Associazione Chiesa d'Inghilterra
The Church of England in Italy
Our History
The history of the Church of England in Italy stretches across centuries of travel, trade, diplomacy, and faith. It is a story of adaptation and growth, of service and community, and of faith lived across generations.
In Palermo, the former prison of the Inquisition preserves inscriptions scratched into the walls by prisoners. Among them are texts of the Apostles’ Creed written in English — striking evidence that English-speaking Christians were at times detained for their faith. "I doe belive in God the father all mighty..." recalled a common baptism and faith in Jesus Christ.
These traces remind us that the Anglican presence in Italy began within a complex and sometimes hostile religious landscape.
Early Presence in Italy
In the early modern period, public non-Roman Catholic worship was restricted in much of the Italian peninsula. English merchants, sailors, and travellers were present in port cities and commercial centres, but open Reformed worship was often limited or prohibited.
The Book of Common Prayer in Italian
Even during periods of restriction, there were efforts to express Anglican worship in the Italian language.
The first printed Italian edition of the Book of Common Prayer appeared in 1685 under the title Il Libro delle Preghiere Publiche secondo l’uso della Chiesa Anglicana. Earlier manuscript translations are known from as early as 1608. The 1685 edition, produced in England, seems to have served partly apologetic purposes during a period of confessional tension in Europe.
A later and distinct Italian translation was published in Livorno in 1831 by George Frederick Nott. By that stage, Anglican communities were becoming more visibly established and required liturgical resources suited to their context.
These translations reveal a long-standing theological and linguistic engagement between Anglicanism and Italy.
Chaplaincies and Growing Communities
From the seventeenth century onward — and increasingly in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries — English diplomats, merchants, artists, and Grand Tour travellers spent extended periods in cities such as Florence, Rome, Venice, Cadenabbia, Naples, and Palermo.
Gradually, chaplaincies were formed to provide pastoral care, sacramental ministry, and burial grounds. What began as temporary provision evolved into stable worshipping communities.
Unification and Religious Liberty
The nineteenth century brought both ecclesial growth and political transformation. As Anglican congregations expanded and permanent churches were established, Italy itself was being reshaped by the Risorgimento.
British public opinion was often sympathetic to Italian unification, and admiration for Giuseppe Garibaldi was widespread. His 1864 visit to England drew extraordinary public enthusiasm.
In Sicily, support for unification was practical as well as ideological. The Anglo-Sicilian Ingham and Whitaker families of Marsala and Palermo directly supported Garibaldi’s campaign. Their commercial influence formed part of the wider network that assisted the movement. These same families were closely connected to Anglican worshipping life, showing how English-speaking Christians were woven into the social and economic fabric of Italy.
Garibaldi himself demonstrated goodwill toward Anglican congregations. After unification, he gave property that enabled the establishment of Anglican church-buildings in both Naples and Rome. These gestures reflected the new Kingdom of Italy’s increasing commitment to religious toleration and its willingness to recognise non-Roman Catholic Christian communities.
Unification marked a decisive shift. The evolving legal structures of the Italian state created greater stability and recognition for Anglican worship.
Communities that had once existed under restriction were now able to flourish openly.
The Twentieth Century and an International Church
The twentieth century brought war, political upheaval, and changing patterns of international life. Yet Anglican congregations endured and adapted. As tourism, diplomacy, and international business expanded, congregations became increasingly diverse.
While rooted in the liturgy and theology of the Church of England, Anglican communities in Italy grew more international in membership, welcoming residents and visitors from across the world who sought English-language worship and Anglican spirituality.
The Emergence of ACDI
In the past decades as chaplaincy life in Italy has continued to evolve, and EU integration has become a reality, the need arose for a recognised legal and organisational structure capable of representing the Church of England within Italian civil society.
The Associazione Chiesa d’Inghilterra (ACDI) developed to provide that framework. It serves as the recognised body supporting and representing the ministry of the Church of England in Italy, in particular the Diocese in Europe, ensuring that chaplaincies may function responsibly within Italian law, and providing the benefits of being a recognised church, such as the 8x1000.
ACDI does not replace the Church of England's spiritual or pastoral structures. Rather, it provides the legal and institutional foundation that enables our worship, ministry, and community life to flourish securely and transparently.
In this way, ACDI stands within a much longer story — that of a local Christian community which continues today, not simply as English, but as an international family of believers rooted in the life of modern Italy.
ACDI in Italy Today
Formed in 2012 and granted official legal status by Presidential Decree in 2014, ACDI represents the Church of England in Italy and supports chaplaincies across the country.
A key milestone was the negotiation of an official Intesa with the Italian Republic under Article 8 of the Constitution, ratified into law in 2021. This treaty provides legal recognition of congregations of the Church of England in Italy, including their ministry and pastoral work, and allows ACDI to operate fully within Italian civil law.
Today, ACDI ensures that our worship, pastoral care, and community life continue to flourish. We are the legal home of the Church of England in Italy, building on centuries of history while serving a diverse, international community and engaging as a respectful cultural partner within Italian society.