Macerata, Diocese of

MACERATA, DIOCESE of. - It is one of the least extensive of the Marches, but one of the most important, because it is situated in the middle of the region, of which it was the center of civil, intellectual and administrative life, so as to be considered the capital of the Marca d'Ancona and to become the seat of the rectors and vicars of the Marca, of the Treasury, of the general Curia and of the cardinal legates. The city is placed on a hill, at about 300 m. above the sea, from which it is distant in a straight line a little more than 20 km., at almost equal distance from the rivers Potenza and Chienti, in very fertile territory. It counts 32,000 inhabitants with 13 parishes.

I. HISTORY

After the destruction of Helvia Ricina, a Roman colony situated on the left bank of the Potenza, in 553 the inhabitants scattered over the surrounding hills, forming small communities there: already in the 8th century, on the hill of M. there are found several groups of population: Podium montis S. Iuliani, in the comitatus and diocese of Fermo, and Castellum de M. in the comitatus of Camerino, under a local lord. In 1116 the inhabitants of the Podium or Poggio obtained a charter of franchise confirmed in 1138, when the three groups had already united under the single name of M. In 1320, John XXII, having suppressed the diocese of Recanati, which had rebelled against the Church, raised M. to the rank of city and diocese in order to reward its unaltered fidelity. With this determination the territory of M. extended as far as the sea, including also the sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto. The first bishop of the new diocese was the bishop of Recanati himself, who was succeeded by the bl. Pietro Mulucci of the lords of M. In 1357, Innocent VI, having re-established the diocese of Recanati, united it with M. The union lasted until 1586, except for a brief interruption from 1516 to 1546. Of the bishops of the two united dioceses one must remember Angelo Correr (from 1415 to 1417), the legitimate Pope Gregory XII, who renounced the pontificate at the Council of Constance, in order to put an end to the schism. Appointed legate of the Marca and bishop of M. and Recanati, he died in the latter city in 1417, and is buried in the Cathedral. Another bishop who had great historical importance is Giovanni Vitelleschi of Corneto Tarquinia. Appointed to the sees of M. and Recanati and legate of the Piceno in 1431, he strove with all his might to re-establish the authority of the pope in the domains of the Church; he had the honor of a statue in the Campidoglio and was hailed as third founder of Rome. In 1435 he was created cardinal and appointed archbishop of Florence, then patriarch of Alexandria; he died tragically in Castel S. Angelo in 1442. The last bishop of the united sees was Galeazzo Moroni, nephew of St. Charles Borromeo, who remained in the see of M. separated from Recanati in 1586. In this year Sixtus V, having restored the diocese of Tolentino, united it with M., to which were assigned the municipalities of Urbisaglia and Pollenza, taken from the diocese of Camerino.

In the two sees, down to our own days, 23 bishops have succeeded one another, among whom were St. Vincenzo Maria Strambi (1801-24), Amedeo Zangari (1815-64), who died in the reputation of sanctity, Sebastiano Galeati (1881-88), later cardinal and archbishop of Ravenna.

Principal patrons of M. and diocese: Mary Most Holy of Mercy (first Sunday of September) and St. Julian the Hospitaller (31 Aug.).

