[5] The diocese of Mondovi was established during the Great Schism by Pope Urban VI of the Roman Obedience, in the papal Bull, Salvator Noster of 8 June 1388.

[8] The first bishop of Mondovì was the Dominican Damiano Zavaglia; among his successors were Percivallo di Palma (1429), Amadeo Romagnano (1497), who reconstructed the cathedral (1550); Michele Ghislieri, O.P.

(1550), Grand Inquisitor[9] and later Pope Pius V; Cardinal Vincenzo Lauro (1566), founder of the seminary, during whose incumbency the cathedral and other churches were torn down to make room for the citadel; Giovanni Battista Isnardi (1697), who restored the episcopal palace and the church of St. Dalmazaio; Carlo Felice Sanmartino (1741), founder of the new seminary, and Giovanni Tommaso Ghilardi, O.P.

The city, at first part of the Diocese of Asti, became the seat of a bishop, suffragan of the Archbishop of Milan, but, since 1515, the Archdiocese of Turin has been its metropolitan.

The Chapter of Mondovì was made up of four dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Provost, and the Cantor) and eight Canons.

After consultations with the Papal Nuncio in Turin, Gerolamo de'Federici, and all the parties concerned in Mondovì (the Bishop, Vincenzo Lauro, the Cathedral Chapter, and all of the religious orders), the plan was submitted to Pope Gregory XIII to transfer the seat of the bishop from S. Donato to the Franciscan church of San Francesco, and to move the Franciscans to Sant'Andrea.

The Dominicans would be assigned the parish church of Carassone which had the title of San Giovanni di Lupazano.

On 15 March 1577 the Pope gave his consent, and the church of San Francesco became the Cathedral of Mondovì, under the title of S. Donato.

[24] On 15 September 1592 Bishop Giovanni Antonio Castruccio (1590–1602) held his second diocesan synod, and had the Statutes published.