Alexandria, the ancient great port of
Egypt and a first-rank Mediterranean metropolis in the Hellenistic world, was an influential early Christian diocese. It was founded, according to Church tradition, by Saint
Mark the Evangelist. The
First Council of Nicaea ranked it after Rome, while the Greek fathers of the
Council of Chalcedon tried in canon 28 to demote it, giving it third place after Constantinople, although
Pope Leo I of Rome rejected this canon. However, following the same council, the patriarchate was claimed by two parties: a Greek patriarch who adhered to the dogmatic definitions of Chalcedon and a Coptic Miaphysite patriarch who rejected them. The Greek patriarch had little pastoral control over Christians in the patriarchate as most Christians soon accepted the Coptic Church as the true church.
While part of the
Byzantine Empire and under
Islamic domination, the
Chalcedonian patriarch always followed the Byzantine rite, while the non-Chalcedonian patriarch followed the Coptic rite. The Greek patriarch of Alexandria remained in communion with the See of Rome despite the
rupture of communion between Rome and Constantinople in 1054. In fact, the bishop of Rome and Greek bishop of Alexandria commemorated each other in their
diptychs until the early 14th century.[3] Thus, while in 1215, during the pontificate of
Pope Innocent III, there were Latin patriarchs, rivaling or replacing the Greek ones in the formerly Crusader held cities of
Antioch,
Constantinople, and
Jerusalem, Greek
Patriarch Mark III of Alexandria was invited and sent representatives to participate in the
Fourth Lateran Council.[4]
Patriarch in Rome
Records of a Latin patriarch of Alexandria begin only in the 14th century. The position was merely
titular since the bishop never occupied the See. His patriarchal
cathedral in Rome was the papal
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Many incumbents would hold residential (arch)episcopal posts of various ranks in Catholic countries, and even (earlier and/or later) other Titular Latin patriarchates (Jerusalem, Constantinople). The titular see would have its share of disputed nominations during the
papal schism in
Avignon.
The titular Latin Patriarchate of Alexandria was left vacant in 1954 and suppressed in January 1964 along with those of
Antioch and
Constantinople. It was no longer mentioned in the Vatican yearbook (rather than being announced as being abolished).[5] This was after
Pope Paul VI met with
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople, showing the Latin Church by this point was more interested in
reconciliation with the Eastern Church, abolishing the titular title. [6]
Latin patriarchs of Alexandria
Atanasio
Chiaramonte (Athanasius) (1276 – death ?1310)
Unknown
Egidio da Ferrara (Giles),
Dominican Order (O.P.) (1311.10.15 – 1323), previously
Patriarch of Grado (northern Italy, 1296.05.11 – 1311.10.15)
Oddone Sala (Otho), O.P. (1323.06.26 – death 1325.05.03), also
Apostolic Administrator of
Territorial Abbacy of Montecassino (Benedictine, central Italy) (1323.06.06 – 1325.05.03); previously Bishop of
Terralba (Italy) (1300 – 1302), Bishop of
Pula (Croatia) (1302 – 1308), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Oristano (Italy) (1308 – 1312.05.10), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Pisa (Italy) (1312.05.10 – 1323.06.26)
uncanonical
Jean de Cardaillac (1371.07.18 – 1390); also canonical Bishop of
Rodez (France) (1371.07.18 – 1378), uncanonical Metropolitan Archbishop of Auch (France) (1379.01.24 – 1379.05.20), canonical
Auxiliary Bishop of
Tournai (Belgium) (1389 – 1390); previously canonical Metropolitan Archbishop of
Braga (Portugal) (1361.06.18 – 1371.07.18);
Pietro Amely di Brunac (1386 – 1400 see below),
Augustinian Order O.E.S.A., previously Bishop of
Senigallia (Italy) (1375.07.05 – 1382), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Taranto (southern Italy) (1386 – 1387.11.12),
Patriarch of Grado (northern Italy) (1387.11.12 – 1400)
uncanonical
Simon of Cramaud (1391.03.17 – death 1422.12.15?), previously canonical Bishop of
Agen (France) (1382.05.30 – 1383.08.07), Bishop of
Béziers (France) (1383.09.02 – 1385.11.24), Bishop of
Poitiers (France) (1385.11.24 – 1391.09.19); also canonical Apostolic Administrator of
Carcassonne (France) (1391.09.19 – 1409.07.02), Apostolic Administrator of
Avignon (France) (1412 – 1415) and Apostolic Administrator of
Poitiers (France) (1413.04.14 – 1422.12.15), but also uncanonical Metropolitan Archbishop of
Reims (France) (1409.07.02 [1409.12.15] – 1413.04.14) and created
Pseudocardinal-
Priest of
S. Lorenzo in Lucina (1413.05.12 – 1422.12.15)
Pietro Amely di Brunac, O.E.S.A., again (see above 1400 – 1402?)
