Bishop of Ravenna

This page is a list of Catholic bishops and archbishops of Ravenna and, from 1947 of the Archdiocese of Ravenna and Cervia, which in 1985 became styled the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.^[1]^[2] The earlier bishops were frequently tied to the Exarchate of Ravenna.

Diocese of Ravenna (1st – 6th century)

St. Apollinaris, traditionally 1st century and legendarily appointed to the episcopate by Peter the Apostle himself, but dates are uncertain; may instead belong to the 2nd century^[4]^[5]
St. Adheritus,^[6] 2nd century^[7]
St. Eleuchadius,^[6] died c. 112, but chronology uncertain^[8]
St. Marcian, or Marcianus^[6] — died c. 127; feast day May 22^[9]
St. Calocerus^[6]
St. Proculus^[6]
St. Probus I died 175^[6]
St. Dathus^[6]
St. Liberius I^[6]
St. Agapitus^[6]
St. Marcellinus,^[10]^[11]
St. Severus (c. 308–c. 348)^[10]
St. Liberius II^[10]
St. Probus II^[10]
Florentius^[10]
Liberius III (c. 380–c. 399)^[10]
St. Ursus (c. 399–c. 426), who built the Basilica Ursiana, the original Cathedral Basilica of the Resurrection of Our Lord^[10] (the Anastasis in the Byzantine period)
John Angeloptes, "the Angel-seer" c. 430–433.^[12] Revered as a saint, feast day 27 November. In his Liber pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis (LPR; 'Book of Pontiffs of the Church of Ravenna'),^[10] Andreas Agnellus (9th century), dates Angeloptes' episcopate to late in the 5th century, conflating details of his life with John II (477–494), whom he designates "John I".^[a]^[13]
St. Peter Chrysologus (433– c. 449)^[10]^[12]
Neon, c. 449 – c. 452^[13]^: 911 (c. 450 – c. 473 according to Agnellus^[10])
Exuperantius c. 452 – c. 477^[13]^: 911 (c. 473 – c. 477 according to Agnellus^[10])
John II (erroneously ordered as "John I", "the angel-seer" by Agnellus^[a]; 477–494)^[10]
Peter II (494–519)^[10]
Aurelian (519–521)^[10]
Ecclesius, or Ecclesio Celio di Ravenna [it] (522–532) — started construction of the city's Basilica of San Vitale and is represented there in the apse mosaic^[3]^[14]^[15]^[16]
St. Ursicinus (533–536) — ordered the construction of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe^[14]
Victor (538–545) — features on monograms on the capitals in the Basilica of San Vitale^[14]

Archdiocese of Ravenna (6th century – 1947)

6th century

Maximianus of Ravenna (546–556 or 557) — Ravenna's 28th bishop^[13]^: 913 (or 27th, according to the LPR^[10]), he was its first archbishop. The Throne of Maximian, a Justinian Byzantine-style cathedra, was made for him.^[17]
Agnellus (556–569)^[18]
Peter III the Elder, Petrus Senior or Pietro III (569–578)
John III the Roman, or Giovanni III (578–595)^[b]
Mariniano (595–606)

7th century

John IV (607–625)^[c]
John V (625– c. 631)^[d]
Bonus (c. 631 – c. 644)
Maurus (archbishop of Ravenna) (c. 644– c. 671)
Reparatus (c. 671 – c. 677)
Theodorus (c. 677 – c. 691)
Damian (c. 692 – c. 709)

8th century

St. Felix of Ravenna (c. 709–c. 725)
John VI or Giovanni VI (c. 726 – c. 744)^[e]
Sergius (c. 744 – c. 769)
Leo I (c. 770 – c. 777)
John VII or Giovanni VII (c. 777 – c. 784)^[f]
Gratiosus (c. 785 – c. 789)
Valerius (c. 789 – c. 810)

9th century

Martin (c. 810 – c. 818)
Petronax (c. 818 – c. 837)
George (c. 837 – c. 846)
Deusdedit (c. 847 – c. 850)
John VIII or Giovanni VIII (c. 850–878), excommunicated 861 by Pope Nicholas I, later reconciled^[19]^[20]
Romano di Calcinaria (Romanus) (878–888)
Deusdedit (889–898)

