TORTOSA
785
TORTOSA
Charles V had destroyed the ancient cathedral situ- priests, five monasteries, five convents for women,
ated on a hill which dominated the city, to make three educational institutions for males, and five for
room for a fort. In the cathedral, besides pictures of females,
the Lombard School, there is an antique sarcophagus
carved with the myths of Phaeton and of Castor and
Pollux. Other churches are the very ancient S.
Maria Canale, S. Giaeomo, and the oratories of Loreto
and S. Rocco.
Cappelletti. U CMese d' Italia. XIII: Savio, GU anlichi Vei-
covi del Piedmnnle (Turin, 1899). 377; Cabnevale, Notizie
storiche nell'anlico e modemo Tortonese (1845).
U. Benigni. Tortosa, Diocese of (Derthusensis, Dertdsa),
The city of Dertona was founded, or established as Spain, suffragan of Tarragona, comprises about 6989
a Roman colony, in 147 B. c, .at the time of the con-
struction of the Via Posthumiana, which connected
Piacenza with Genoa. As two other very important
roads for Pisa and Provence began here, Dertona was,
under the Empire, an important military station.
From the ninth century it was under the rule of its
square miles, principally in the civil provinces of Tar-
ragona and Castellon. Its principal cities are Tor-
tosa and Castellon. The "Gerarchia Cattolica"
(Rome) places the date of creation of the dioce.>se in the
fourth century. Local tradition and hi.-ilorians claim
St. Paul as founder of the diocese, and St. Rufus, son
bishop, and in 1090 it became a commune. In the of Simon of Cyrene, as first bishop. Villanueva
struggles of the Middle Ages Tortona was the faith- (Viaje Literario, vol. V) would explain the origin of
ful ally of the Guelphs, for which reason it was sev- the tradition in regard to St. Rufus by the fact that
eral times destroyed,
e. g. in 1155 by Bar-
barossa and in 1163
by the Pavians.
From 1260 to 1347
the city was alter-
nately under the do-
minion or protector-
ate of the imperial
vicars, the mar-
quesses of Mont-
ferrat, the Visconti
of Milan, and the
kings of Naples.
From 1347 it formed
a part of the Milan-
ese state, the fate of
which it shared until
1735, when by virtue
^1
- — :-r ]r 1L
..■*
'f^.t.^^tam^-^ --^ ■
VATORY OF THE EbBO. RoQCETAS, D1OCE8E OF ToRTOSA
the first bishop after
the recon quest of
Tortosa from the
Moors was (Jndfrey
(Gaufridus), Abbot
of th<' .Monastery of
St. Rufus, .\vignon.
Lirioso (364) and
Heros (about 400),
presented by local
historians as the first
bishops of whom there
is record, are not
given by La Fuente
or Gams. La Fuente
gives Ur.so (516) as
the first known bi.sh-
op. During Moor-
ish rule in Tortosa
of the Treaty of Vienna it was occupied by the King (715-1148) the diocese suffered greatly, and little
of Sardinia. is known of its history. However in 1068 Paternus,
.\coording to the legend, which is, however, a late "Episcopus Civitatis Tortuensis", is found. After
one, the lirst Bishop of Tortona was St. Martianus the capture of Tortosa on 31 Dec, 1148, by Raymond
martyred under Hadrian. It is certain that, in the Berenger, the diocese was restored to its ancient im-
first half of the fourth century, Tortona was subject portance. The cathedral was begun in 1158, and
to the Diocese of Vereelli. The first bishop, according consecrated in 117S by Berenger, Archbishop of Tar-
to Savio, was St. Innocent, who he believes was the ragona; rebuilt from May or June, 1347 until 1,597;
predecessor of St. Exuperantius (381), the first of consecrated 8 June, 1.597; again continued from 5 Feb!
whom we have certain historical record, and who was 1621 to 1725, with latter additions. It is of mixed
highly praised in a sennon of St. Maximus of Turin, style, mainly Gothic, and has merit. The cloister is
Few other names of bishops of the early period are thought to be originally of the twelfth century. A
known; but from the tenth century the list is more special chapel contains the holy ribbon or sash (La
complete, comprising: Giseprandus (about 943), who Santa Cinia) which is said to have been left on the
w.is at the same time Abbot of Bobbio; Ottone (1080), main altar of the cathedral by the Bles.sed Virgin, in
a follower of the schism of Henry IV; Guido (1098), an apparition on the night of 24 March, 1178, and
who went to Palestine; Bishop Pietro, one of those which since 1629 is sent to the palace in Madrid be-
who in 1241 were made prisoners by Frederick II, fore a royal birth. The cathedr.al archives contain
while on their way to attend the Council of Rome, many valuable codices, Bulls, etc.
Melchiorre Busetto was killed bj' the followers of the The diocese was the scene of a disputation between
Marquess Guglielmo of Montforrat, for which the Christians .and Jews in 1413-1414, ami figured promi-
marquess_lost all his rights of patronage in the Dio- nently in the Western Schism, as the aniipopes Bene-
cese of Tortona, and was compelled, barefoot and
clad in a shirt only, to walk from the scene of the
bishop's murder to the cathedral. In the time of
Michele Marliano (1461) the body of St. Roehus w:is
found at Vaghera, which was the cause of a lengthy
controversy with Aries, which possessed the relics of
St. Roehus of MontpcUier. Uberto Gambara (1528),
afterwarrls a cardinal, wa-s always absent as pajjal
legate or nuncio in Germany, and renounced the
bishopric in favour of his relative Cesare (1548), pres-
ent at the Council of Trent. Maffeo Gamb.ara (1592)
distinguished himself in reforming the church, as did
also the Theatine Paolo Aresio (1620). In 1805 the
diet XIII and Clement VIII resided in Peniscola, in
the diocese. The provincial council of Tortosa (1429)
did much to remove the evil effects of the schism.
Among distinguisheil bishops of the diocese were
Cardinal August in Spiniil.'i (H;2.3-26) and .Adrian VI,
elected pope while holding the Bishopric of Torto.sa
151(>-22, and to whom the privilege of the red calotte
worn by bishops of this diocese is attributed. The
present bisho|) of Tortosa is Dr. D. Pedro Rocamora
y Garcia (b. 1S.32). The diocese is divided into 12 arch-
priest ships and contains: 193 parishes; 540secular paro-
(^hial clergy; a dioce.san seminary; the Collegium ALaxi-
inuni of the Jesuits of the Aragon Province; a college
diocese was suppressed by the French Government of ecclesiastical vocations; 31 important convents and
and united with C.osale, .and on its re-establishment in houses of sisters; numerous primary and .secondary
1814 it was taken from the metropolitan See of Turin schools; one Catholic daily, "El Reslaurador" (Tor-
and made .suffragan to Genoa. The diocese has 296 tosa); 5 Catholic weeklies; one Catholic fortnightly;
parishes, 317,865 souls, 570 secular and 30 regular and two Catholic monthlies. XIV.— 50