Leonardo Dolfin (1401.07.27 – 1402), previously Bishop of
(H)Eraclea (northern Italy; 1382 – 1387.05.07), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Crete (island, Greece) (1387.05.07 – 1392.08.31), Bishop of
Castello (1392.10.21 – 1401.07.27)
Ugo Roberti (1402 – 1409), previously Bishop of
Adria (Italy) (1386.09.01 – 1392.05.07), Bishop of
Padova (Italy) (1392.05.07 – 1396.04.12),
Titular Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (1396.04.12 – 1409)
Pietro Amaury di Lordat (1409.07.24 – death 1412), also remained
Apostolic Administrator of
Carcassonne (France) (1409.07.24 – 1412); previously Metropolitan Archbishop of
Bourges (France) (1390.10.17 – 1409.07.02), Bishop of Carcassonne (1409.07.02 – 1409.07.24)
Marco Condulmer (1444 – death 1451?), previously Bishop of
Avignon (France) (1432.01.09 – 1437), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Tarentaise (France) (1433.03.17 – 1438.02.28),
Patriarch of Grado (Italy) (1438.02.28 – 1444)
Jean d’Harcourt (1451.12.10 – 1453?), previously Bishop of
Amiens (Picardy, France) (1424.05.10 – 1433.04.22), Bishop of
Tournai (Belgium) (1433.04.22 – 1436.11.05), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Narbonne (France) (1436.11.05 – 1451.12.10)
Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1500.10.05 – death 1502.10.14), also remained Metropolitan Archbishop of
Sevilla (Spain) (1485.08.26 – 1502.10.14), created
Cardinal-Priest of
S. Sabina (1500.10.05 – 1502.10.14); previously Bishop of
Palencia (Spain) (1470.02.13 – 1485.08.26)
Bernardino Carafa (1503 – death 1505.07.30), remaining Bishop of
Chieti (Italy) (1501.12.20 – 1505.07.30)
Cesare Riario (1506.10.06 – death 1540.12.18); also first remaining
Apostolic Administrator of
Pisa (Italy) (1499.06.03 – 1518.09.03), later Bishop of
Málaga (southern Spain) (1518.09.03 – 1540.12.18)
Ottaviano Maria Sforza (1541.05.20 – death 1545), also Bishop of
Terracina, Priverno e Sezze (Italy) (1540.11.24 – death 1545); previously Bishop of
Lodi (Italy) (1497.10.27 – 1499, 1512 – 1519 and 1527 – 1533), Bishop of
Arezzo (Italy) (1522 – 1527)
Carlo Ambrosio Mezzabarba (1719.09.18 – 1741.12.07), also Bishop of
Lodi (Italy) (1725.07.18 – 1741.12.07)
Filippo Carlo Spada (1742.01.22 – death 1742.12.08), previously Bishop of
Pesaro (Romagna, Italy) (1702.11.20 – 1738.12.19),
Titular Archbishop of
Theodosia (1738.12.19 – 1742.01.22)
Girolamo Crispi (1742.12.17 – death 1746.07.24), also Archbishop of
Ferrara (Italy) (1745.12.16 – 1746.07.24); previously Metropolitan Archbishop of
Ravenna (Italy) (1720.12.16 – 1727.03.13)
Giuseppe Antonio Davanzati (1746.08.06 – death 1755.02.16), remaining Metropolitan Archbishop of
Trani (southern Italy) (1717.11.22 – 1755.02.16)
Lodovico Agnello Anastasi (1755.05.12 – death 1758.02.19), remaining Metropolitan Archbishop of
Sorrento (Italy) (1724.12.20 – 1758.02.19)
Francisco Mattei (1758.03.13 – death 1794.08.15), previously Titular Archbishop of
Corinthus (1757.03.28 – 1758.03.13)
Paolo Angelo Ballerini (1867.03.27 – death 1897.03.27), remaining Metropolitan Archbishop of
Milan (1859.06.20 – 1867.03.27)
Domenico Marinangeli (1898.01.08 – 1921.03.06), previously Bishop of
Foggia (Italy) (1882.03.27 – 1893.01.16), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Trani e Barletta (Italy) and Titular Archbishop of
Nazareth (1893.01.16 – 1898.01.08)
Paolo de Huyn (1921.06.13 – death 1946.10.01), previously Bishop of
Brno (1904.05.14 – 1916.10.04), Metropolitan Archbishop of
Praha (Prague) (1916.10.04 – 1919.09.06), Titular Archbishop of
Sardica (1919.09.06 – 1921.06.13)