The Archdiocese of Modena–Nonantola () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. It existed as the Diocese of Modena in central Italy from the 4th century. Originally it was a suffragan (subject to) the diocese of Milan, but later became a suffragan of Ravenna. Because of the schism of the Antipope Clement III, Pope Paschal II released Modena from obedience to the church of Ravenna, but Pope Gelasius II restored the previous status. Modena continued as a suffragan of Ravenna until 1582, when the Archdiocese of Bologna was created by Pope Sixtus V in the Bull Universi orbis of 1 December 1582, and was assigned Modena as one of its suffragans.
In 1820 the diocese of Modena incorporated the territory of Nonantola Abbey. Modena was raised to the status of an archdiocese and its bishop to the status of a Metropolitan Archbishop by Pope Pius IX in his bull of 22 August 1855, entitled Vel ab antiquis. The archdiocese took the current form of its name in 1986. Its suffragans are the Diocese of Carpi, Diocese of Fidenza, Diocese of Parma, Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, and Diocese of Reggio Emilia–Guastalla.
History
On 7 July 1148, in a synod held at Cremona, Pope Eugene III condemned the city of Modena and divided its territory among four neighboring bishoprics, so that the bishop of Modena was left being a bishop nullius dioecesis. It is known, from a decree of 8 April 1149, that he assigned ten parishes of Modena to the diocese of Reggio. Concerning the restitution of the diocese, perhaps by Pope Eugenius, perhaps by Pope Adrian IV, there is no information. Cardinal Hildebrandus Crassus was named Rector et Procurator Ecclesiae Mutinensis, and he subscribed documents with that title from 1150 up until 1155. Disruptions, however, continued for generations. In 1231 Pope Gregory IX had to order the monastery of S. Peter in Modena to submit to the rule of the bishop of Modena, rejecting their argument that Pope Eugene's release from subjection to the bishop had had a permanent effect, and that the monstery was still in 1231 immediately subject to the Holy See (Papacy).
During the episcopacy of Bishop Giovanni Morone (1529–1550; 1564–1571), both the Jesuit Order and the Capuchin Order were introduced into the diocese of Modena. In 1535 he served as papal Nuncio to the King of France, and, from 1536 to 1542, with brief interruptions, Morone was papal Nuntius to the King of Bohemia, Ferdinand, King of the Romans. At the end of 1540, he wrote to Cardinal Farnese, expressing his anxiety about the diocese of Modena, which he considered to be worse than Prague in terms of dubious religious discussions. For his diplomatic work, he received the red hat of the cardinalate on 2 June 1542. On 16 October he was named Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. He was then appointed one of the presidents of the Council of Trent, which his work in Germany did much to make possible.
In 1796, Modena and Nonantola became part of the empire of the French Republic, expanding under the military leadership of General Napoleon Bonaparte. The monastery and the diocese of Nonantola were suppressed.
On 11 December 1821, Pope Pius VII confirmed in the bull Sacrorum canonum the rearrangements of the dioceses in the Duchy of Modena which had been worked out by the Sacred Consistorial Congregation. These adjustments had been made necessary by the intrusive enactments made by the occupying French governments of the Cisalpine Republic and the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. Modena, which had been made a suffragan of Milan, was returned to the ecclesiastical province of Bologna, and its acquisition of the territorial Abbey of Nantola was confirmed.
Cathedral and Chapter
The fabric of the cathedral was erected during the 11th century. The high altar, dedicated to S. Geminianus, was consecrated by Pope Paschal II, in the presence of Countess Matilda of Tuscany, on 8 October 1106. The remains of S. Geminianus had already been transferred to the new basilica in a ceremony presided over by the Pope and the Countess on 30 April 1106.
In 1184, Pope Lucius III visited Modena, accompanied by ten cardinals, the Archbishops of Ravenna and Lyons, and the Bishops of Reggio and Bologna. On 12 July 1184, he presided over the consecration of the newly refurbished Cathedral.
Canons were already in existence at Modena by 892. A document of the Emperor Guido (891–894), dated November 892, speaks of granting Bishop Leudoinus powers for building ramparts ad muniendam ipsam sanctam Ecclesiam suamque constitutam Canonicam.