On 14 October 2023, with the appointment of
Fausto Tardelli as bishop, the Diocese of Pescia was united with the
Diocese of Pistoia in the person of a single bishop.[3]
History
Provostship
As a favor to his Datary, Baldassare Turini, who was a cleric and notary of the diocese of Lucca, and Lorenzo de Cecchis, who was a Doctor in utroque iure and parish priest of the church of S. Maria Maggiore in Pescia,
Pope Leo X, in the bull "Sacri Apostolatus" of 15 April 1519, withdrew
Pescia from the
archdiocese of Lucca, raising it to the dignity of a
prelacy nullius, and made it directly dependent upon the Holy See (Papacy). The territory was to become a Provostship, and De Cecchis was named the first Provost. A corporation of Canons. or Chapter, was established, with several dignities: the Provost, the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Dean, and the Primicerius. The territory of the new prelacy was to include all the churches in the Val di Nievole and the Valle Ariana. The Provost was assigned both ecclesiastical and civil jurisdiction (both of civil cases and criminal cases) in the Provostship.[4]
On 23 September 1519, Leo X issued a second bull, "Inter Caetera", in which he authorized the Bishop of Pistoia, the Bishop of Forlì, and the Abbot of Vallombrosa, to perform the canonical investiture of the new Provost, Lorenzo de Cecchis. He also fixed the number of Canons of the collegiate church at twelve, and specified that the dignities were to be the Provost, the Archdeacon, the Rector of the church of S. Stefano in Pescia (who would have the title Prior), the Rector of Ss. Matteo e Colombano in Pietrobono (with the title of Archpriest), the Dean, the Treasurer, and the Primicerius.[5]
Pope Leo X also granted to the provosts the right to use the vestments proper to a bishop, including mitre, staff, and cross, within the confines of their provostship. This was confirmed by
Pope Urban VIII in the bull "Dilecti filii" of 25 February 1635, to which the pope added the right to wear the cappa magna and the mozzetta, also within the confines of his jurisdiction.[6]
A synod was held in the Provostship on 25–27 April 1694 by the Provost, Msgr. Benedetto Falconcini (1694-1704). The acts of the synod were published.[7]
Diocese
In a bull of 17 March 1726, Pescia was established as a diocese by
Pope Benedict XIII, and made suffragan of (subordinate to) Pisa. The first bishop was, as was customary, the last Provost of the Collegiate Chapter, Paolo Antonio Pesenti, who had been in office since 1707. He was named Bishop-elect on 17 March 1727, but he died on 1 August 1728, before he was consecrated a bishop.[8]
Santa Maria Maggiore, dedicated to the taking up of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven (Assumption), is referred to in documents as early as 991.[9] The original church of the parish of Pescia, S. Maria Maggiore, which had been elevated to the status of a collegiate church, needed to be replaced. An enlarged church on the same site as the old church, and incorporating some of its elements, was constructed at the end of the 17th century, to designs by the Florentine architect, Antonio Ferri. The campanile is of the 14th century, though its uppermost part is of the late 18th century.[10]
In 1742, the cathedral Chapter was composed of seven dignities and twelve Canons. The city of Pescia had about 5,000 inhabitants.[11]
In 1784, with the cooperation of Grand Duke
Leopold I of Tuscany, the diocesan seminary was opened.[12]
By 1833, the population of the entire diocese of Pescia had risen to a total of 49,890 persons.[13]
^On 25 November 2015,
Pope Francis appointed Roberto Filippini, S.T.L., a priest of
Pisa, bishop of Pescia. Filippini was born in Vinci,
Florence, Italy, on 6 June 1948. A graduate of the seminary of Pisa, he completed his graduate theological studies at the
Almo Collegio Capranica in Rome, and attended the
Pontifical Gregorian University as well as the
Pontifical Biblical Institute, obtaining the
Licentiate in Sacred Theology and in
Sacred Scripture. He served as a Parochial Vicar (Associate
Pastor) from 1975 to 1978 and taught at the Seminary of Pisa. He was a parish priest in Calignola, Pisa; and San Martino. In 1996, he was appointed President of the Studio Teologico Interdiocesano di Camaiore (seminary) in
Lucca. From 1999 to September 2015, Filippini was rector of the Seminary "Santa Caterina" in Pisa, and a prison chaplain in Pisa. He has also been a professor of
Fundamental Theology and Sacred Scripture at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of Blessed
Nicholas Steno, in Pisa, and at the School of Theological Education.[23]
^Cappelletti XVIII, p. 358. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 315, note 1. A. Labardi, La comunità ecclesiastica pesciatina nel corso dei secoli. Percorsi storici di una Chiesa locale, in: A. Spicciani (ed.), Pescia. La storia, l'arte e il costume, Pisa 2001, p. 87.
^Cappelletti, p. 561. Repetti, p. 131, credits its beginnings to the 8th century.
^Cappelletti, p. 358, quoting an inscription concerning the construction of the bell tower, dated 1306.
^Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 339, note 1.
^Pucci was a native of Montepulciano. Cappelletti, p. 370. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 315, note 2.
^A native of Volterra, Incontri was transferred to the
diocese of Florence by
Pope Clement XII on 5 May 1738. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 339, with note 2.
^Arcangeli was a native of Arezzo. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 340, with note 3.
^Vincenti was a native of Livorno. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 340, with note 4.
^Rossi: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 308.
^Rossi was transferred to the diocese of
Pistoia e Prato by
Pope Gregory XVI on 2 October 1837. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 308.
^Matteoli had been Bishop of Sovana e Pitigliano (1889–1896). He was transferred to Pescia on 22 June 1896 by
Pope Leo XIII. On 24 March 1898, Matteoli was transferred to the diocese of
Bishop of Livorno by Leo XIII. He died on 25 July 1900. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VIII, pp. 342, 456, 523.
^Serafini was born in Bolsena (Orvieto). He studied at the Roman Pio Seminary in Rome, and held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He taught at the seminary of Orvieto for five years, becoming its Rector. He was then Rector of the Roman Pio Seminary (1901–1913), and a papal chamberlain, while teaching at the seminary of S. Apollinaire. He was appointed Bishop of Pescia on 15 April 1907. He was named
Titular Bishop of Lampsacus by
Pope Pius X on 16 December 1907. On 30 June 1930,
Pope Pius XI named him a cardinal. Pięta, Hierarchia catholica IX, pp. 217, 302. Martin Bräuer (2014).
Handbuch der Kardinäle: 1846-2012 (in German). Berlin: De Gruyter. p. 277.
ISBN978-3-11-026947-5. Harris M. Lentz III (2002).
Popes and Cardinals of the 20th Century: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 172.
ISBN978-1-4766-2155-5.