The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio (Latin: Archidioecesis Ferrariensis-Comaclensis) has existed since 1986, when the diocese of Comacchio was combined with the historical archdiocese of Ferrara. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bologna. Ferrara became an archdiocese, though without suffragans, in 1735. It was for a long period directly subject to the Holy See. The diocese's most recent archbishop Luigi Negri retired on February 15, 2017.
The earliest bishop of certain date is Constantine, present at Rome in 861; St. Maurelius (patron of the city) must have lived before this time. Some think that the bishops of Ferrara are the successors to those of Voghenza (the ancient Vicus Haventia).
Other notable bishops were:
Filippo Fontana (1243), to whom Pope Innocent IV entrusted the task of inducing the German princes to depose Emperor Frederick II;
Alberto Pandoni (1261)
Giovanni di Tossignano (1431);
Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el mayor (October 29, 1494/June 14, 1497—August 1, 1503)
Ippolito I d'Este (1520), Ippolito II d'Este (1550), and Luigi d'Este (1553), patrons of learning and the arts;
Alfonso Rossetti (1563), Paolo Leoni (1579), Giovanni Fontana (1590), and Lorenzo Magalotti (1628), reformers after the Council of Trent;
Carlo Odescalchi (1823).
Up to 1717 the Archbishop of Ravenna claimed metropolitan rights over Ferrara; in 1735 Pope Clement XII raised the see to archiepiscopal rank, without suffragans.
Erected: 4th Century
Latin Name: Ferrariensis
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Ravenna
Aldobrandino d'Este (1377 - 30 Oct 1381 Died)
...
Niccolò Roberti (4 Feb 1393 - 24 Jan 1401 Appointed, Archbishop of Soltania)
Pietro Bolardi (24 Jan 1401 - Dec 1431 Resigned)
Giovanni Tossignano (29 Oct 1431 Appointed - 24 Jul 1446 Died)
Francesco Legnamine (de Padua) (8 Aug 1446 - 18 Apr 1460 Appointed, Bishop of Belluno e Feltre)
Lorenzo Roverella (26 Mar 1460 - 1474 Died)
Barthelemy della Rovere, O.F.M. (11 Jul 1474 - 1494 Died)
Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el mayor (29 Oct 1494 - 1 Aug 1503 Died)
Ippolito d'Este (I) (8 Oct 1503 - 3 Sep 1520 Died)
Giovanni Salviati (12 Sep 1520 - 1 May 1550 Resigned)
Luigi d'Este (1 May 1550 - 1563 Resigned)
Alfonso Rossetti (1563 A- 25 Feb 1577 Died)
Paolo Leoni (17 Mar 1578 - 7 Aug 1590 Died)
Giovanni Fontana (bishop of Ferrara) (7 Aug 1590 - 5 Jul 1611 Died)
Giambattista Leni (3 Aug 1611 - 3 Nov 1627 Died)
Lorenzo Magalotti (cardinal) (5 May 1628 - 19 Sep 1637 Died)
Francesco Maria Macchiavelli (11 Oct 1638 - 22 Nov 1653 Died)
Carlo Pio di Savoia (2 Aug 1655 - 26 Feb 1663 Resigned)
Giovanni Stefano Donghi (26 Feb 1663 - 26 Nov 1669 Died)
Carlo Cerri (19 May 1670 - 14 May 1690 Died)
Marcello Durazzo (27 Nov 1690 - 27 Aug 1691 Appointed, Archbishop (Personal Title) of Spoleto)
Domenico Tarugi (2 Jan 1696 - 27 Dec 1696 Died)
Fabrizio Paolucci (27 Jan 1698 - 14 Mar 1701 Resigned)
Taddeo Luigi dal Verme (14 Mar 1701 - 12 Jan 1717 Died)
Tommaso Ruffo (10 May 1717 - 26 Apr 1738 Resigned)
Elevated: 27 July 1735
Latin Name: Ferrariensis
Immediately Subject to the Holy See
Raniero d’Elci (5 May 1738 - 15 Sep 1740 Resigned)
Bonaventura Antonio Maria Giuseppe Barberini, O.F.M. Cap. (16 Sep 1740 - 15 Oct 1743 Died)
Girolamo Crispi (16 Dec 1743 - 24 Jul 1746 Died)
Marcello Crescenzi (22 Aug 1746 - 24 Aug 1768 Died)
Bernardino Giraud (15 Mar 1773 - 14 Feb 1777 Resigned)
Alessandro Mattei (17 Feb 1777 - 2 Apr 1800 Appointed, Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina)
Paolo Patricio Fava Ghisleri (24 Aug 1807 - 14 Aug 1822 Died)
Carlo Odescalchi, S.J. (10 Mar 1823 - 2 Jul 1826 Resigned)
Filippo Filonardi (3 Jul 1826 - 3 May 1834 Died)
Gabriele della Genga Sermattei (23 Jun 1834 - 13 Jan 1843 Resigned)
Ignazio Giovanni Cadolini (30 Jan 1843 - 11 Apr 1850 Died)
Luigi Vannicelli Casoni (20 May 1850 - 21 Apr 1877 Died)
Luigi Giordani (22 Jun 1877 - 21 Apr 1893 Died)
Egidio Mauri, O.P. (12 Jun 1893 - 13 Mar 1896 Died)
Pietro Respighi (30 Nov 1896 - 9 Apr 1900 Appointed, Vicar General of Rome)
Giulio Boschi (19 Apr 1900 - 7 Jan 1919 Resigned)
Francesco Rossi (15 Dec 1919 - 25 Jul 1929 Died)
Ruggero Bovelli (4 Oct 1929 - 9 Jun 1954 Died)
Natale Mosconi (5 Aug 1954 - 21 Apr 1976 Resigned)
Filippo Franceschi (15 Jul 1976 - 7 Jan 1982 Appointed, Archbishop (Personal Title) of Padua)
Luigi Maverna (25 Mar 1982 - 8 Sep 1995 Retired)
United: 30 September 1986 with the Diocese of Comacchio (-Pomposa)
Latin Name: Ferrariensis-Comaclensis
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Bologna
Carlo Caffarra (8 Sep 1995 - 16 Dec 2003 Appointed, Archbishop of Bologna)
Paolo Rabitti (2 Oct 2004 - 1 Dec 2012 Retired)
Luigi Negri (1 Dec 2012 - 15 Feb 2017 Retired)
Giancarlo Perego (15 Feb 2017)
