Former Bishops of Constantinople

THE LIST OF THE PAPAL REPRESENTATIVES IN CONSTANTINOPLE AND IN THE TURKISH REPUBLIC

Patriarchatus Constantinopolitanus Latinorum  (LATIN PATRIARCHS OF CONSTANTINOPLE)

• Thomas Morosini (Italian) (1204 - 1211)

Vacant (1211 - 1215)

• Gervaso (Italian) (1215 - 1221)
• Matteo (Italian) (1221-1226)
• Jean Halgrin D'Abbeville(1226)
• Simone(1227-1232)
• Vacant(1232-1234)
• Niccolò Visconti da Castro Arquatode Porta(1234-1251)

Vacant (1251-1253)

• Pantaleon Giustiniani(1253-1278). (The last Patriarch of Constantinople who resided)  From 1261, Patriarchate titular only. (This title was officially abolished in 1965 too).
• Peter I (1286 - 1301) Resided in Crete
• Leonard (1301 - ?) The Pope Boniface VII decreted that the nomination of the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople reserved only to the Supreme Pontiff.

Papal Representatives during the Conquest of Constantinople

• Papal Legate - Cardinal Isidore (1452 - 1453) (called also Cardinal of Russia. The Byzantine Emperor Constantin XIII, in front of the Turkish siege, asked help from the Pope Nicholas V, Venice and Genoa. The Emperor asked the Pope that Byzantines want to unify with the Latin Church and then the Pope sent Cardinal Isidore to Constantinople to teach the Catholic theology dogmas and the Latin rite).

Papal Representatives after the Conquest of Constantinople

Vacant (1453 - 1580)

• Monsignor Pierre Cedulini (November 1580 - 1581) (sent to Constantinople by the Pope Gregory XIII as the Apostolic Visitor)

Patriarcal Vicars of Latins in Constantinople

As the Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople became titular and the Patriarch of Constantinople did not have any local jurisdiction, the Dominican Fathers and Franciscans were in charge of the Catholic of Roman Rite in Constantinople and both congregations were residing in Pera. The list below is being quoted from the manuscript of Fr. Barbieri which is presented in 1817 to Monsignor Vincenzo Coronessi, the Apostolic Vicar of Istabul. The original work is found in the archives of the Franciscan Minor Conventual Brothers (Saint Anthony Church in Pera) and a reproduction is found in the archives of the Apostolic Vicariate of Istabul (in Elmadağ).

• Augustino Giusulfi (1580). He was a Dominican. The meeting minutes kept during the Apostolic Visit of Monsignor Pierre Cedulini are providing this name as the Patriarcal Vicar of Constantinople)
• ? (1584). The minutes are providing that there was a Franciscan Minor Observant in charge, no name mentioned.
• Bonaventura Secucci (1599). Franciscan Minor Observant.
• Cherubino (1604). Franciscan Minor Observant.
• Giovanni Battista Sangollo (1616). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Giuseppe (1618). Franciscan Minor Observant.
• Benedetto (1622). Franciscan Minor Observant.
• Andrea Gislanti (1626). Franciscan Minor Observant. Minister Provincial of the Congregation for the East.
• Guglielmo Foca (1627). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Giovanni Mauri della Fratta (1629). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Giovanni Francesco Circhi (1631). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Guglielmo Vizzani (1635). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Angelo Petricca (1637). General Commissary of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Francesco Castogna (1641). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Andrea Ridolfi della Fratte (1641). General Commissary of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Giovanni Mercredini (1642). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Giovanni Battista Siroli (1643). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Gregorio de Magistris (1645). Commissary of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Monsignor Hyacinthe Subiano (1646). Dominican Archbishop of Edessa. He started to the official and public prayers for the King of France during the ceremonies and this situation caused hard discussions between his successors and Jesuits.
• Giovanni Francesco Circhi (1648). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Pietro Severoli (1651). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.

