Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia

The Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia (Latin: Dioecesis Arianensis Hirpina-Laquedoniensis) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Benevento.

Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia Dioecesis Arianensis Hirpina-Laquedoniensis Diocesi di Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia
Ariano Irpino Cathedral
Location
Country	Italy
Episcopal conference	Episcopal Conference of Italy
Ecclesiastical region	Campania
Ecclesiastical province	Benevento
Statistics
Area	781 km^2 (302 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2020) 61,530 61,000 (guess)
Parishes	43
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	10th century
Cathedral	Ariano Irpino Cathedral (Basilica Cattedrale di S. Maria Assunta di Ariano Irpino)
Co-cathedral	Lacedonia Cathedral (Concattedrale di S. Maria Assunta di Lacedonia)
Secular priests	42 (diocesan) 9 (religious Orders) 7 Permanent Deacons
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Sergio Melillo
Website
Diocese of Ariano Arpino-Lacedonia (in Italian)

In 1986 the Diocese of Ariano and the Diocese of Lacedonia merged to form the current diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia,^[1][2] which comprises twenty towns in the province of Avellino, three in that of Benevento, and one in the province of Foggia. There are 43 parishes in the diocese.^[3]

History

Ariano (currently Ariano Irpino), a medieval town built on three hills along the Apennines, occupies an ancient site of the Samnite tribe of the Hirpini.^[4]

Beneventum, at the beginning of the fourth century, had a bishop, and the Gospel may have reached Ariano from that city. The Bishop of Beneventum was one of the nineteen prelates who were present at the Synod of Rome, held in the year 313.^[5]

Ariano was an episcopal city from the tenth century and perhaps before that time. It is first mentioned in the Bull "Cum Certum Sit" of Pope John XIII of 26 May 979, which promoted the diocese of Beneventum to metropolitan rank, and named Ariano as a suffragan see.^[6]

It is clear that the diocese existed at the beginning of the 11th century. In a document of October 1016, the Archpriest Petrus acts in the capacity of "rector episcopii sancte sedis Arianensis, in a suit "una cum Cicinus clericus atvocatorem predicto episcopio." It is not clear whether Petrus is acting on behalf of an unnamed bishop, or is acting during a vacancy in the episcopacy.^[7]

The first known bishop was Bonifacius (attested 1039).^[8]

In 1070, Bishop Meinardus erected in his cathedral a marble baptistery on the walls of which verses were inscribed, recording the date and the bishop's name.^[9] Bishop Meinardus of Ariano attended the provincial synod summoned by Archbishop Milo of Benevento in March 1075.^[10]

The bishops of Ariano also held the fief and the title of Barons of S. Eleuterio, certainly by 1307, and perhaps as a gift of the emperor Frederick II (d. 1250).^[11]

The city of Ariano was completely ruined by the great earthquakes of December 1456. The dead numbered between 600 and 2200, depending on reports. Bishop Orso Leone (1449–1456) had a metrical inscription placed in the episcopal palace, numbering the dead at a thousand. The town was rebuilt by 1470.^[12]

The diocese was severely affected by a plague in 1528, bringing about the deaths of around 5,000 persons.^[13] The loss of life was so heavy that, taking into account also the losses from earthquakes, it was necessary to close five parishes.^[14]

The diocesan seminary was founded in 1564, by Bishop Donato Laurenti (1563–1584).^[15] Bishop Giacinto della Calce, O.Theat. (1697–1715) rebuilt the diocesan seminary, which had been ruined in the earthquakes of 1688 and 1694.^[16] It was again destroyed by the earthquake of 1732, and rebuilt by Bishop Filippo Tipaldi (1717–1748) in 1735.^[17]

In November 1732, another great earthquake struck Ariano, which was again totally destroyed. The number of dead, however, was only c. 160, since it was harvest time and the largest part of the population was in the fields. With the churches ruined, the bishop had a temporary church constructed of wood and plaster in the main square, so that religious services could be held.^[18]

In 1697, the city of Ariano had a population of some 5,000 individuals; in the city were ten parishes and two collegiate churches.^[19] In 1748, the city of Ariano had a population estimated at 10,000. In the city were twelve parishes, of which three were collegiate churches, each with a number of canons. There were five houses of religious men, and one of women. The diocese also had twelve "loca". The population of the entire diocese was reckoned at 54,000 souls.^[20]

After Napoleon

Following the extinction of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, the Congress of Vienna authorized the restoration of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. Since the French occupation had seen the abolition of many Church institutions in the Kingdom, as well as the confiscation of most Church property and resources, it was imperative that Pope Pius VII and King Ferdinand IV reach agreement on restoration and restitution.

