Roman Catholic Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen


The Diocese of Bolzano-Brixen is a Catholic diocese in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Bolzano. Its territory corresponds with that of the province of South Tyrol with its predominantly German-speaking population. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Trento.
The current configuration of the diocese was created by Pope Paul VI, in a papal bull of 6 August 1964, when the South Tyrolean parts of the archdiocese of Trento around Bolzano and Merano were merged into the Diocese of Brixen. In turn, the Austrian parts of the Brixen diocese around Feldkirch, Vorarlberg were at first allocated to the Diocese of Innsbruck. The Diocese of Feldkirch was created in 1964, and allocated the Voralberg as its diocesan territory in 1968. The Ladin districts of Fodom and Anpez passed from Brixen to the Diocese of Belluno. At the same time the episcopal see was moved from Brixen to Bolzano, where the Assumption of Mary parish church was elevated to a co-cathedral, while the chapter remained in Brixen.
The diocesan ordinary is Ivo Muser, appointed on 27 July 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.

History

The history of the diocese begins when the diocese was established in Säben in the 6th century, and it was subject to the patriarchate of Aquileia.
On 20 April 798, on orders of Charlemagne, Pope Leo III established the new archdiocese of Salzburg, and assigned it as suffragans the dioceses of Passau, Ratisbon, Freising, Säben, and Neuburg.
It was under Bishop Albuinus, probably in 993, that the residence of the bishop and his episcopal seat were transferred from Säben to Brixen, some twelve miles to the northeast, in the same valley. The episcopal treasury, however, remained in Säben, and the church of the Holy Cross at the monastery of Säben continued to function as a cathedral of the diocese. A new cathedral was established in the church of Ss. Cassius and Ingenuinus in the monastery of the same title in Brixen. Albuin's predecessor, Richbert, had also lived at Brixen from time to time, but when he died he was buried with his predecessors in the cathedral of the Holy Cross in Säben.

Synods

The Emperor Henry IV held a synod at Brixen, on 25 June 1080, attended by thirty bishops, including Bishop Altwin of Brixen. The synod accused Pope Gregory VII of sacrilege, perjury, homicide, and other crimes, and deposed him from his papal office. Pope Gregory replied by excommunicating the emperor and all of his supporters, including presumably Bishop Altwin of Brixen, at a synod held in Rome in February 1081.
A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.
Bishop Bruno von Bullenstetten und Kirchberg presided over a diocesan synod in Brixen in 1287 or 1288. Bishop Landulfus held a diocesan synod c. 1296. Bishop Johannes Wulfing von Güttingen held a synod in 1318.
A diocesan synod was held in Brixen by Bishop Christoph von Schrofenstein in 1511. Bishop Christoph Andreas von Spaur presided over a diocesan synod in Brixen on 23–26 September 1603.
Bishop Kaspar Ignaz von Künigl zu Ehrenburg held a diocesan synod in 1710.
Bishop Simon Aichner held a diocesan synod on 27–31 August 1900.

Seminary

The Council of Trent, in its 23rd session in 1562, decreed that each diocese, to the extent that it was feasible, should have a diocesan seminary for the training of priests. As early as 1567, Archduke Ferdinand II and Cardinal Madruzzo began to draw up plans, but financial difficulties as well as problems with a site for the institution impeded progress. The Salzburg provincial synod of 1569 was encouraging, and again in 1576, but not with financial aid. Madruzzo's coadjutor and successor, Prince-Bishop Johann Thomas von Spaur, kept the plan alive, with the support of the Jesuit Peter Canisius, but still the problem was financial, even with a proposed tax on the Canons. The diocesan seminary of Brixen was finally founded by Bishop Johann Thomas Spaur in 1607, in the Kirchmayr house in the Runggad. It was not until 1764–1767 that the seminary acquired its own building.
In 1779, the cathedral church, dedicated to the taking up of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven, and to Ss. Cassianus, Ingenuinus, and Albuinus, had a Chapter composed of two dignities and nineteen Canons.
On 29 September 1822, in the bull "Quae Nos Gravissimi", on a petition presented by Count Antal Apponyi, ambassador of the Emperor Francis I to the Holy See, Pope Pius VII granted the emperor the privilege of nominating the bishops of Trent and Brixen. The bull states that this was done with the consent of the Chapters of the two cathedrals, as well as of the bishop of Brixen.
On 7 March 1825, Pope Leo XII issued the bull "Ubi Primum", in which he named Salzburg as the metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province, and assigned as suffragans the dioceses of Trent, Brixen, Gurk, Seckau, and Lavant.

Bishops

Bishops of Säben

to 1200

Episcopal lists