontificalibus»; «addenda et corrigenda».
Vol. III contains an interesting appendix De Camera et Apostolica et S. Collegii Cardinalium (pp. 81-88) and vol. IV the index of the surnames of the bishops.
It is clear that in so vast a work errors and defects may be found, but taken as a whole it is an aid of primary importance for scholars and does honor to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual which has promoted it and continues it.
Bibliography6 works
A. Pietro Frutaz