II. ILLUSTRIOUS FIGURES

M. was the birthplace of many illustrious figures, both ecclesiastical and lay: of the former, the following cardinals are remembered: Buonaccorso Buonaccorsi (1616-78), Prospero Marefoschi (created in 1724), Simone Buonaccorsi (1708-76), Mario Compagnoni Marefoschi (1714-80), Guglielmo Pallotta (1727-95), Giuseppe Ugolini (1783-1863); and also: Fr. Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), the greatest missionary and first geographer of China; the servant of God Fr. Giulio Mancinelli (1537-1618); the canon Gian Mario Crescimbeni (1663-1728), historian, man of letters, first custodian of the Arcadia; Fr. Giuseppe Asclepi (1706-76), physicist and astronomer; Fr. Cassiano Beligatti (1708-91), missionary of Tibet; Fr. Francesco De Vico (1805-48), distinguished astronomer; Fr. Orazio Civalli (1594-1621), author of a valuable account of the convents of the Marches. Numerous bishops and other ecclesiastics distinguished for learning and holiness were born in M., for example: Pompeo Compagnoni (18th century), bishop of Osimo and Cingoli, historian of the Church of Osimo, described by Muratori as «the most learned prelate in Italy and the model of bishops»; Cardinal Gabriele Filippucci, jurist, who in 1706 renounced the purple. In the other field: Floriani Pompeo (1545-1600) and Pietro Paolo (1585-1638), condottieri and military engineers; Pompeo Compagnoni (1602-75), historian of the Piceno; Diomede Pantaleoni (1810-1885), physician and politician; Lauro Rossi (1810-85), musician and composer.

III. MONUMENTS

S. Maria della Porta: two superimposed churches, the lower one from the 9th century, the upper one from the 14th century, with a rich Romanesque-Gothic portal; S. Maria delle Vergini, on a design by Galasso Alghisi da Carpi, second half of the 16th century, in Greek cross with a tall octagonal dome, rich in works of art; the Cathedral by G. Giuliano, a national monument, rebuilt by Cosimo Morelli da Imola, from the end of the 18th century; the collegiate church of S. Mo Salvatore (S. Giovanni) by Rosato Rosati from the 17th century, author of the interior of S. Carlo a' Catinari in Rome; S. Paolo, by Ambrogio Mazzenta, who rebuilt the metropolitan church of Bologna; the temple of the Immaculate Conception, modern, by G. Rossi; worthy of special mention is the sanctuary-basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia: first construction 1447, renovated and enlarged in the mid-18th century by Vanvitelli: it preserves such [works] and frescoes by F. Mancini, S. Conca, B. Biagetti, and there the miraculous image of the Most Holy Virgin is venerated, principal patroness of the city and diocese.

IV. CIVIL BUILDINGS

Remains of the theatre of Helvia Ricina; the Fonte Maggiore of 1325: the Palazzo della Prefettura, formerly of the cardinal legates (13th-16th centuries); the Loggia dei Mercanti, of 1505, attributed to Giuliano da Maiano; numerous private palaces, among them: the Palazzo Floriani by Pellegrino Tibaldi (16th century), the Palazzo dei Diamanti, the Torre del Comune by G. Alghisi da Carpi, the Palazzo Ugolini by Valadier, the monumental Sferisterio by Ireneo Alcandri, etc.

V. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

Many in the past and in the present, with educational institutes, nurseries, hospitals, nursing homes. Among the confraternities, very numerous in the past, mention should be made of that of the Most Holy Sacrament in the Cathedral, established as early as 1496, one of the first in the whole world to have the very singular privilege, from the early years of the 1500s, of obtaining on Good Friday the release of those condemned to death: which privilege, reduced by Paul V in 1614 to a single condemned man, was exercised without interruption until 1860; Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity in the sanctuary of the Misericordia from 1577. Of the ancient guilds of "arts and crafts" and congregations, very numerous, only the Congregation of merchants and artists remains. Furthermore, in M. the practice of the Exposition of the Most Holy Sacrament originated in 1566, during carnival time, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Lord.

VI. UNIVERSITY

The oldest record of a school of law dates back to 1290; in 1540, Paul III established the Universitas studiorum, with all the papal and imperial privileges of the Universities of Bologna and Padua, with the faculties of theology, philosophy, law, moral [theology], natural physics, and medicine. Before ascending to the pontificate, Sixtus V and Gregory XVI taught there, as did Annibal Caro and the most distinguished doctors of the religious Orders present in M. In 1810 it was suppressed by Napoleon, and restored with its ancient privileges by Pius VII in 1816; by Leo XII, in 1826, it was declared pontifical with the faculties of theology, jurisprudence, medicine, and mathematics, subject to the authority of the bishop, with the title of chancellor; after the Marche were annexed to Italy, it became royal; the faculties were gradually reduced, and at present there is only the faculty of jurisprudence, which is very well attended.

