Bishops of Senj
This is part 39 in a series on Daniel Farlati’s Illyricum Sacrum.
After Modruš fell to the Ottoman’s, The nearby coastal town of Senj took over administrative duties for the region. Farlati appends their history of bishops, which started in the year 1150. According to Thomas the Archdeacon, the region was originally apart of the Diocese of Krk.
Miraeus (~1150)
The earliest known bishop of Senj. When the diocese was established in the 12th century, it was placed under the administration of Spalato. Around this time Zadar was elevated to an Archdiocese and Miraeus began to show favor toward Archbishop Lampridius. Gergard, Archbishop of Spalato, appealed to Pope Alexander III. Alexander wrote to Miraeus ordering him to submit to the Archdiocese of Spalato. He was later involved in a territorial dispute with the bishop of Nin, which was resolved by Archbishop Rayner. He attended the regional synod in Spalato in 1185. His deeds afterward or when he died is unknown.
Joannes (~1210)
He became bishop while Bernard was bishop of Spalato. A short oath from Joannes to Bernard exists. His deeds are otherwise unknown.
Borislavus (~1224)
Pavao Ritter Vitezović listed him as becoming bishop in 1210, but Thomas the Archdeacon says that he was consecrated by Archbishop Guncellus, meaning he could not have been bishop prior to 1220.
Joannes II (~1240)
Farlati gives the late date of 1240 as Thomas the Archdeacon puts him last on the list of bishops consecrated by Guncellus.
Philippus (~1246)
He was present at the consecration of Archbishop Hugrinus. This would put his own consecration prior to 1247. He appears to have held the title for nearly 30 years, but none of us acts are remembered.
Martinus (1280)
A letter from 1280 indicates he was present at the consecration of a church in Zadar that year.
Nicolaus (~1308)
He is mentioned as Bishop of Senj when Gentile Portino da Montefiore visited the city.
Joannes or Bernard (~1333)
Joannes was appointed by Pope John XXII, but the city elected Bernard. Bernard was consecrated by archbishop Dominic Luccari and backed by the local Frankopan Lords. In 1337, Pope Benedict XII ordered Dominic to rightfully instate Joannes.
Pontius (1349), Peregrinus (1351), Portina (1360)
Pontius and Peregrinus come from the list by Ritter. They are not remembered. Portina was witness to 5 charters issued by King Louis I of Hungary between 1360 and 1379.
Joannes III (1380)
Joannes III was bishop while Hungary and Venice were at war. Senj was captured by the venetians in 1380 who burned the city. Joannes died just 1 year in to his tenure.
Thomas (1384)
He is listed on a 1384 privilege granted by Mary, Queen of Hungary. He died the following year.
Joannes IV (1388)
A native of Pesaro, Italy. He is listed on a royal charter by King Sigismund in 1388. He died in 1392
Leonardus (1393)
The Nephew of Joannes IV. Pavao Pavlović (lt. Paullus de Paullo) writes that King Sigismund tasked him with investigating who killed his mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth of Bosnia. He lived until at least 1400. A record exists from that year of Francesco II da Carrara granting him the right to buy real estate in Padua.
Nicolaus II. (1404)
Pavao Ritter Vitezović gives the year 1404. He was removed as bishop for unknown reasons.
Thomas II (1411)
Appointed by Pope John XXIII. Secundus Nani, Bishop of Argos, visited Senj as a papal legate in 1419. Secundo granted an exemption of five years to the diocese from tithes to Rome due to the region’s poverty.
Georgius (1419)
Martin Szentiványi writes that he was previously an Archpriest. He assigns his consecration to 1418, but Farlati disputes this with the letter from Secundo referring to Thomas in 1419. He would have been bishop for less than a year.
Thomas III (1420)
Szentiványi excludes him from his list. Vitezović assigns him to 1426, but a privilege from Sigismund includes him in the year 1424.A 1426 document includes him concerning Nicolaus Frankopan’s annual donation of 60 gold pieces. Whether he died or was transferred is unknown.
Conradus (1427)
Listed by both Szentiványi and Vitezović. Otherwise unknown.
Henricus (1428)
Little is remembered of him.
Thomas IV (1430)
Otherwise unknown. A charter by sigismund from 1431 mentioned the seat was vacant in Senj that year.
Joannes V (1432)
He was from the Island of Rab. His father was the knight Andreas de Dominis. Ambrose Traversari recommended him as a candidate for bishop to Eugene IV. He would become Bishop of Senj at just 30 years old. Farlati says he presided in Senj for 4 years and was transferred to the diocese of Ancona.