A concordat was finally signed on 16 February 1818, and ratified by Pius VII on 25 February 1818. Ferdinand issued the concordat as a law on 21 March 1818.^[21] The re-erection of the dioceses of the kingdom and the ecclesiastical provinces took more than three years. The right of the king to nominate the candidate for a vacant bishopric was recognized, as in the Concordat of 1741, subject to papal confirmation (preconisation).^[22] On 27 June 1818, Pius VII issued the bull De Ulteriore, in which he reestablished the metropolitan archbishopric of Benevento, with ten suffragan dioceses, including the diocese of Ariano.^[23]

The case of Bishop Caputo

Fra Michele Maria Caputo was a Dominican friar, born at Nardo, in the heel of the boot of Italy. He served his year as a novice in Trani, where he also obtained a degree in theology. He taught humanities at Nardo, and then philosophy and theology to students in his Order. He was repeatedly elected Prior of his convent in Taranto, and in 1845 became Provincial of the Dominican province of Puglia. In 1852 he became a master of theology.^[24]

On 12 June 1852, he was nominated Bishop of Oppido Maritima, and was confirmed by Pope Pius IX on 27 September 1852.^[25] He made his formal entry into the diocese on 20 February 1851, and immediately began a program of reform of the clergy. He also undertook a reform of the staff of the diocesan seminary, replacing dead wood with priests who were in touch with modern philosophy and theology.^[26] He was a supporter of the pope's claims to universal spiritual authority, and he warmly endorsed the new doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (1854). He established in his diocese a "Monte di pieta," a sort of controlled pawn brokerage, and a "Monte frumentario," a sort of agricultural bank. When he began to look closely into the episcopal income and the finances of the diocese, he discovered many cases of misappropriation of goods and properties. He undertook a series of lawsuits, intending to recover everything which had slipped from the hands of his predectessors. His successes, especially in the civil courts brought him resentment and opposition in many quarters. Retaliation against the bishop took the form accusations lodged with higher religious and civil authorities, in particular, that he was often absent from Oppido, in the village of Piminoro, where he maintained an illicit relationship with his housekeeper. The Pope responded to the pressure by transferring Bishop Caputo, with the consent of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies,^[27] to the diocese of Ariano, on 27 September 1858; Caputo was appointed Administrator of Oppido.^[28]

The successes of the Piedmontese armies, and the incorporation of most of the Papal Statess into the Kingdom of Sardinia, as well as the successes of Giuseppe Garibaldi in Sicily, stimulated spontaneous uprisings in many cities of the Kingdom of Naples. When supporters of Garibaldi, led by General Turr, approached Ariano,^[29] a conservative peasant uprising resulted in the murders of some thirty liberals. Bishop Caputo's brother Giuseppe was arrested by the General, causing the bishop to flee to Naples.^[30]

On 7 September 1860, Garibaldi and his forces entered Naples. On 20 September 1860, the Giornale officiale di Napoli published Caputo's official adherence to the new regime in Naples, which he had signed two days earlier. On December 20, 1860, Bishop Caputo issued a pastoral letter, criticizing the closed-mindedness of seminary instruction, and invited the clergy to welcome Vittorio Emanuele, whom they proclaimed their King and who, having placed himself at the head of the nation, devoted himself to the liberation of his people.^[31] On 28 February 1861, the papal Congregation of the Council issued a formal warning to the bishop, ordering him to leave the office of Cappellano Maiore,^[32] which he was holding on a temporary basis. On 9 July 1861, he was named Cappellano Maggiore by King Victor Emmanuele II, giving him jurisdiction over royal churches and chapels as well as army chaplains, independent of the authority of the archbishop of Naples. On 17 September 1861, Caputo was excommunicated by the Pope.^[33]

Around 1860, with permission of the Minister of the Interior of Tuscany, Baron Ricasoli, associations of liberal priests were authorized. The papal government, however, sensing the danger in organizations outside of their control, had the bishops suppress them, under threat of excommunication. In January 1861, when the archbishop of Naples was in exile, priests and laypeople in southern Italy formed a new association, the "Clerico-Liberal-Italian Association" (Adunanza clerico-liberale italiana),^[34] which, in the summer of 1862, claimed a membership of more than 4,000 persons. On 21 December 1861, Bishop Caputo became its Honorary President. The first point in the association's manifesto was that the pope should renounce his temporal pretensions.^[35]

Bishop Caputo died on 6 September 1862, unreconciled with the pope.^[36] His funeral took place at S. Franceco di Paola in Naples. The diocese of Ariano was without a bishop for the next nine years.^[37]

Diocesan Reorganization

Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40,^[38] Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy. Pope Paul VI ordered consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned.

