SPOLETO
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SPOLETO
pope Eulalius was a visitor of the Church of Rome
(418); Bishop Spes (fifth centiuy), who collected the
relies of the martyrs and erected many churches; St.
Amasius (d. 489) ; St. Johannes, killed by Totila (546).
At the time of Bishop Petrus (573) Spoleto was under
Arian rule. It is related that an Arian bishop in
Spoleto wished to enter the Church of San Pietro,
then the cathedral, by force, but was stricken with
blindness. To Bishop Chrysanthus (591) St. Greg-
ory the Great wrote four letters, in one of which he
admonished him not to discipline fugitive monks so
lightly. Other bishops were : Adeodatus (about 777) ;
Siguald (827), formerly Abbot of Echternach; Adal-
bert (1015), who built the new cathedral and the
episcopal residence within the city. After he had de-
stroyed the city, Barbarossa presented to the cathe-
dral the so-called Madonna of St. Luke, a Byzantine
work with inscriptions of a dialogue between Mary
and Jesus. Bishop Nicol6 Porta, who became
bishop in 1228, was transferred in 1236 to the Patri-
archate of Constantinople. Bartolommeo de Bardi,
O.Min. (1320), rendered excellent services as Gov-
ernor of Terni. In 1417, on the death of Bishop Ja-
copo, who was a partisan of Pope John XXIII, the
clergy wished to proceed to the election of a new
pastor but the people prevented them, proclaiming as
bishop Nicolo Vivari, the nominee of Gregory XII.
Again in 1433 the clergy wished to revive their right
of electing a bishop, but the intervention of Eugenius
IV prevented them. Other bishops were: Berardo
Erubi (1448), afterwards cardinal, who played an
important part in the government of the church;
Alessandro Farnese (155.5); Alfonso Visconti (1601),
founder of the seminary, which was enlarged by his
successor Maffeo Barberini (1603), afterwards Pope
Urban VIII, who ordered the restoration of the cathe-
dral. After the death of Cardinal Locatelli (1812),
Napoleon nominated Bishop Antonio de Longo,
whom the canons were unwilling to obey, and were
therefore nearly all exiled. In 1820 Spoleto became
a metropolitan see and the ancient Diocese of Norcia
was taken from its territory. Of the archbishops we
should record: Mastai Ferretti (1827-32), afterwards
Pius IX, whose episcopal rule was noteworthy for the
manner in which (1837) he persuaded four thousand
rebels to lay down their arms.
To the Diocese of Spoleto has been united that of Bevagna (Maevania), an ancient city, which venerates as first bishop St, Vincent the Martyr; the first bishop of certain date is Innocentius (487). In the time of St. Gregory the Great it was very difficult to provide a bishop for this see, but in 649 and in 844 bishops are again recorded. Bevagna (Msevania, where, in ancient days the white bulls destined for the sacrificial altars were pastured) is situated twenty-two miles south-east of Perugia, at the confluence of the Clitunno and Tu- pino, and contains 6000 inhabitants. The ancient cathedral was dedicated to St. Michael. The body of Biased James Bianconi is preserved at Bevagna. Blessed James was born there in 1220. At sixteen he was received into the Dominican order at Spoleto. After his ordination, he devoted his energies espe- cially to the work of extirpating the heresy of the Nicolaites from Umbria, and finally succeeded in con- verting its chief propagator, Ortinellus. After a life of extraordinary austerity James died on 15 August, 1301. In later times his remains were exposed on three occasions and were found to be incorrupt. Numerous miracles were attributed to his intercession and even to-day they arc of not rare occurrence. Pope Boniface IX has granted indulgences to all those who visit his rehcs during the first three days of May; Pope Clement X extended the celebration of his feast (23 August) to the whole Dominican Order (cf. Jacobilli, "Vita del beato Giacomo da Bevagna", Foligno, 1644; Piergi, "Vita del beato Giacomo Bian- coni da Bevagna", Rome, 1729). Another Blessed
James, a Franciscan martyr, who died on 2 Septem-
ber, 1377, is honoured at Bevagna (see "Acta SS.",
I Sept., 595-6; "Annee dominicaine", VIII, 1898,
pp. 779-94).
Another ancient diocese united with Spoleto is Trevi. The town of Trevi (in ancient days Trebia), about four leagues from Spoleto, is situated on the right bank of the River Clitunno, on a rugged slope at the extremity of Monte Petino. It is in Umbria and so is to be distinguished from the Latin town Trebia. It was founded probably as early as the fifth century B. c. Pliny speaks of it as flourishing and calls its inhabitants "Trebiates Umbrite popuh". There is evidence to show that the Faith was preached there liefore the end of the second century. In A. D. 296 Pope Marcellinus consecrated, as first Bishop of Trevi,
The Cathedral, Spoleto
Begun, 617; campanile, X Century
/Emilianus, an Armenian, who, with his companions Hilarian, a monk, and Hermippus and Denis, was martyred on 28 January, 302, under Diocletian. The body of jEmilianus was brought to Spoleto and in- terred there. During the troubles caused by the bar- barbarian and internal wars the relics were concealed, but in 1660 they were discovered in the cathedral. Up to the year 1050 nine other bishops of Treviare known from the lists of prelates present at synods in Rome; they include: Constantine, in 487; Laurentius, in 499; Propinquus, in .501; Grisus or Priscus, in 743; Valerimus, in 709; Paulus in 826; and Crescentius, in 853. About the middle of the eighth century Trevi came under the temporal dominion of the Church. In 840 and 881 the city suffered from the Saracen inroads, and in 915 and 924 from an Hungarian in- vasion. The Trevans sided with the Guelph party in their struggles with the Ghibellines. Among the natives of Trevi the following may be mentioned: Saints Vincent, Bishop of Bevagna, and Benignus, deacon, martyrs; St. Constant inus. Bishop and patron of Perugia (feast 29 January); Blessed Tliomas of Naples, hermit of the Institute of Celestine V; Bene- detto Valenti, the learned jurisconsult ; and Virgilio Lucarini, canon of St. George's Velabro, who founded