Ludovicus (1436)
He was from the town of Piran, on the coast of modern day Slovenia. His appointment lasted only six months before he was transferred to the diocese of Forli, Italy. He took an active role in debates at the council of Florence in 1438.
Nicolaus (1437) and Andreas (1443)
Nicolaus is only recorded by Luke Wadding as the predecessor of Andreas. Nicolaus was transferred to Rab, Croatia.
Andreas was from Durrës (lt.Dyrrachium), modern day Albania. Prior to becoming bishop he had been an inquisitor.
Bartholomaeus (~1450)
Originally from Bologna and in the Dominican Order. Otherwise unknown.
Nicolaus IV (1459)
Stephen Tomašević sent him as part of an envoy to the Council of Mantua to request aid in fighting the turks. Nothing else is remembered of him.
Marcus (~1462)
He served only 2 years before transferring to the diocese of Knin. At some point he visited Pope Pius II as an envoy of Matthias Corvinus.
Paullus (1465)
Consecrated in 1465, appears to have been active in the 1470s based on an inscription at the church of the hospital of the Holy Spirit.
Donatus (1488) and Paullis II (1488)
Vitezović gives Donatus the year 1488 and Paullis II 1489. However a 1489 charter from Matthias Corvinus lists Michael as bishop.
Michael (1489)
He is listed as bishop-elect in documents as early as 1489, and still so in 1496 on a privilege by Valdislaus, king of Hungary. He may have never been approved, as Andreas II is listed in 1493.
Andreas II (1493)
Surnamed De Mutina. Referred to as bishop-elect in a 1497 document.
Michael (1499)
Nothing mentioned of him other than that he voluntarily resigned in 1501.
Jacobus (1501)
Surnamed de Blasiolis. He was involved in a dispute over tithes with the bishop of Otočac, Vincentius de Andreis. The diocese of Otočac had resulted in a loss of territory for Senj. The matter was settled via arbitration. King Vladislaus II confirmed the settlement and petitioned for the diocese of Otočac to be merged with Senj upon the passing of Vincentius.
In 1513 he attended the Fifth Lateran Council. He is believed to have died in Rome that same year.
Franciscus (1520)
A native of Senj. Surnamed Sivkovich (or Živković). He quarrelled with town governers that he felt were violating ecclesiastical rights. He suspended all church functions, causing the people to appeal to Pope Clement VII. A 1526 letter from Clement asks Franciscus to show leniency to the towns people and resume church functions. That same year Clement sent a letter to the Archbishop of Esztergom in which he says the people sent an assassin against Franciscus. He asks the Archbishop to support Franciscus in returning to a state of unity with the people.
Joannes VI (1537)
A member of the De Dominis family from Rab. During his time Ferdinand, King of Hungary, took control of Senj, and several soldiers known as Uskoks occupied and defended the city from Ottoman control.
Franciscus II (1541)
He was involved in resolving a dispute between Simon, the bishop of Zagreb, and John, Count of Zrin. Ferdinand Ughelli writes that he transferred Trieste in 1549, but held this position only a few months before falling in to suspicion of heresy, exiled, and ending his life.
Georgius II (1560)
George Sivkovich (Živković). He attended the final sessions of the council of Trent.
Georgius III (1577)
Vitezović says he had previously been a bishop ex Retinensi. I’m not sure where this diocese was (possibly England). He presided in Senj for 7 years.
Michael II (1584)
Michael Pipercovich of Cetina. A strange event occurred while inspecting the church of St. Vitus. He ordered the townspeople to remove certain benches that had been set aside for women. when the towns people refused he struct them with anathema and halted the divine service. The towns people wrote to emperor Rudolf about Michaels behavior, but whether he ever replied is unknown.
Michael was not listed at the 1587 council of Spalato, which may mean the diocese had already transferred under the Metropolitan of Esztergom by then.
Bonaventura (1588)
From Aquila. He is said to have died in Padua in 1589.
Antonius (1593)
From the De Dominis family in Rab. He studied in Padua before entering the clergy. In 1596, when Ivan Alberti and Nikola Cindro seized Klis Fortress from the Ottomans, Antonius join Ivan Lenković and his soldiers on their way to render support. A battle ensued and Antonius was slain when Lenković’s forces were forced to retreat.
Marcus Antonius (1600)
The nephew of is predecessor Antonius and future Archbishop of Spalato. He was highly praised by Minuccio Minucci for his intellect. After two years, he transferred to Spalato.
