Roman Catholic Diocese of Aosta

The diocese of Aosta was founded no earlier than the 5th century.^[4] At that time it was a suffragan of the diocese of Milan.^[5] On 13 June 867, Pope Nicholas I made it was a suffragan of the Archbishop of Vienne,^[6] and it is known that in the 11th century it was a suffragan of the diocese of Tarentaise, a province created between 794 and 811.^[7] It then became subject to Milan again, but was restored to Tarentaise. The diocese of Aosta was suppressed by order of the Emperor Napoleon I, in 1802, an order which was given canonical effect by Pius VII in 1803.^[8]

Although Ursus is sometimes said to have been the first bishop, this is controverted.^[9] The first known bishop is St. Eustasius, whose name coupled with Aosta is signed to a letter sent to Pope Leo I by the second Synod of Milan in 451.^[10] In the cathedral treasury is a consular diptych of Anicius Petronius Probus, Roman consul in 406, which shows the Emperor Honorius. (It was discovered in 1833.) From the ninth century the list of bishops is fairly complete.^[11] Bernard of Menthon (1008), Archdeacon of Aosta, founded the hospice on the Alps named after him, as a relief to pilgrims.^[12]

In the 10th and early 11th centuries, the bishops of Aosta ruled the surrounding country as its secular counts. The two titles were separated at or following the death of Bishop Anselm of Aosta, in 1026, owing to Conrad II's desire to strengthen his position near the important Little St Bernard Pass and distrust of Burchard, Anselm's successor and a relative of various nobles opposed to Conrad's claims in Burgundy. (Burchard subsequently rose in a revolt, which failed; he was later translated to Lyons.)

His namesake, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury (1033–1109), was also a native of Aosta and probably related to its dynasty of bishops; however, rather than remain in local service, he travelled to Bec Abbey in Normandy and ultimately became primate over Norman England instead.

In 1133, Bishop Herbert, with the consent of the Provost and Canons of the Collegiate Church of S. Ursi (Ours), converted the Chapter of secular canons into an association of Canons Regular of S. Augustine. This change had the support and authority of Pope Innocent II behind it. The first Prior of the Canons of Saint-Ours was Arnulphus, who later became Bishop of Aosta.^[13] Two of his Canons, Aimon de Quart and Walbert, later became bishops of Aosta as well.^[14] In 1134 Bishop Herbert granted the Canons the free administration of their goods, releasing them from episcopal control.^[15] In 1135 Innocent II conceded the Canons of S. Ours the right of burial and the right to elect their own Prior. This was confirmed by Pope Lucius II in 1144, and Pope Eugene III in 1146.^[16]

In the 16th century, the honorific Duchy of Aosta was created by Savoy on the diocesan territory. In the Spring of 1536, John Calvin, the famous Protestant reformer, visited Aosta as he was returning to France from Ferrara. His preaching, however, brought him to the attention of Bishop Pierre Gazin, and he was forced to flee.^[17]

Following the Concordat of 1801 between Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, the Pope issued a bull, Gravissimis causis (1 June 1803),^[18] in which the number of dioceses in Piedmont was reduced to eight: Turin, Vercelli, Ivrea, Acqui, Asti, Mondovi, Alessandria and Saluzzo. Ivrea was united with the former diocese of Aosta. Bishop Paolo Giuseppe Solaro di Villanova (French: Paul-Joseph Solar de Villeneuve) resigned, so as not to impede the operation of the Bull.^[19] The diocese of Aosta was re-established in 1817 by Pope Pius VII in his bull, Beati Petri (17 July 1817).^[20]

The diocese, which covers an area of 3,262 km² and has a population of 129,288, is divided into 93 parishes.^[95] All are in the (civil) region of Aosta Valley. There is a list of parishes by commune; locations (villages or neighbourhoods) within a commune are shown in brackets.^[96] Many of the ancient parishes appear in the documents of the Cartulary of the Bishops of Aosta.^[97]