Diocese of Verona Dioecesis Veronensis |
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Verona Cathedral
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Location | |
Country | Italy |
Ecclesiastical province | Venice |
Statistics | |
Area | 3,050 km2 (1,180 sq mi) |
Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2010) 923,830 843,229 (91.3%) |
Parishes | 381 |
Information | |
Denomination | Catholic Church |
Rite | Roman Rite |
Established | 3rd Century |
Cathedral | Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Giuseppe Zenti |
Emeritus Bishops |
Flavio Roberto Carraro, O.F.M. Cap. Andrea Veggio (Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus) |
Map | |
Website | |
www.diocesiverona.it |
The Diocese of Verona (Latin: Dioecesis Veronensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in northern Italy. It has its seat in Verona, Veneto.
The Carmen Pipinianum (Pippin's Song) (9th century), which includes a description of Verona and its churches, gives a list of the first eight bishops: St. Euprepius, Dimidrianus (Demetrianus), Simplicius, Proculus, Saturninus, Lucilius (Lucillus, Lucius), Gricinus, and Saint Zeno.
Less important is the famous so-called Velo di Classe, now believed to be the altar cover from San Firmo e Rustico in Verona, pianeta (chasuble) of Classe in Ravenna, on which are represented not only the bishops of Verona, but also other saints and bishops of other dioceses venerated at Verona in the ninth century.
St. Zeno having been the eighth bishop, the period of St. Euprepius, and therefore of the erection of the see, must be placed not before the temporary peace given to the Church under Emperor Gallienus (260), but rather under the first period of the reign of Diocletian, when the Church enjoyed peace. In the same "Carmen" mention is made of St. Firmus and St. Rusticus, martyred at Verona, probably under Maximian.
Zeno is called a martyr in the "Carmen" and is placed in the time of Gallienus. At any rate the existence of a distinguished St. Zeno, Bishop of Verona, a contemporary of St. Ambrose of Milan, and author of a series of religious discourses, is historically attested, so as the ancient documents know but one bishop of that name, it must be concluded that, as early as the ninth century, the legend had corrupted chronology.
For the rest, we know from the sermons of St. Zeno how deeply paganism was still rooted in Verona in his time, particularly in the country districts.