On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. The Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.

On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Ariano and Laquedonia be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Arianensis Hirpina-Laquedoniensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Ariano, and the cathedral of Ariano was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedral in Laquedonia was to become a co-cathedral, and its cathedral Chapter was to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Ariano, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the suppressed diocese of Laquedonia. The new diocese was to be a suffragan of the archdiocese of Benevento.^[39]

Chapter and cathedral

The cathedral of Ariano was dedicated to the Taking Up of the Body of the Virgin Mary into Heaven sub titulo Deiparae Virginis Assumptae. It contained the remains of Bishop Otto Frangipani, the patron of the city of Ariano. Special rituals are performed in the city on 13 March, the bishop's feast day.^[9] In 1512, Bishop Diomede Carafa reconsecrated the restored cathedral, and rededicated the restored episcopal palace.^[40]

The cathedral was administered by a corporate body called the Chapter, which consisted, in 1721, of five dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Primicerius Major, the Primicerius Minor, and the Treasurer) and fifteen canons.^[9] The office of archdeacon was a benefice that was reserved to the pope; the candidate was nominated by the Kings of Naples, and approved by the pope.^[41] Bishop Johannes (attested 1349–1356) increased the number of canons to twenty.^[42] Pope Alexander IV mentions in a document of 16 October 1255, that Bishop Jacobus had been Cantor of the cathedral before being elected bishop by the Chapter.^[43] In 1451, Bishop Orso Leone (1449–1456) created the office of Sacrista Major.^[44] In 1613, Bishop Ottavio Ridolfi (1612–1623) declared that when the next two canonries should become vacant, they should be assigned prebends and the should become the Canon Penitentiarius and the Canon Theologus, in accordance with the decree of the Council of Trent. In 1619, Paolo Emilio Riccio became the first Canon Penitentiary; and in 1622, Giovan Lorenzo Fiamengo became the first Canon Theologus.^[45] In 1748, there were five dignities and twenty canons.^[46]

Collegiate churches

In addition to the cathedral, the city of Ariano also had three collegiate churches, each of which was also a parish church. The Collegiate Church of S. Michele Arcangelo was presided over by the bishop, who was its abbot; he governed through an appointed Vicar Curate. The college of canons originally numbered five, but three were added later. The date of the foundation of the church is not known. It originally had a nave and two aisles, but due to the earthquake of 1732, it was restored by Bishop Tipaldi (1717–1748) with only the nave.^[47] The Collegiate Church of S. Pietro was governed by an abbot, along with five canons, to which were added two more in 1711, thanks to the generosity of cathedral Canon Orazio Memmoli.^[48] The Collegiate Church of S. Giovanni della Valle had originally been only a parish church. It was made a collegiate church in 1715, headed by a Provost (who had spiritual responsibility, and therefore had to be a priest) and six canons. After the earthquake of 1732, it was rebuilt on a somewhat larger scale than before.^[14]

Synods

A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese, his clergy, and other interested parties. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See.^[49]

Bishop Alfonso Herrera, O.S.A. (1585–1602) held a diocesan synod in 1594, in which limits were imposed on regular clergy to hear confessions, and only with written permission of the parish priest. Arrangements were also made for financing the diocesan seminary, through the suppression of the parish of Ssmo. Salvatore and the assignation of some sixteen benefices in various churches.^[50]

Bishop Juan Bonilla, O. Carm. (1689–1696) attended the provincial synod, summoned by Cardinal Vinzenzo Maria Orsini, Archbishop of Benevento, held on 11–14 April 1693.^[51]

On 12 May 1668, Bishop Emmanuele Brancaccio, O.S.B. (1667–1686) presided over a diocesan synod held in the cathedral of Ariano.^[52]

Bishop Francesco Capezzuti (1838–1855) held a diocesan synod in the cathedral of Ariano on 14–16 May 1843.^[53]

Bishops of Ariano

to 1500

...

• Bonifacius (attested 1039)^[54]

...

• Meinardus (attested 1069–1080)^[55]
• Ursus (attested 1087 or 1102)^[56]

...

• Sarulo (1091–1096)^[57]
• Gerardus (attested 1098)^[58]

...

• Riccardus (attested 1122-1134)^[59]
• Paganus (attested 1136)^[60]

...

• Willelmus (attested 1164)^[61]
• Bartholmaeus (attested 1179)^[62]

...

