The Archdiocese of Fermo (Latin: Archidioecesis Firmana) is a Latinarchdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy, with its seat in the city of Fermo, Marche. It was established as the Diocese of Fermo in the 3rd century,[1] and elevated to an archdiocese by Pope Sixtus V on 24 May 1589.[2] The archiepiscopal seat is Fermo Cathedral. The current archbishop is Rocco Pennacchio.
History
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Firmo was the site of a Roman colony, established in 264 B.C. The diocese of Fermo was immediately subject to the Holy See (the Papacy) down to 1589.[3] In the 8th century, Fermo, along with the Duchy of the Pentapolis, came under the temporal authority of the Holy See. In the 10th century it became the capital of the separate Marchia Firmana.[4] Under the predecessors of Pope Honorius III (1216–1227)[vague] the bishops of the city became prince-bishops, first with the secular rights of counts, and later styled princes of Fermo. In 1199 it became a free city, and remained independent until 1550, when it was annexed to the Papal States.
Pope Boniface VIII entertained the idea of founding a university in Fermo, to rival that of Bologna, and actually issued the bull In supremae dignitatis on 16 January 1303.[5] Nothing, however, came of the idea. It was actually Pope Sixtus V, a former bishop of Fermo, who established the university, in his bull Muneris nostri of 13 September 1585.[6] The loss of Jesuit support when the Society of Jesus was disbanded in 1773, dealt the university a serious blow both in quality and prestige, and it closed permanently in 1826, due to lack of funding.[7]
In 1457, Cardinal Domenico Capranica (Bishop of Fermo 1425–1458) founded a college in Rome for the benefit of poor scholars of Fermo.[8]
The Diocese of Macerata was established by Pope John XXII on 18 November 1320, in the Bull Sicut ex debito, which also suppressed the diocese of Recanati, which was in the hands of the Ghibellines. The castrum Maceratae was raised to the status of a city, and its territory, which was partly in the diocese of Camerino and partly in the diocese of Fermo, was detached from those two dioceses and included in the new diocese of Macerata.[9]
The castle at Ripatransone was erected in the early Middle Ages, and enlarged later by the bishops of Fermo, who had several conflicts with the people. In 1571 Pope Pius V made it an episcopal see, and included in its jurisdiction a small portion of the diocese of Fermo. The oppidum (town) of Ripatransone was promoted to the status of civitas (city), and the parish church of S. Benigno was made a cathedral. The diocese of Fermo lost some of its territory.[10]
The diocesan seminary was founded by Cardinal Felice Peretti in 1574.[11]
In 1586, Pope Sixtus established the Diocese of Montalto on territory split off from the Diocese of Fermo. It was the territory in which the Pope had been born.[12]
The (archi)episcopal palace was built by Bishop Antonio de Vetulis (1374–1386 ?). It was completed in 1391.[13]
The foundation stone of the present cathedral was laid by Archbishop Andrea Minucci (1779–1803), and the completed edifice was consecrated by him on 27 September 1797.[14]
In 1764, the Chapter of the cathedral, dedicated to the assumption of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven, was composed of four dignities and sixteen Canons.[15] The dignities (dignitates) were: the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Dean, and the Primicerius.[16]
Diocesan synods
A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.[17]
Cardinal Domenico Capranica, Bishop of Fermo (1425–1458), presided over a diocesan synod on 24 July 1450.[18]
In 1650 Archbishop Giovanni Battista Rinuccini (1625–1653) held a diocesan synod. On 6—8 June 1660, the Archbishop of Fermo, Cardinal Carlo Gualterio (1654–1668), held a diocesan synod.[19]
Archbishop Alessandro Borgia held a diocesan synod in 1733.[20] He held a second diocesan synod in 1738.[21] Cardinal Urbano Paracciani (1764–1777) held a synod on 23—25 May 1773.[22] Archbishop Andrea Minucci (1779–1803) presided over a diocesan synod held in Fermo on 15—17 September 1793.[23]
Archbishop Filippo de Angelis (1842–1877) presided over a diocesan synod in 1845; in particular it legislated on the proper attitude of clergy toward children.[24] Archbishop Roberto Papiri (Pageri) (1895–1906) held a diocesan synod in 1900.
