Archdiocese of Milan
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan ( Latin Archidioecesis Mediolanensis , Italian Arcidiocesi di Milano ) is a Metropolitan - Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy . The Milan Cathedral serves as the cathedral . The diocese was elevated to an archbishopric in the 4th century. The patron saint of the diocese is St. Ambrose of Milan . In addition to the Roman rite , the Ambrosian rite is also used in most of the Archdiocese of Milan .
history
According to legend, the apostle Barnabas founded the diocese of Milan in AD 52. The elevation to the archbishopric took place in the 4th century. The most important bishop of late antiquity was today's diocesan patron Ambrose of Milan , who is considered one of the four Western Doctors of the Church. The Ambrosian rite, the development of which is attributed to the 4th century bishop at the earliest since the middle of the 8th century, is still used in Milan today. The elevation of Milan to the archbishopric corresponded both to the political position of Milan at that time as an imperial residence and to the importance of Milan within the church.
The territory of the archbishopric has been subject to great fluctuations since its inception. Originally it covered practically all of Lombardy and Churrätia . Between 603 and 606 the diocese of Como separated because of disputes over the rite of Milan. After the division of the Franconian Empire, the Diocese of Chur came to the Archdiocese of Mainz in 843 . The dioceses of Pavia and Turin gained exemption around 700 and 1471, respectively . The so-called Ambrosian valleys Leventina , Blenio and Riviera as well as the municipalities of Moleno, Preonzo and Gnosca were subordinate to the Archdiocese of Milan in today's Canton of Ticino . The complicated demarcation of the ecclesiastical areas of responsibility in Ticino between Milan and the Diocese of Como was the result of an early medieval donation.
Historically, the Metropolitan Association of the Archdiocese of Milan comprised the following dioceses:
In the 19th century, the structure and scope of the diocese underwent major changes.
Archbishops
Important archbishops of Milan in the Middle Ages and modern times were: Umberto Crivelli , who in 1185 as Urban III. was elected Pope; Ottone Visconti (1207–1295), founder of the power of the later ducal family of the Visconti ; Pietro Philargi , 1409 as antipope Alexander V .; Karl Borromeo , leader of the Counter Reformation in Northern Italy and Switzerland; Achille Ratti , 1922–1939 as Pope Pius XI .; Giovanni Battista Montini 1963–1978 as Pope Paul VI; Carlo Maria Martini , biblical scholar and progressive ecclesiastical thought leader in the late 20th century. 42 bishops of Milan have been canonized so far, most recently in 1610 Charles Borromeo.
Web links
- Official website of the Archdiocese
- Entry on the Archdiocese of Milan on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Paolo Ostinelli, Pablo Crivelli, Fabrizio Panzera: Milan (Archdiocese). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