10th century

John IX (898–904)
John of Tossignano (Giovanni da Tossignano; 905–914), later Pope John X
Constantine (914–926)
Peter IV (927–971)
Onestus (971–983)
Giovanni Vincenzo [it], Giovanni da Besate, or John X (983–998)
Gerbert of Aurillac (998–999), later Pope Sylvester II

11th century

Leo II (999–1001)
Frederick (1002–1004)
Ethelbert (1004–1014)
Arnold of Saxony (1014–1019)
Heribert (1019–1027)
Gebeardo Tedesco, Gebeardo da Eichstätt (1027–1044) formerly the canon of the cathedral of Eichstätt in his homeland, Bavaria^[21]
Witgero (1044–1046)
Hunfredus (1046–1051)
John Henry (1051–1072)
Guiberto di Ravenna [it] (1072–1100), later the Antipope Clement III^[22]

12th century

Ottone Boccatortia (1100–1110)
Geremia (1110–1117)^[23]
Filippo (1118)
Gualtiero (1119–1144)
Mose da Vercelli (1144–1154)
Anselm of Havelberg (1155–1158)
Guido di Biandrate [it] (1159–1169)
Gerard (1169–1190)
Guglielmo di Cabriano [it] (William of Cabriano; 1190–1201), jurist and author of^[24]

13th century

Alberto Oselletti (1201–1207)
Egidio de Garzoni (1207–1208)
Ubaldo (1208–1216)
Piccinino (1216)
Simeone (1217–1228)
Teoderico (1228–1249)
Filippo da Pistoia (1251–1270)
Sede vacante ('vacant see') 1270–1274
Bonifacio Fieschi di Lavagna (1274–1294)
Obizzo Sanvitale (1295–1303)

14th century

St. Rinaldo da Concorezzo (1303–1321)^[25]
Rinaldo da Polenta (1321–1322)
Aimerico di Chastellux (1322–1332)
Guido de Roberti (1332–1333)
Francesco Michiel (1333–1342)
Nicola Canal (1342–1347)
Fortanerius Vassalli (1347–1351)
Petrocino Casalesco (1362–1369)
Pietro Pileo di Prata (1370–1387)
Cosimo de' Migliorati (1387–1400), later Pope Innocent VII

15th century

Giovanni Nicolai de' Migliorati (1400–1405)
Tommaso Perendoli (1411–1445)
Bartolomeo Roverella (1445–1475)
Filiasio Roverella (1475–1516)

16th century

Niccolò Fieschi (1516–1517)
Urbano Fieschi (1517–1521)
Pietro de Accolti de Aretio – appointed 25 June 1524, resigned December 1524
Benedetto de Accolti the Younger – appointed 17 August 1524, died in office 21 September 1549
Ranuccio Farnese (11 October 1549 – 28 April 1564)
Giulio della Rovere – appointed 1566, died in office 3 September 1578
Cristoforo Boncampagni (1578–1603)

17th century

Pietro Aldobrandini – appointed 1604, died in office 10 February 1621
Luigi Capponi – appointed 3 March 1621, resigned 18 September 1645
Luca Torreggiani – r. 1645–1669
Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni – appointed 19 May 1670, resigned 19 February 1674^[26]
Fabio Guinigi (1674–1691)^[26]
Raimondo Ferretti (1692–1719)^[26]

18th century

Girolamo Crispi (1720–1727)^[26]
Maffeo Nicola Farsetti (1727–1741)^[26]
Sede vacante ('vacant see') 1741–1745
Ferdinando Romualdo Guiccioli (1745–1763)
Nicola Oddi (1764–1767)
Antonio Cantoni (1767–1781)
Sede vacante 1781–1785
Antonio Codronchi (1785–1826)

19th century

Clarissimo Falconieri Mellini – appointed 3 July 1826, died in office 2 April 1859
Enrico Orfei – appointed 23 March 1860, died in office 22 December 1870
Vincenzo Moretti – appointed 27 October 1871, resigned 22 September 1879
Giacomo Cattani – appointed 22 September 1879, died in office 14 February 1887
Sebastiano Galeati – appointed 23 May 1887, died in office 25 January 1901

