[2][3] According to the hagiographical "Life of Gaudentius", written c. 700,[4] he was born in Ivrea, and came to Novara, where a priest named Laurentius was preaching and baptizing.

When Laurentius was killed, he took up the task of catechizing, with the blessing of Bishop Eusebius of Vercelli, in whose territory Novara was situated.

[7] In 1059, Pope Nicholas II summoned the archbishop of Milan and his suffragans to attend his synod, which met in Rome in April.

[10] Novara lost part of its territory on 16 March 1530, when Pope Clement VII established the Diocese of Vigevano.

[14] Bishop Francesco Bossi (1579–1583) was unable to attend the Sixth Provincial Synod of Milan in May 1582, but sent his Vicar General, Giovanni Paolo Albergono, as his procurator.

[25] In August 1856, Synodical Statutes of the diocese of Novara were issued under the auspices of Bishop Giacomo Filippo Gentile (1843–1875).

[28] On 17 March 1805, the Emperor Napoleon established the Kingdom of Italy, and had himself crowned its king, on 23 May, in the cathedral of Milan by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Caprara, the papal legate.

On 17 July 1817, the pope issued the bull "Beati Petri", which reconstituted de novo the ten dioceses which had been suppressed under the French.

[30] Upon further consideration and consultation with ecclesiastical authorities in Milan, Pius VII chose to make additional adjustments.