Marcellus (1605)
Marcellus Marchesius. Previously a priest in Bartonensis, a diocese unknown to me. He served about 3 years before passing a way.
Vincentius (1613)
Vincentus Martena. He was previously a priest in the nearby region of Lika. He died in 1617.
Joannes Baptista (1617)
surnamed Agalić. He held a synod in 1624 to restore church discipline. He had an interest in Slavonic texts, and commissioned Franjo Glavinić to seek out local ancient manuscripts for preservation. He discovered a protestant text written in Glagolitic script which was sent to Rome so that it would not circulate.
Andreas (1647)
Andrew de Franciscis. He was an assistant of his predecessor. Elected but never consecrated. In 1650 he was transferred to the Diocese of Sirmium.
Petrus (1652)
Petrus Marianus. From Rijeka, Croatia. He was held in high regard by Ferdinand III. He attempted to set up schools for children to learn latin and was accussed of attempting to rid the local church of the Illyrian language. In a letter to Rome he refuted those claims.
I do not deny that it was the lack of education and the profound ignorance of letters from which both I and my priests suffer that prompted me to establish Latin schools for children in every parish. My hope is that, with this aid, these unlearned priests and the common people who are currently devoid of any knowledge of divine matters might gradually advance toward a deeper understanding of spiritual things . . . . it seems quite fitting that both the Latin and the Illyrian languages, along with their respective liturgical practices, should flourish side by side among the same people and within the same churches . . . . Indeed, in this very city of Rijeka, from which I am writing, I recall a time when all the priests employed only the Illyrian language and rites. Yet now they excel so commendably and gloriously in both that they are proficient in both the Illyrian and the Latin traditions.
Joannes VII (1665)
Joannes Szmolianovich. He came from the Croatian city of Bakar (patria buccarum). He oversaw the private chapel of Miklós Zrínyi, who recommended him for the position of Bishop.
Hyacinthus (1681)
Hyacinthus Dimitri. He presided 5 years but little is written about him.
Sebastianus (1690)
The newphew of Francesco Glavinich. He had a good relationship with the Spalatan Archbishop Stephen Cosmos. Farlati writes that he inherited a diminished diocese and was at odds with the Counts when trying to restore it.
Martinus II (1699)
Martin Brajkovićs, a native of Senj. At the start of his tenure, the area of Krbava was successfully recaptured from the Ottomans. A certain Stephanus Doycich had petitioned to become bishop of the area. Martinus successfully argued that Krbava was no an independent diocese, but the same as Modruš under his current administration.
Martin fervantly attempted to restore the finances of the diocese. Farlati publishes two of his letters, One to the Pope Clement XI, the other to the Cardinals of the church, outlining the financially deprived state of the diocese and asking for assitance. He wrote a complaint to Emperor Leopold about the Austrian court witholding church revenues. He says that they did so similarly to his predecessor and that the difficultly contributed to his early grave. He rebuilt the bishop’s residence in Senj that they might be more present in the city. Farlati says that previous bishops had rarely resided there.
In 1704 he transferred to Zagreb.
Benedictus (1704)
Benedictus Bedecovitius de Comor. He had previously been a priest in Zagreb, working his way up to archdeacon and then vicar general. He dedicated much of his time to reestablishing the church in the Krbava region.
Adamus (1712)
Adamus Ratkay from Zagreb. He wrote that in his day the Marian shrine in Trsat was receiving over 100,000 visitors a year. In 1715 Pope Clement XI set up a yearly plenary indulgence lasting for 7 years for those who pilgrimaged there. That same year a canonical coronation was held for the image of Mary there.
Nicolaus V (1718)
Nicolaus Pohmajevich. He served 12 years but few details of his acts are remembered.
Joannes Antonius (1731)
From the Benzoni family in Rijeka. He was previously an archdeacon in Modruš and an imperial archivist for Charles VI.
Georgius Wolphangus (1746)
Also called Juraj Vuk Čolić. He came from a noble family in Senj and was elevated to the title of Baron by Queen Maria Theresa. Despite a 20 year tenure his acts were rather uneventful.
Pius (1764)
Pius Manzadorius. As a priest in Vienna his sermons were said to draw large crowds from all levels of society. Some of his sermons were published in German in two collections: Deren Predigen and Antrieb zur Christlichen Vollkommenheit. He was later called to Rome to serve as Superior General for the Clerics Regular of St. Paul. He was the current bishop at the time of publication. In 1772 he would go on to be the bishop of Alba Iulia, Romania.