20th century

Agostino Gaetano Riboldi – appointed 15 April 1901, died in office 25 April 1902
St. Guido Maria Conforti – appointed 9 June 1902, resigned 12 October 1904. Conforti was canonised in 2011
Pasquale Morganti – appointed 14 November 1904, died in office 18 December 1921
Antonio Lega – succeeded 18 December 1921, died in office 16 November 1946

Archdiocese of Ravenna and Cervia (1947–1986)

Giacomo Lercaro – in office from 31 January 1947 to 19 April 1952, when appointed Archbishop of Bologna
Egidio Negrin – in office from May 1952 until appointed Archbishop (Personal Title) of Treviso in April 1956
Salvatore Baldassarri – appointed 3 May 1956, resigned November 1975

Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia (1986–present)

Ersilio Tonini – appointed November 1975, retired October 1990 (see diocese's name change in 1986; became Cardinal after retirement)
Luigi Amaducci – appointed October 1990, retired March 2000
Giuseppe Verucchi – appointed March 2000

Notes

^ ^a ^b The chronology of Andreas Agnellus in LPR is confused: He lists only one bishop of Ravenna with the name John in the 5th century. He omits the years 430–433 as a separate period of office, conflating John Angeloptes (who is "John I") with John II. He mistakenly assigns events from Angeloptes' time, in the earlier part of the century, to the episcopate of John II (477–494) – or, as Agnellus designates him by this error – "John Angeloptes", thus "John I".^[13] This confusion is explained by the 19th century historian, Thomas Hodgkin:
St. John II ruled the See from 477 to 494. Here at last we get two certain dates from the inscription on his tomb, and the recovery of this name and these dates enables us to correct an omission of Agnellus and to understand the cause of the wild errors which he has committed in his chronology. For it is now clear that in his life of John the Angel-seer he has run two bishops into one, and has calmly blended transactions reaching over a period of some sixty or seventy years, the death of Honorius, the invasion of Attila, the war between Odovacar and Theodoric, in his life of a bishop who according to his own account ruled his See for 16 years, 10 months, and 18 days.
It was this John II who negotiated the peace, the short-lived peace between Odovacar and Theodoric which terminated the long siege of Ravenna (493).
— Hodgkin (1892). Italy and Her Invaders. p. 911
^ Listepd as the second John in LPR
^ Listed as the third John in LPR, owing to Andreas Agnellus' conflating John I and John II, both, as John the Angel-seer
^ Listed as the fourth John in LPR
^ Listed as the fifth John in LPR
^ Listed as the sixth John in LPR

References

^ "Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 13, 2017
^ "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ravenna–Cervia" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 13, 2017
^ ^a ^b Carile, Maria Cristina (1 February 2021). "Piety, Power, or Presence? Strategies of Monumental Visualization of Patronage in Late Antique Ravenna". Religions. 12 (2). article no. 98. doi:10.3390/rel12020098. hdl:11585/869347.
^ Holweck 1969, "Apollinaris of Ravenna" p. 95.
^ Campbell, Thomas Joseph (1907). "St. Apollinaris (1)" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Agnellus of Ravenna 2004, pp. 104–108.
^ Holweck 1969, "Adheritus", p.13.
^ Holweck 1969, "Eleuchadius", p. 308.
^ Holweck 1969, "Maricanus, fourth bishop of Ravenna". p. 652, col. 2.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Agnellus of Ravenna 2004, pp. 109–165.
^ Holweck 1969, "Marcellinus", p. 649.
^ ^a ^b Benigni, Umberto (1911). "Ravenna" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. pp. 662–667. p. 666: Among the bishops ... mention should be made of Joannes Angeloptes (430-33), so called because he had the gift of seeing his guardian angel ...
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hodgkin, Thomas (1892). "Bishops and Churches of Ravenna". Italy and Her Invaders. Vol. I: The Visigothic Invasion. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 899–917.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dates according to Andreescu-Treadgold, Treadgold Procopius and the imperial panels of S. Vitale
^ Lucchesi, Giovanni (January 2018). "Sant' Ecclesio Celio di Ravenna". Santi e Beati (in Italian).
^ Brown, Thomas S. (1993). "Ecclesio, santo". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 42. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.
^
- Bovini, Giuseppe (1990). La cattedra eburnea del vescovo Massimiano di Ravenna (in Italian). Ravenna: Società cooperativa Giorgio La Pira. p. 13. ISBN 978-88-85315-00-6.
- Rowland, Benjamin. "Byzantine (330-1453)". Scholastic Art.
^ Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, "Agnellus I", p. 31.
^ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). "Pope St. Nicholas I" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Belletzkie, Robert Joseph (1980). "Pope Nicholas I and John of Ravenna: The Struggle for Ecclesiastical Rights in the Ninth Century". Church History. 49 (3): 262–272. doi:10.2307/3164449. ISSN 0009-6407. JSTOR 3164449. On 24 February 861 Nicholas I excommunicated and deposed one of Italy's most powerful prelates, John VIII, archbishop of Ravenna.
^ Bray, Massimo, ed. (1999). "Gebeardo Tedesco". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 52. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.
^ Kirsch, Johann Peter (1910). "Guibert of Ravenna" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ Trerè, Filippo, "The iconography of Mary in the mosaics of Ravenna", Opera di Religione della Diocesi di Ravenna
^ Mazzanti, Giuseppe (2003). "Guglielmo da Capriano". In Massimo Bray (ed.). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 60. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.
^ "Blessed Raynald of Ravenna". Saints SQPN. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI (in Latin). Vol. V. Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. p. 329.

