DIOCESE OF CENEDA (CENETENSIS).

The city of Ceneda is situated in the province of Treviso, in former Venetian territory, on a declivity of the Rhaetian Alps, in a picturesque region. In ancient times it was known as Ceneta or Acedum. It was pillaged by Attila in 452, and a century later by Totila. During the domination of the Lombards it was governed by a duke, and afterwards became part of the marquisate of Treviso. Later (994) the bishop of that city was also its temporal lord, even after it was incorporated with Venice, since in 1447 and in 1514 Bishops Francesco and Oliviero gave the republic civil investiture of the territory of Ceneda, reserving for themselves and their successors (until about 1768) authority over the city and a few villas. The Gospel, it is said, was preached in this region in the first century by St. Fortunatus, deacon of St. Hermagoras of Aquileia. The earliest known bishop is Vindemius, present in 579 at the Synod of Grado, held to continue the Schism of the Three Chapters. In 680 Ursinus, bishop of Ceneda, was present at the Council of Rome convened against the Monothelites. Other bishops were: Azzo (1140); Sigifredo (1170), during whose time there were many conflicts between Ceneda and the neighbouring towns; Antonion Correr (1409); Lorenzo da Ponte (1739), the last bishop to exercise temporal power. Since 1818 Ceneda has been a suffragan of Venice; previously it was under the jurisdiction of Udine. The diocese has a population of 183,000, with 118 parishes, 500 churches and chapels, 216 secular and 25 regular priests, 5 religious houses of men and 3 of women.