Ecclesiastical province
In 1589 the diocese of Fermo was raised to the status of a metropolitan archdiocese.[25]
The Metropolitan currently has the following suffragan sees:
The first synod held in the new province of which Fermo was the metropolitan was held in Fermo by Archbishop Sigismondo Zanettini (1584–1594) in 1590.[26]
Archbishop Alessandro Borgia presided over a provincial synod held in Fermo from 28 April to 5 May 1726.[27] Present were the Bishop of Macerata and Tolentino, the Bishop of Montalto, the Bishop of Ripatransone, and the Bishop of San Severino.[28]
^Sixtus V, bull Super universas, 24 November 1586, in: Bullarum diplomatum et privilegiorum sanctorum Romanorum pontificum Taurensis editio (in Latin). Vol. Tomus VIII. Turin (Augusta Taurinorum): Seb. Franco et H. Dalmazzo. 1863. pp. 800–802. Cappelletti, III, pp. 721-724. Gams, pp. 704-705. Umberto Benigni (1909), "Archdiocese of Fermo." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909; retrieved: 22 December 2017.
^J.-D. Mansi, J.B. Martin, L. Petit(edd.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXXVII (Paris: H. Welter 1905), p. 993.
^Synodus dioecesana Firmana diebus 23, 24 et 25 majia. A. D. 1773 celebrata (Fermo 1773) (in Latin)Bibliothecæ Josephi Garampii Cardinalis Catalogus (in Latin). Vol. I. Rome: De Romanis. 1796. p. 112.
^He suffered martyrdom, with seventy companions, in the persecution of Decius (250). There is no evidence that he was a bishop. Lanzoni, p. 396.
^His martyrdom is placed under Aurelian (270–275). There is no evidence that he was a bishop. Lanzoni, p. 396, 397: "Lo Harnack (o. e, II, p. 265) fa risalire la chiesa di Fermo al 325; e non è punto improbabile che rimonti al iv secolo. Ma le arbitrarie affermazioni di scrittori recentissimi su l'episcopato e sul martirio dei ss. Alessandro e Filippo in Fermo, nel III secolo, non hanno alcun peso nella nostra questione."
^Fabius: Catalani, pp. 97-99. Kehr, IV, p. 135 no. 2. Lanzoni, p. 397.
^Passivus was the recipient of seven letters from Pope Gregory I. Catalani, pp. 99-104. Kehr, IV, pp. 135-136, nos. 1–7. Lanzoni, p. 397.
^Bishop Jovianus attended the Roman council of Pope Martin I on 13 October 649. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus X (Florence: A. Zatta 1764), p. 867. Catalani, p. 104. Gams, p. 692 column 1.
^Marcianus is known only as a name in a martyrology of Thomas and companions, found in a manuscript of the Abbey of Farfa. Catalani, pp. 104-105. Gams, p. 692, places him c. 675, on no evidence whatever.
^Bishop Lupus was present at the Roman synod of Pope Eugene II on 15 November 826. J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XIV (Florence: A. Zatta 1764), p. 1000.
^Bishop Giso was present at the coronation of Louis II, son of the Emperor Lothair I, in Rome on 15 June 844. Catalani, p. 108.
^On 20 November 879, Pope John VIII assigned a case to be judged by three bishops, including Heodicius of Fermo. Kehr, p. 136, no. 8.
^Bishop Amico participated in a legal hearing in April 940. Schwartz, p. 232.
^On 22 December 1074, Pope Gregory VII announced that because of necessity during the episcopal vacancy he was placing the entire diocese in the procuratorship of Archdeacon Adalbertus. In 1075 the Emperor Henry IV tried to place a bishop on the seat of Fermo, for which he was rebuked by Gregory VII. Kehr, pp. 136-137, no. 9.
^Bishop Gulfarangus (Wolfarango) was excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII in the Lateran synod of 1179. Kehr, p. 137 no. 10.
^Hugo 'Candidus': Schwartz speculates that the papalist bishop "W" mentioned in 1082 is the same as "Ulcandinus" (not 'Candidus'), or perhaps "Guldegangus". Schwartz, p. 235. Attended the Synod of Brixen on 25 June 1080.
