Sarzana
The Diocese of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato
Hello everyone! Today I will talk to you about the Diocese of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato, a seat of the Catholic Church in Italy, which is part of the ecclesiastical region of Liguria and has 217,290 baptized out of 219,909 inhabitants as of 2019. The diocese is run by Bishop Luigi Ernesto Palletti and its territorial boundaries correspond to those of the province of La Spezia.
The diocese has three seats, the Cathedral of Christ the King in La Spezia and two co-cathedrals in Sarzana and Brugnato. The Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is located in Sarzana while in Brugnato there is the Co-Cathedral of Saints Peter, Lawrence, and Colombanus. Moreover, in Luni there are the remains of the Cathedral of Luni, which was part of the Diocese of Luni, later becoming the titular seat of the current diocese.
Territory
The diocese is divided into four pastoral zones, with 11 vicariates and 186 parishes. There are 23 parishes in the Golfo della Spezia I pastoral zone, 17 in the Golfo della Spezia II zone, 13 in the Bassa Val di Magra pastoral zone, 17 in the Media Valle della Magra pastoral zone, 18 in the Brugnato and Alta Valle della Vara zone, 15 in the Bassa Valle della Vara and the Media Valle della Vara zone, and 21 in the Alta Valle della Vara and Riviera pastoral zones.
History
The present-day diocese was created in 1986 with the merger of three earlier dioceses: the Diocese of Luni, the Diocese of Brugnato, and the Diocese of La Spezia.
Diocese of Luni
The Diocese of Luni is very old, with the first written records dating back to 465. Originally, its territory also included parts of the present-day regions of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.
Diocese of Luni-Sarzana
Starting from the 12th century, the bishops of the Diocese of Luni began to reside more and more often in Sarzana due to the progressive decline of Luni. With the placet of Pope Innocent III of March 7, 1202, the episcopal seat was officially transferred to Sarzana on June 15 of the same year, but the bishops moved the seat here and there within the diocese. Subsequently, the official residence was established in Sarzana with the bull of Pope Paul II of July 21, 1465, and the bishops carried the title of Luni-Sarzana.
At that time, the Diocese of Luni-Sarzana included much of the present-day region of Liguria, but in 1797 it was abolished following the new provisions of the French occupation of Liguria.
Diocese of La Spezia
In 1929, the Diocese of La Spezia was established with the creation of the Cathedral of Christ the King in La Spezia. The diocese became suffragan of the Archdiocese of Genoa and received the title of "new diocese" until the merger with the dioceses of Luni-Sarzana and Brugnato in 1986.
Vicariates and Parishes
The diocesan territory is divided into 4 pastoral zones, 11 vicariates, and 186 parishes.
The Golfo della Spezia I zone has 23 parishes and includes the city of La Spezia. The Golfo della Spezia II zone also includes parts of Follo and Vezzano Ligure and is composed of 17 parishes. The Bassa Val di Magra zone includes 13 parishes between the cities of Santo Stefano di Magra and Vezzano Ligure. The Media Val di Magra zone is located east of the city of La Spezia and has 17 parishes.
The Brugnato and Alta Valle della Vara zones are each composed of 18 parishes between the city of Brugnato and the Valle della Vara. The Bassa Valle della Vara and Media Valle della Vara have 15 parishes, while the Alta Valle della Vara has 21 parishes. Finally, the Riviera pastoral zone has 21 parishes that extend from the city of Levanto to Sarzana.
I hope this summary has been useful for you to learn more about the Diocese of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato. Thank you for reading and see you soon!
