Historians have long discussed to which (if any) ecclesiastical province the diocese of Bobbio belonged when it was erected by emperor Henry II in 1014. The traditional opinion according to which it lay in the province of Ravenna is generally ruled out by contemporary scholars, who nevertheless cannot reach an agreement on whether originally the diocese was under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Milan, or immediately subject to the Holy See. In 1133, when the archdiocese of Genoa was established, the diocese of Bobbio came under its authority; it remained in this condition – except for a short-lived suppression in the Napoleonic period – until 1989, when it was united with the diocese of Piacenza. However, the long-lasting bond between the small diocese on the Apennines and Genoa was rarely a strong one: especially from the 16th century onwards, it was on the Milanese church that the bishops of Bobbio looked as a model for their action.
Con l’innalzamento, nel 1133, del vescovo di Genova al rango di metropolita, la diocesi di Bobbio appare, per la prima volta, appartenere in modo univoco ad una pro- vincia ecclesiastica: la sottomissione di Bobbio alla giurisdizione genovese durerà quasi senza interruzione sino al 1989, quando l’unione con Piacenza porrà fine ad un rapporto plurisecolare. Molto più indefinita è la situazione nel periodo che va dal 1014, anno di fondazione della diocesi appenninica, al 1133: si inseguono le ipotesi, e se quella della soggezione a Ravenna è ormai tramontata, è difficile concludere categoricamente, per quell’intero arco di tempo, nel senso della dipendenza dall’arcivescovo di Milano (ipotesi più gettonata dalla storiografia attuale) oppure dell’immediata sottoposizione alla Santa Sede. Quanto al rapporto con la sede metropolitica nel periodo successivo al 1133, le fonti di rado sembrano alludere ad un legame particolarmente stretto; dalla fine del Medio Evo in avanti si può anzi notare come i vescovi di Bobbio tendano piuttosto ad orbitare su Milano, tanto come centro di interessi quanto come modello ecclesiale.
Bobbio come diocesi suffraganea: centovent’anni senza risposte, otto secoli e mezzo da (quasi) negletta
Ugo Bruschi
2019
Abstract
Historians have long discussed to which (if any) ecclesiastical province the diocese of Bobbio belonged when it was erected by emperor Henry II in 1014. The traditional opinion according to which it lay in the province of Ravenna is generally ruled out by contemporary scholars, who nevertheless cannot reach an agreement on whether originally the diocese was under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Milan, or immediately subject to the Holy See. In 1133, when the archdiocese of Genoa was established, the diocese of Bobbio came under its authority; it remained in this condition – except for a short-lived suppression in the Napoleonic period – until 1989, when it was united with the diocese of Piacenza. However, the long-lasting bond between the small diocese on the Apennines and Genoa was rarely a strong one: especially from the 16th century onwards, it was on the Milanese church that the bishops of Bobbio looked as a model for their action.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