^Azo was an imperialist, who supported the schism of Wibert of Ravenna, who called himself Clement III. Schwartz, p. 234. Catalani, pp. 128-133.
^Grimoaldus: Catalani, pp. 134-135. Schwartz, p. 236 note 2, who speculates that Grimoaldus is the same as Guldegangus, who is named by Bishop Balignanus in a list of his predecessors: "Ubertus, Herimundus, Oldericus, Guldegandus, Libertus".
^In a document of 1133, Bishop Libertus mentions a predecessor named Grimoaldus (Catalani, p. 134). Libertus died on 28 August 1145. Catalani, pp. 136-141.
^In 1160 Bishop Balignanus attended Frederick Barbarossa's council at Pavia. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXI (Venice: A. Zatta 1776), p. 1119. Catalani, pp. 141-145.
^Petrus is bishop-elect in a document of October 1170. Catalani, pp. 145-146, 341-342.
^Albericus was bishop-elect in a document of 10 September 1174. Catalani, pp. 147-148, 342.
^Bishop Petrus was present at the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciloiorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 459. Catalani, pp. 148-149.
^Presbyter had been Archdeacon of the cathedral Chapter. He was consecrated by Pope Lucius III on 1 April 1184. He was driven out of his diocese by Marquardt, Duke of Ravenna and Marchese of Ancona in 1194. Pope Celestine III wrote to him on 4 September 1196, to persuade him not to leave Italy entirely for Dalmatia. On 22 December 1197, the Pope appointed him and Cardinal Gregorio de San Apostolo to recover the March of Ancona for the Church. His successor was confirmed in 1205. Catalani, pp. 149-153. Cappelletti, III, pp. 602-603. Kehr, p. 138 nos. 15, 17, 19.
^Adenulfus: Catalani, pp. 153-157. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 249
^Hugo: Catalani, pp. 157-158. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 249.
^Petrus was a Roman. He was consecrated by Pope Honorius III in 1216. In his letter of appointment of Petrus' successor Reynaldus, Pope Honorius complains that Bishop Petrus had illegally alienated various goods and property of the Church of Fermo. Catalani, pp. 158-163: Cum bon. mem. P. F(irmanus) episcopus praedecessor tuus nonnullas possessiones, et alia bona ecclesiae tuae sine confenfu Firmani Capituli alienasse dicatur in gravem ipsius ecclesiae laesionem, nos alienationes hujusmodi decernimus irritas et inanes. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 249 with note 1.
^Because of diordered electoral processes in Fermo, Pope Honorius III reserved to himself the right to provide a bishop, and on 22 June 1223 appointed Raynaldus Monaldi, a papal chaplain and former monk of S. Pietro Avellina. Pope Honorius personally consecrated him a bishop. He died on 2 June 1227, according to the "Necrology" of Avellina. Catalani, pp. 164-168. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica I, p. 249 with note 2.
^Philippus was a monk of Avellano. He had previously been Bishop of Jesi. He was transferred to the diocese of Fermo on 22 June 1229 by Pope Honorius III. Philippus died on 24 May 1250. Catalani, pp. 171-179; 362 no 58. Eubel, I, pp. 75, 249.
^Gerardus was elected on 2 July 1250. His installation, however, was not authorized until 12 January 1253, when Pope Innocent IV entrusted the task to the bishop of Recanati. The delay was occasioned by the death of Gregory IX and the conclave which lasted from April to October 1241; the death of Celestine IV, who had reigned only 17 days; and the long conclave of 1241–1243, which resulted in the election of Innocent IV on 25 June. Gerardus was excommunicated on 23 January 1265 by Pope Urban IV, as a perjurer, disobedient, and stubbornly unrepentant. Catalani, pp. 179-188. Eubel, I, p. 249 with note 3.
^Philippus is addressed by Pope Gregory X as bishop-elect in a letter of 24 March 1273, which describes the circumstances of his election by six of the Canons of the cathedral Chapter. His election was confirmed by Pope Gregory. Gregory made Philip his legate to all the lands of eastern Europe ("ad Polonïam, Ramam, Dalmatiam, Serviam, Cumaniam, Galitiam, Lodomeriam"); he held a council of bishops in Buda on 14 September 1289. Catalani, pp. 189-193, 369. Eubel, I, p. 249 with note 4.