The Suffragan Patriarchal Apostolic Vicars of Constantinople

• Monsignor Hyacynte Subiano (1651). Dominican Archbishop of Edessa. He was re-elected with the new title of "Suffragan Patriarchal Apostolic Vicar".
• Monsignor Bonaventura Teoli (1653). Franciscan Minor Conventual.
• Monsignor Andrea Ridolfi della Fratta (1663). Franciscan Minor Conventual.
• Monsignor Vito Piluzzi (1675). Franciscan Minor Conventual.
• Maria Boschi of Paris (1677). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Girolamo Polacaij (1678). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• Monsignor Gasparo Gasparini (1678). Minister Provincial of the Franciscan Minor Conventuals for the East.
• David de Saint-Charles (1703). APOSTOLIC VISITOR, SENT TO ISTANBUL BY THE POPE CLEMENT XI.
• Monsignor Raimondo Gallani (1706). Dominican Archbishop of Ancyra.
• Monsignor Giovanni Battista Mauri (1720). He published a pastoral letter of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda dated 26^th November 1722 to order to all the superiors of the religious communities residing in the Ottoman Empire that "they cannot do any innovation in their missions without the counsel and permission of the Ambassador of France". The divided the city of Istanbul in parishes as of 2^nd April 1730.
• Monsignor Antonio Balsarini (1730). He was nominated when he was in charge of the Library of Roman Curia Archives. He is dead before his arrival to Istanbul.
• Monsignor Girolamo Bona (1731). Diocesan Bishop
• Monsignor Biagio Paoli (1750). Diocesan Bishop
• Monsignor Giuseppe Roverani (1767). From the Congregation of Saint John the Baptist.

The Patriarcal Apostolic Vicars

• Monsignor Giovanni Battista Bavestrelli (1772). Died in 1777 in Istanbul in 1777 when he was in charge of the Latin Church of Istanbul.
• Vacant (1777) - The Administrator Diocesan was Fr. Giovanni Battista Fonton. Franciscan Minor Conventual.
• Monsignor Nicolo Pugliesi (1778). Diocesan Bishop. He is dead for the same year because of the plague.
• Andrea (1778). Reformed Franciscan Minor, ex- Superior of the Santa Maria Draperis Church.
• Monsignor Francesco Antonio Frachia (1778). From the Congregation of Saint John the Baptist. During his period, in 1781, the King of France Louis XVI promulgated in which conditions the priests of the Latin Rite residing in Ottoman lands could benefit of the French protection.
• Monsignor Giulio Maria (1795). Reformed Franciscan Minor, ex- Superior of the Santa Maria Draperis Church.
• Guillaume Marquis (1796). Vicar General Diocesan.
• Monsignor Nicola Timoni (1796). Diocesan. Bishop of Chios who never arrived to Istanbul where Fr. Guillaume Marquis was managing the Dioceses ad interim.
• Monsignor Giovanni Battista Fonton (1799). Diocesan Bishop. He published a small catechetical book and founded the parish of Büyükdere.
• Monsignor Vincenzo Coressi (1816). Diocesan Bishop
• Monsignor Julien-Marie Hilléreau (1835). Diocesan Bishop. He founded the Holy Spirit Cathedral which was consecrated in 1846 and also the Church of Saint Name of Jesus which was consecrated in 1854 in Taksim (after three years the name of this church is changed as Saint John Chrysostome - which today is known as Surp Hovhannes Vosgeperan, reserved to the use of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate). He also called the Sisters of Charity (Filles de Charité) and the Brothers of Christian Schools (Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes) for the education of the Christian youth of Istanbul of both sexes.
• Monsignor Antonio Mussabini (1855). Diocesan Bishop, ex-Archbishop of Izmir.
• Monsignor Paolo Brunoni (1858). He founded many churches in Istanbul: the church in Büyükada of the Reformed Minor Franciscan Fathers in 1860, the church in Bakırköy of Domenicans in 1863, the church of Yeşilköy of Capuchins in 1863, the church of Büyükdere of Conventuals in 1866, the Latin Catholic Church of Kadıköy which the construction has started in 1859 and the Catholic Cmetery of Ferikoy in 1860. Monsignor Brunoni also did the restoration of the Holy Spirit Cathedral which got serious harm from the earthquake. The Pope Pius IX helped economically for these constructions.
• Monsignor Joseph Pluym (1869). Dutch. From the Order of Passionists.
• Monsignor Alessandro Franchi (1871). Diocesan Bishop, ex-Archbishop of Thessaloniki.
• Monsignor Serafino Milani (1874). Domenican.
• Monsignor Antonio Maria Grasselli (1874). Franciscan Minor Conventual.
• Monsignor Vincenzo Vanuteli (1880). Diocesan Bishop
• Monsignor Luigi Rotelli (1880). Diocesan Bishop