VII. SEMINARY

Established in accordance with the Council of Trent, in 1615, but already conceived by Bishop Galeazzo Moroni as early as 1584: it had various locations: one was built by St. Vincent Strambi; the present one dates back to the first half of the 19th century; it retained until 1912 the faculty of granting academic degrees in theology.

VIII. LIBRARIES

The most important in the city and region is the municipal Mozzi-Borgetti; it holds more than 200,000 volumes, numerous incunabula, and approximately 1,600 manuscripts, many of which are of great value and special interest; the Library of the Seminary, formed in large part from the books left by St. Vincent Strambi, holds more than 6,000 volumes, with precious works of an ecclesiastical nature, "Aldine" editions and a notable incunabulum: Biblia cum concordantiis in margine published in Bressanone in 1486; the University Library, specialized in legal studies, is also notable.

IX. ARCHIVES

Housed at the municipal Library, in perfect order, is the priors' Archive of the commune of M., with 949 parchments, from 1176 to 1804, and 1084 codices from 1278 to 1808. Of great importance is the Archive of the Holy Rota of Macerata, which comprises 3259 volumes from 1589 to 1798. The Holy Rota of Macerata, established, as has been mentioned, by Sixtus V, on 15 March 1588, extended its jurisdiction over the provinces of Ancona, Ascoli, Fermo, M., Pesaro, and over the Duchies of Urbino and Camerino; and it judged on appeal all sentences of the ecclesiastical, civil and criminal courts; by an agreement that was reached, an auditor of the Holy Rota of Perugia resided in M. and vice versa. It was suppressed by Napoleon; Pius VII in 1816 restored the tribunal with the title of appeal.

X. ACADEMIES

The Accademia dei Catenati, founded in 1574; the most learned men from every part of Italy belonged to it: it set itself the study of belles-lettres, poetry, eloquence, philology, history, criticism; after a period of inactivity in the past century, it has resumed notable activity, promoting highly esteemed courses of culture.

XI. MINT

One may also recall the existence in M. of a mint, of which there is evidence as early as 1337, in a letter from Pope Benedict XII to the rector of the city. Coins of copper, silver, and gold were struck there, bearing the pope's coat of arms and the images of the Lord, the Madonna, and various saints; it operated with some interruptions until 1799.

XII. DIOCESE

The following municipalities belong to M.: Urbisaglia (pop. 5000) on the ruins of the Roman city of the same name, destroyed in 408 by Alaric, king of the Visigoths. Notable: the collegiate parish church of St. Lawrence, the 15th-century fortress, perhaps the most beautiful in the Marches, the Maestà, a small church of 1429, with votive frescoes of the 15th-16th centuries. In the territory of the single parish is S. Maria di Fiastra, once the most important abbey in Italy after that of Farfa, founded by Guarnieri III Marquis of Ancona and by him handed over to the Cistercians in 1141; the church remains, displaying pre-Romanesque stylistic features.

Pollenza (pop. 3000, with three parishes); it is believed to derive from the ancient city called by the Romans Pollenzia, after the destruction of which, before the year 1000, it rose again through the work of a certain Milone, a Frenchman, for which reason it was called Monte Milone. It has a fine collegiate church, with notable works of art; important is the portal of the church of S. Antonio, from 1377. In the territory of Pollenza is the ancient abbey of Rambona, founded by Ageltrude, daughter of Arechi Duke of Benevento, wife of Guido and mother of Emperor Lambert, in the 9th century. Of the ancient church there remain three apses and the crypt of exceptional historical-archaeological importance; this crypt, with three apses, is divided into five small naves by columns varying in material and shape, with most interesting capitals. In it is preserved the body of St. Amico abbot. To this abbey belonged the ivory diptych, now in the Christian Museum in the Vatican, with the Crucifixion, the Virgin and Child, various saints, from the time of the founding of the abbey itself.

Carlo Carletti