^Albericus had been a Canon of the church of S. Antonio in Piacenza, and then Bishop of Piacenza (1295–1301). He was transferred to Fermo by Pope Boniface VIII on 28 February 1301. He died on 13 July 1314. Gams, p. 692 column 2. Eubel, I, p. 249, 401.
^Amelius: Catalani, pp. 199-200. Eubel, I, p. 249.
^Francesco was a Canon of the cathedral Chapter of Fermo, and a papal chaplain, residing at the papal court in Avignon. He was elected bishop of Fermo, but in a contested election, and was appointed (provided) by Pope John XXII on 25 September 1318. He died at the Papal Court (Catalani, p. 374) in 1325. Catalani, pp. 200-202, 372-373. Eubel, I, p. 249.
^It might be more proper to state that John XXII suppressed the diocese, in 1326, because it had been taken over by the Ghibellines, and the Guelphs who were obedient to the Papacy were massacred. Catalani, pp. 203-205, 373-374.
^On 21 July 1328, due to the death of Bishop Francesco, Bishop Francesco Silvestri of Florence was appointed Administrator of the diocese of Fermo, though Pope John makes it clear in his letter of appointment that the diocese had been suppressed, to serve at the pleasure of the pope. He resigned in 1334. He died on 21 October 1341. The right to appoint to all vacant benefices in the Marches was specifically reserved to the pope. Catalani, pp. 203-207, 373-374. G. Mollat, Jean XXII. Lettres communesTome VII (Paris: E. de Boccard 1919), p. 340, no. 41965. Eubel, I, p. 249, 250.
^Jacobus was appointed by Pope John XXII on 11 March 1334. He died in January 1349. Eubel, I, p. 249, 374.
^A native of Piacenza, Bonjoannes was Bishop of Diacovar (Hungary) (Bosnensis) from 1348 to 1349, though he was resident in Avignon when appointed to Fermo. He was transferred to the diocese of Fermo by Pope Clement VI on 28 January 1349. He also served as Auditor General in spiritualibus of the March of Ancona (c. 1351–1352). He was Legate of Pope Innocent VI in 1356 to arrange a peace between the Venetians and King Lodovico of Hungary. In 1360 Cardinal Egidio Albornoz conquered Bologna, and Bishop Bonjoannes departed for a visit to Avignon; on 13 March 1361 he was sent back to Italy by the Pope, with a recommendation to Cardinal Albornoz and instructions on handling problems with Florence and the Kingdom of Naples. On 19 April 1361, the Pope named him governor of the Province of Maritima and Campania. He was transferred to the diocese of Patras on 5 April 1363, and died a few days later. Catalani, pp. 213-217, 377-378. Eubel, I, pp. 142, 249, 394.
^Alfonsus was appointed by Pope Urban V on 2 June 1363. He was transferred to the diocese of Astorga on 1 July 1370. Ughelli, p. 713. Catalani, pp. 218-219. Eubel, I, pp. 112, 249.
^Nicolaus had previously been Bishop of Pesaro (1359–1370). He was transferred to the diocese of Fermo on 1 July 1370 by Pope Urban V. He was transferred to the diocese of Città di Castello on 4 December 1374. Catalani, pp. 219-221. Eubel, I, pp. 191, 249, 395.
^Born in Viterbo of Roman parents, Antonio, who held a doctorate in law, was appointed Bishop of Fermo on 4 December 1374 by Pope Gregory XI. He was in Rome at the beginning of 1378 with Pope Gregory, and witnessed the divisive conclave of April 1378, which initiated the Great Western Schism. He had returned to Fermo by August 1378. In 1380 he was in Avignon, where he gave testimony concerning the events in Rome in the spring of 1378 to the agents of the King of Castile; he had returned to Fermo by August 1380. Urban VI deposed him in 1385. In a letter of Urban VI of 20 May 1386, he was declared a fugitive and was said to have fled to Genoa. On 30 September 1387, Pope Clement VII named him Legate to the city of Florence, and on 21 December 1388 he was serving as Rector of the March of Ancona. Catalani, pp. 221-224. Eubel, I, p. 249 note 9.