• Rao (attested 1297–after 1301)^[63]
• Rostagnus (attested 1309–1320)^[64]
• Laurentius, O.Min. (1320– ? )^[65]
• Robertus (c.1342–1349?)
• Johannes (attested 1349–1356)
• Tommaso (1356–1363)^[66]
• Dionysius, O.E.S.A. (1364–1372)
• Simon (1372–1373)^[67]
• Dominicus, O.Carm. (1373– ? )^[68]
• Geraldinus (1382–1390)
• Lucas, O.S.B. (1390–1400) Roman Obedience^[69]
• Donatus (1400–1406) Roman Obedience^[70]
• Angelo de Raimo (1406–1432) Roman Obedience^[71]
• Angelo Grassi (1433–1449)^[72]
• Orso Leone (1449–1456)^[73]
• Giacomo Porfida (1463–1480 Died)^[73]
• Nicola Ippoliti (1480–1481 Appointed, Archbishop of Rossano)^[73]
• Paolo Bracchi (1481–1497 Died)^[73]

1500 to 1986

• Nicola Ippoliti (1498–1511 Died)^[73][74]
• Diomede Carafa (1511–1560 Died)^[74]
• Ottaviano Preconio, O.F.M. Conv. (1561–1562)^[75]
• Donato Laurenti (1563–1584 Died)^[74]
• Alfonso Herrera (bishop), O.S.A. (1585–1602 Died)^[74]
• Vittorino Mansi, O.S.B. (1602–1611 Died)^[76]
• Ottavio Ridolfi (1612–1623 Appointed, Bishop of Agrigento)^[76]
• Paolo Cajatia (1624–1638 Died)^[76]
• Andrés Aguado de Valdés, O.S.A. (1642–1645 Died)^[76]
• Alessandro Rossi (1650–1656 Died)^[76]
• Luis Morales (bishop), O.S.A. (1659–1667 Appointed, Bishop of Tropea)^[76]
• Emmanuele Brancaccio, O.S.B. (1667–1686 Died)^[76][77]
• Juan Bonilla (bishop), O. Carm. (1689–1696)^[77]
• Giacinto della Calce, C.R. (1697–1715)^[77]
• Filippo Tipaldi (1717–1748 Died)^[77]
• Isidoro Sánchez de Luna, O.S.B. (1748–1754)^[78]
• Domenico Saverio Pulci-Doria (1754–1777)^[79]
• Lorenzo Potenza (1778–1792)^[80]
• Giovanni Saverio Pirelli (1792–1803)^[81]

Sede vacante (1803–1818)^[82]

• Domenico Russo (1818–1837)^[83]
• Francesco Capezzuti (1838–1855)^[84]
• Concezio Pasquini (1857–1858)
• Michele Caputo, O.P. (1858–1862)^[85]

Sede vacante (1862–1871)

• Luigi Maria Aguilar, B. (1871–1875)^[86]
• Salvatore Maria Nisio, Sch. P. (1875–1876 Resigned)
• Francesco Trotta (1876–1888)^[87]
• Andrea d’Agostino, C.M. (1888–1913)
• Giovanni Onorato Carcaterra, O.F.M. (1914–1915 Resigned)
• Cosimo Agostino (1915–1918)
• Giuseppe Lojacono (1918–1939 Resigned)
• Gioacchino Pedicini (1939–1949 Appointed, Bishop of Avellino)
• Pasquale Venezia (1951–1967 Appointed, Bishop of Avellino)
• Agapito Simeoni (1974–1976 Died)
• Nicola Agnozzi, O.F.M. Conv. (1976–1988 Retired)

Bishops of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia

United on 30 September 1986 with the Diocese of Lacedonia

• Antonio Forte, O.F.M. (1988–1993 Appointed, Bishop of Avellino)
• Eduardo Davino (1993–1997 Appointed, Bishop of Palestrina)
• Gennaro Pascarella (1998–2004 Appointed, Coadjutor Bishop of Pozzuoli)
• Giovanni D'Alise (2004–2014 Appointed, Bishop of Caserta)
• Sergio Melillo (23 May 2015 – )

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Lacedonia
• Catholic Church in Italy
• List of Catholic dioceses in Italy