Sources

Agnellus of Ravenna (2004). The Book of Pontiffs of the Church of Ravenna. Medieval Texts in Translation. Translated by Deliyannis, Deborah Mauskopf. Introduction and notes by Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. Catholic University of America Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt284wdr. ISBN 978-0-8132-1358-3. JSTOR j.ctt284wdr.
Holweck, Frederick George (1969). A biographical dictionary of the saints, with a general introduction on hagiology. Detroit: Gale Research Co.
Martindale, John R.; Jones, A. H. M.; Morris, John (1992), The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, vol. III: AD 527–641, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-20160-8, [Part A of volume III: Abandanes – ‘Lyad ibn Ghanm].

[Hodgkin-13] The chronology of Andreas Agnellus in LPR is confused: He lists only one bishop of Ravenna with the name John in the 5th century. He omits the years 430–433 as a separate period of office, conflating John Angeloptes (who is "John I") with John II. He mistakenly assigns events from Angeloptes' time, in the earlier part of the century, to the episcopate of John II (477–494) – or, as Agnellus designates him by this error – "John Angeloptes", thus "John I".^[13] This confusion is explained by the 19th century historian, Thomas Hodgkin:
St. John II ruled the See from 477 to 494. Here at last we get two certain dates from the inscription on his tomb, and the recovery of this name and these dates enables us to correct an omission of Agnellus and to understand the cause of the wild errors which he has committed in his chronology. For it is now clear that in his life of John the Angel-seer he has run two bishops into one, and has calmly blended transactions reaching over a period of some sixty or seventy years, the death of Honorius, the invasion of Attila, the war between Odovacar and Theodoric, in his life of a bishop who according to his own account ruled his See for 16 years, 10 months, and 18 days.
It was this John II who negotiated the peace, the short-lived peace between Odovacar and Theodoric which terminated the long siege of Ravenna (493).
— Hodgkin (1892). Italy and Her Invaders. p. 911

[20] Listepd as the second John in LPR

[21] Listed as the third John in LPR, owing to Andreas Agnellus' conflating John I and John II, both, as John the Angel-seer

[22] Listed as the fourth John in LPR

[23] Listed as the fifth John in LPR

[24] Listed as the sixth John in LPR

[CathHierRavenna-1] "Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 13, 2017

[GCathRavenna-2] "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ravenna–Cervia" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 13, 2017

[carile-3] Carile, Maria Cristina (1 February 2021). "Piety, Power, or Presence? Strategies of Monumental Visualization of Patronage in Late Antique Ravenna". Religions. 12 (2). article no. 98. doi:10.3390/rel12020098. hdl:11585/869347.

[FOOTNOTEHolweck1969[httpsarchiveorgdetailsbiographicaldict0000holwpage94mode2up_"Apollinaris_of_Ravenna"_p._95]-4] Holweck 1969, "Apollinaris of Ravenna" p. 95.