^A native of Rome, Pierleoni was appointed by Urban VI. Pierleoni's bulls were issued on 26 November 1386. He died in Rome in 1390. Catalani, pp. 224-225, 380 no. XC. Eubel, I, p. 249.
^Bishop Antonius de Vetulis was returned to office (provided) by Pope Boniface IX (Roman Obedience) on 30 April 1390. He died on 21 July 1405, according to the Necrologio Vaticano, and the diocese was entrusted to an Apostolic Vicar, Donadeo of Narni, a cleric of the Apostolic Camera (Treasury). Catalani, pp. 225-228. Eubel, I, p. 249.
^A native of Sulmona, Leonardus had been a Referendary, and then Auditor of the Rota, and Archdeacon of Lisbon. He was a chamberlain of Pope Innocent VII, though his reputation left something to be desired. Catalani, p. 230, quoting a Vita Innocentii VII: "Iste Camerarius ita exosus curiae factus est avaritia, ebrietate, ct aliis vitiis notatus, ut famam Innocentii praeteritam detraxerit; et in fine non minus Innocentius, quam Cameraríus exosus fuit." He was bishop-elect of Ascoli Piceno, though only a subdeacon. He was appointed Bishop of Fermo by Pope Innocent VII on 22 January 1406. Gregory XII deprived him of his powers a few days after his election on 30 November 1406. In 1409 Leonardo attended the Council of Pisa as Bishop of Fermo. In February 1411, Bishop Leonardo of Fermo was at Forlì as pro-Legate of Cardinal Fieschi, both of whom belonged to the Obedience of John XXIII. Catalani, pp. 225-228. Eubel, I, p. 250.
^The Canons of the cathedral Chapter of Fermo refused recognition to either claimant to the episcopal throne, from November 1410 to August 1412. Catalani, p. 231.
^Joannes was appointed, to replace Bishop Leonardo, by Gregory XII, who had been deposed by the Council of Pisa in May 1409. He never took possession. He was transferred to the diocese of Fano by Pope Martin V on 15 December 1417, to heal the effects of the schism. Catalani, Eubel, I, p. 250 with note 11.
^Joannes de Firmonibus of Fermo had been Bishop of Savona (1394–1406), and then Bishop of Ascoli (1406–1412). He was appointed to the diocese of Fermo by Pope John XXIII on 20 June 1412. On 1 August 1418 he was appointed by Pope Martin V to carry out some business in Picenum. Catalani, pp. 239-241. Eubel, I, pp. 111 with notes 11 and 12; 250; 434.
^Jacobus' father was the civil administrator of the territory of Fermo. His son Jacobus had been given in commendam the monastery of S. Fabiano in the town of Monte Rubbiano. When Bishop John died, Pope Martin V named Jacobus as Apostolic Administrator. Gams, p. 692. Catalani, pp. 241-243 (placing the end of his administratorship in 1428). Cappelletti, p. 626. Eubel, I, p. 250.
^Nicolaus Capranica was appointed by Pope Pius II on 30 October 1458. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 154.
^Capranica was the brother of Cardinal Domenico Capranica, and the uncle of Bishop Nicolaus Capranica. He was Bishop of Rieti from 1450 to 1469. He was appointed Bishop of Fermo on 9 April 1473, and held the diocese until mid-1474. He held a diocesan synod. He died on 3 July 1478. Catalani, pp. 258-259. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, pp. 13 no. 1; 154; 221.
^Girolamo Capranica was appointed on 17 June 1474 by Pope Sixtus IV. He died in July 1478. Catalani, pp. 258-259. Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 154.
^Todeschini-Piccolomini became Pope Pius III on 22 September 1503.
^Remolins was appointed Bishop of Fermo on While Bishop of Fermo, he was also Archbishop of Sorrento (1501–1512), Administrator of the diocese of Perugia (1503–1506), Viceroy of Naples (1511–1513), Administrator of the diocese of Palermo (1512–1518), Administrator of the diocese of Sarno (1513–1517), and Suburbicarian Bishop of Albano (1517–1518). He never visited the diocese of Fermo. He died in Rome on 5 February 1518. Catalani, pp. 267-268. "Sed an ullo umquam tempore Firmum accesserit, mihi omnino incompertum est. Absentis víces in F(anensis) ecclesia explerunt Paullus de Martellis, ac postmodum Paullus de Perleonibus." Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 244; III, pp. 8 no. 38, 196, 306.
