Killing of the blessed Adelpreto

The slab was placed at bishop Adelpreto’s tomb in the cathedral of Trento. It depicts the killing of Adelpreto, the bishop of Trento, by Aldrighetto di Castelbarco in 1172 during the peak events of the clash between emperor Frederick Barbarossa and the Lombard communes. Its combination with the Crucifixion, illustrated in the upper part of the slab, established a relationship between Christ’s martyrdom and that attributed to the bishop.
Adelpreto was venerated for centuries as a martyr and as the co-patron saint of Trento. In the 18th century, the illuminist Girolamo Tartarotti sparked a violent polemic, throwing doubt upon the prelate’s sanctity by arguing that he had been killed during a politico-military clash and not for reasons of faith
Adelpreto’s name was removed from the diocesan calendar only in 1914, however. His cult, originated from popular devotion and not from canonization, led to him being considered blessed, and no longer saint.