[5] Campbell, Thomas Joseph (1907). "St. Apollinaris (1)" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[FOOTNOTEAgnellus_of_Ravenna2004104–108-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Agnellus of Ravenna 2004, pp. 104–108.

[FOOTNOTEHolweck1969[httpsarchiveorgdetailsbiographicaldict0000holwpage16mode2up_"Adheritus"],_p.13-7] Holweck 1969, "Adheritus", p.13.

[FOOTNOTEHolweck1969[httpsarchiveorgdetailsbiographicaldict0000holwpage308mode2up_"Eleuchadius"],_p._308-8] Holweck 1969, "Eleuchadius", p. 308.

[FOOTNOTEHolweck1969[httpsarchiveorgdetailsbiographicaldict0000holwpage652mode2up_"Maricanus,_fourth_bishop_of_Ravenna"]._p._652,_col._2-9] Holweck 1969, "Maricanus, fourth bishop of Ravenna". p. 652, col. 2.

[FOOTNOTEAgnellus_of_Ravenna2004109–165-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Agnellus of Ravenna 2004, pp. 109–165.

[FOOTNOTEHolweck1969[httpsarchiveorgdetailsbiographicaldict0000holwpage648mode2up_"Marcellinus"],_p._649-11] Holweck 1969, "Marcellinus", p. 649.

[ce_Rav-12] Benigni, Umberto (1911). "Ravenna" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. pp. 662–667. p. 666: Among the bishops ... mention should be made of Joannes Angeloptes (430-33), so called because he had the gift of seeing his guardian angel ...

[invade-14] Hodgkin, Thomas (1892). "Bishops and Churches of Ravenna". Italy and Her Invaders. Vol. I: The Visigothic Invasion. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 899–917.

[dates-15] Dates according to Andreescu-Treadgold, Treadgold Procopius and the imperial panels of S. Vitale

[16] Lucchesi, Giovanni (January 2018). "Sant' Ecclesio Celio di Ravenna". Santi e Beati (in Italian).

[17] Brown, Thomas S. (1993). "Ecclesio, santo". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 42. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.

[18] 
Bovini, Giuseppe (1990). La cattedra eburnea del vescovo Massimiano di Ravenna (in Italian). Ravenna: Società cooperativa Giorgio La Pira. p. 13. ISBN 978-88-85315-00-6.
Rowland, Benjamin. "Byzantine (330-1453)". Scholastic Art.

[24] Bovini, Giuseppe (1990). La cattedra eburnea del vescovo Massimiano di Ravenna (in Italian). Ravenna: Società cooperativa Giorgio La Pira. p. 13. ISBN 978-88-85315-00-6.

[25] Rowland, Benjamin. "Byzantine (330-1453)". Scholastic Art.

[FOOTNOTEMartindaleJonesMorris1992[httpsarchiveorgdetailsplre-iiiPLRE-III-Apagen37mode2upviewtheater_"Agnellus_I",_p._31]-19] Martindale, Jones & Morris 1992, "Agnellus I", p. 31.

[25] Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). "Pope St. Nicholas I" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[26] Belletzkie, Robert Joseph (1980). "Pope Nicholas I and John of Ravenna: The Struggle for Ecclesiastical Rights in the Ninth Century". Church History. 49 (3): 262–272. doi:10.2307/3164449. ISSN 0009-6407. JSTOR 3164449. On 24 February 861 Nicholas I excommunicated and deposed one of Italy's most powerful prelates, John VIII, archbishop of Ravenna.

[27] Bray, Massimo, ed. (1999). "Gebeardo Tedesco". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 52. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.

[28] Kirsch, Johann Peter (1910). "Guibert of Ravenna" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[29] Trerè, Filippo, "The iconography of Mary in the mosaics of Ravenna", Opera di Religione della Diocesi di Ravenna

[30] Mazzanti, Giuseppe (2003). "Guglielmo da Capriano". In Massimo Bray (ed.). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 60. Treccani | Institute of the Encyclopedia of Italy.

[SQPN-31] "Blessed Raynald of Ravenna". Saints SQPN. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2016.

[HierarchiaV-32] Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI (in Latin). Vol. V. Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. p. 329.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[a]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]