^Salviati was a nephew of Pope Leo X. He was appointed a cardinal on 1 July 1517. On 8 February 1518 he was named Bishop of Fermo. He resigned in 1521. Catalani, pp. 268-269. Eubel, III, p. 17 no. 34, 196.
^Gaddi was a relative of Catherine de Medicis, who became Queen of France. He was named a cardinal by Pope Clement VII (Medici) on 3 May 1527. In 1529 he was assigned an auxiliary bishop. Gaddi resigned in favor of his nephew, Lorenzo Lenti. He died on 16 January 1552. Catalani, pp. 269-271. Eubel, III, pp. 19 no.3; 196 with note 8.
^Lenti was appointed Bishop of Fermo in the papal Consistory of 5 December 1544. He was sent by Pope Pius IV as a papal Legate to France in 1560, to help bring about the restarting of the Council of Trent. He was kept in France as pro-Legate in Avignon; in 1562 he was praised in letters to Pius IV and Cardinal Carlo Borromeo for his work against the Huguenots. He returned to Italy in 1565. He died at Macerata on 26 November 1571. Catalani, pp. 271-274. Eubel, III, p. 196.
^Peretti had been Bishop of S. Agata dei Goti from 1566 to 1571. He was named a cardinal by Pope Pius V on 17 May 1570. On 17 December 1571 he was transferred to the diocese of Fermo. He was elected pope on 24 April 1585. Ughelli, p. 722, quotes an inscription set up in Fermo in honor of Sixtus V, crediting him with having been born in the territory of Fermo, having raised the diocese to the status of a metropolitan archdiocese, and having restored the Gymnasium Generale which had been founded by Boniface VIII. He founded the diocesan seminary in 1574. Catalani, pp. 274-278. Eubel, III, p. 44 no. 12; 97; 196.
^On 14 January 1585 Zanettini was named Bishop of Fermo by Pope Sixtus V. On 24 May 1589, the diocese of Fermo was promoted to the status of metropolitan archbishopric, and Zanettini became the first Archbishop of Fermo. He died on 1 October 1594. Eubel, III, p. 197 note 10.
^A native of Florence, Bandini was governor of Fermo from 1586 to 1588, and then governor of Picenum. He was governor of the Borgo during the two conclaves of 1590. He served as vice-Legate in Bologna from 1593 to 1595. On 29 July 1595, Pope Clement VIII appointed him Archbishop of Fermo, and on 5 June 1596 a cardinal. He resigned the diocese of Fermo in 1606, in favor of his nephew Alessandro Strozzi. He died in Rome on 1 August 1629. Catalani, pp. 282-283 (who places the day of death on 11 August). Eubel, Hierarchia catholica III, p. 197. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, pp. 4 no. 8. His tombstone in S. Silvestro al Quirinale says that he died at the age of 70 on 31 July 1629: V. Forcella, Inscrizioni delle chiese e d'altri edificii di Roma Vol. IV (Roma: Bencini 1874), p. 51 no. 122.
^Rinuccini was born in Rome of Florentine parents in 1592. He was the nephew of Cardinal Ottavio Bandini. He held the degree Doctor in utroque iure. In 1622 he became a Referendary of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures. He served as locumtenens of the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, and was Secretary of the Congregation of Rites in the Roman Curia. He was named Bishop of Fermo on 6 October 1625. He held a diocesan synod in 1628. From 1645 to 1649 he was papal Nuncio in Ireland. He died on 13 December 1653. Catalani, pp. 286-290. G. Aiazza (1873). Annie Hutton, tr. (ed.). The Embassy in Ireland of Monsignor G. B. Rinuccini: Archbishop of Fermo, in the Years 1645-1649. Dublin: A. Thom. pp. v–xii. Gauchat, Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 188 with note 5.
^Born in 1634, Gianotto was the nephew of Cardinal Carlo Gualterio, who resigned the diocese in his favor. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was consecrated in Rome on 6 May 1668 by Cardinal Gualterio, having already taken possession of the diocese on 30 April 1668, the date of his appointment. In 1678 he held a synod, and had the decrees of the synod published. He died on 13 May 1683. Catalani, pp. 292-293. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 202 with note 2.
^Gianetti was named a cardinal on 1 September 1681. He was appointed Archbishop of Fermo on 5 June 1684. He died in Rome on 18 September 1691. Catalani, pp. 293-294. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 12 no. 14; 202 with note 3.
^Born in Rome in 1643, Cenci held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure, and was a Referendary of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures. He served as Vice-Legate in Avignon from 1685. He had been titular Bishop of Larissa (1691–1697) and Prefect of the Papal Household (from 28 August 1691). He was named a cardinal in secret (in pectore) on 12 December 1695, which was not made public until 11 November 1697. He was appointed Bishop of Fermo on 20 November 1697. He died on 26 May 1709. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 20 no. 18; 202 with note 4; 237 with note 3.
^Mattei held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure from the Sapienza in Rome (1692), and became a protonotary apostolic and Referendary of the Tribunal of the Two Signatures. He was governor of six cities in succession in the Papal States, culminating with Fermo (1705). He then became a Cleric of the Apostolic Camera (Treasury). He had been titular bishop Nicomedia (Ottoman Empire) from 1708 to 1710, and served as papal Nuncio to Florence (1708). He then became titular bishop of Nazareth (1710–1712), and was appointed papal Nuncio in Venice in September 1710. He was appointed Archbishop of Fermo on 21 November 1712 by Pope Clement XI. He resigned on 2 October 1724. He died on 25 February 1740. Catalani, pp. 296-297. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, pp. 202 with note 5; 282 with note 8; 288 with note 4.
^Borgia was born in Velletri in 1682. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure from the Sapienza in Rome (1705). In 1708, he was appointed internuncio to Cologne, in the suite of Archbishop Giovanni Battista Bussi, a native of Velletri. He became governor of Assisi in 1714. He was a protonotary apostolic. From 1716 to 1724 he was bishop of Nocera. He was appointed Archbishop of Fermo on 20 November 1724 by Pope Benedict XIII. He died on 14 February 1764. Catalani, pp. 297-306. Ritzler-Sefrin, V, pp. 202 with note 6; 294 with note 5.
^Born in Rome in 1715, Urbano Paracciani Rutili held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was Prior of the collegiate church of S. Maria in Via Lata, and Auditor Causarum Sacri Palatii (appellate judge in the Roman Curia). He was also canonist of the Sacred Poenitentiary, and a Consultor of the Holy Office of the Roman and Universal Inquisition. He was named Archbishop of Fermo on 9 July 1764 by Pope Clement XIII, and was appointed a cardinal on 26 September 1766. He died on 2 January 1777. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, pp. 24 no. 48; 216 with note 2.
^Minucci: Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 216 with note 3.
^A native of Fermo, Brancadoro had previously been titular Archbishop of Nisibis (1789–1800). In 1792 he was papal Nuncio in Belgium (the Low Countries), and in 1797 was appointed Secretary of the Sacred Congregation de propaganda fide in the Roman Curia. He was present in Venice for the conclave of 1799–1800, and gave the official funeral oration for Pope Pius VI on 30 October 1799. On 11 August 1800 he was transferred to the diocese of Orvieto by Pope Pius VI, and on 23 February 1801 was named a cardinal by Pope Pius VII. He was transferred to the diocese of Fermo on 11 July 1803. He died on 10 September 1837. Ritzler-Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 311 with note 4.
^Born in Ancona in 1921, Bellucci had previously been Auxiliary Bishop of Taranto (1969-1973). He was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Fermo (9 July 1973– 21 June 1976). He retired on 18 June 1997, and died on 7 March 2013. Chiesa Cattolica Italiana, "S.E.R. Mons. Cleto Bellucci"; retrieved: 17 April 2019. (it)
Ughelli, Ferdinando; Coleti, Niccolo (1717). Italia sacra sive de Episcopis Italiae (in Latin). Vol. Tomus secundus (II) (secunda ed.). Venice: Apud Sebastianum Coleti. pp. 679–729.
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