Notes and references

1. "Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016
2. "Diocese of Ariano Irpino–Lacedonia" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016
3. See the list of parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia [it].
4. Ughelli VIII, p. 212. Parzanese, in: D'Avino, p. 31.
5. See Routt, Reliquiae Sacrae III, 312, and Harnack, Die Mission, etc., 501.^{[full citation needed]}
6. Aloysius Tomassetti (ed.), Bullarum diplomatum et privilegiorum sanctorum romanorum pontificum, Volume 1 (Turin: Seb. Franco, H. Fori et Henrico Dalmazzo editoribus, 1857, p. 422: "...tribuentes tibi insuper cum eo potestatem et honorem arcbiepiscopatus, ita ut fraternitas tua , et successores tui infra suam dioecesim, in locis, quibus olim fuerant, semper in perpetuum episcopos consecret, qui vestrae subiaceant ditioni, scilicet sanctae Agathae, Abellini, Quintodecimi, Ariani, Asculi, Bibini, Vnlturariae, Larini, Thelesiae, Aliphae."
7. Paola Massa, "Vivere «secundum Langnobardorum legem»," pp. 13-14.
8. A. Pratesi "«Chartae rescriptae» del sec. XI provenienti da Ariano Irpino." in: Bulletino dell' istituto Italiano per il medio evo LXVIII (1956), p. 193, no. 2. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on "Ariano" is obsolete on this point.
9. Ughelli VIII, p. 213.
10. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XX (Venice; A. Zatta 1775), pp. 445-448.
11. Vitale, pp. 358-360.
12. Ughelli VIII, pp. 212-213. Vitale, p. 11. Cappelletti XIX, p. 126. Mario Baratta (1901). I terremoti d'Italia [Earthquakes in Italy] (in Italian). Turin: Fratelli Bocca. p. 68.
13. Vitale, p. 216.
14. Vitale, p. 266.
15. Vitale, p. 249.
16. Vitale, pp. 214-242.
17. Cappelletti XIX, p. 135.
18. Vitale, pp. 244-245: "A 29. novembre 1732. un orribile terremoto desola quasi tutta la città, ed in conseguenza il Palazzo Vescovile, i Conventi, le Chiese e specialmente la Cattedrale; dimodochè esso Vescovo andò ad abitare nel Convento de Cappuccini, in cui una parte era rimasta intatta...." Four nuns were killed, and nearly all the survivors were dispersed to other convents elsewhere. Baratta, pp. 794-795.
19. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, p. 98, note 1.
20. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 99, note 1. According to Pietro Paolo Parzanese, a canon of the cathedral Chapter (V. D'Avino, Cenni storici...del regno delle due Sicilie (Napoli: Ranucci 1848), p. 31, column 1), the "loca" include: Ariano, Melilo, Bonito, Roseto, Monte-malo, Buonalbergo, Casalbero, Ginestra, Montefalcone, Castelfranco, Monieleone, Zungoli, and Villanova.
21. F. Torelli (1848), La chiave del concordato dell'anno 1818 I, second edition (Naples: Fibreno 1848), pp. 1-19.
22. Torelli I, p. 9.
23. Bulliarii Romani Continuatio Tomus 25 (Rome 1853), p. 58, § 11: "Ecclesia archiepiscopalis Beneventana dominio Sedis apostoliche etiam in temporalibus subjecta suffraganeas habere perget episcopales in regia ditione citra Pharum existentes ecclesias Avellinam, Arianensem, Bovinensem, Lucerinam, sancti Severi, Cerretanam et Thelesinam unitas, Bojanensem, Thermularum, Larinensem, et sanctae Agathae Gothorum....."
24. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976), § 1-2.
25. Ritzler & Sefrin VIII, p. 476.
26. Vito Andrea di Risi (1858), Rendimento di conto morale, materiale, e finanziero del seminario di Oppido (Oppido: G. Vernieri 1858).
27. Bishop Caputo is accused by his enemies of having poisoned the king, who died on 22 May 1859.
28. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976), § 4.
29. Emilio Pecorini-Manzoni, Stefano Türr ed il risorgimento italiano: cenni storici-biografici (Catanzaro: Tipografia Nuova 1902), pp. 85-89.
30. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976), § 6.
31. G. De Giorgio, "Fra' Michele Maria Caputo, vescovo garibaldino," in: Historica, XVII (1964), pp. 107-122; XVIII (1965), pp. 169-197; at pp. 185-188.
32. Cappelletti XIX, p. 136. Girolamo d'Andreae, Esposizione storico-giuridica della vertenza del Cardinale Girolamo d'Andrea (Italia 1867), p. 19, note 1: the charges were "massime erronee, corrompiento di testi scritturali, enorme scandalo pubblico, violazione di giuramenti, complicità manifesta in fatti politici a danno di legittime Sovrani e della S. Sede, allontananamento dalla residenza della propria diocesi di Ariano, ed omissione della visita triennale ad Limina Apostolorum."
33. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976), § 8, 9.
34. La civilta cattolica. anno decimoterzo 5 serie, Vol 1 (Roma 1862), p. 364.
35. N.S. Richardson, "The Italian Reform Movement," in: The American Quarterly Church Review and Ecclesiastical Register, Volume 15 (New York: N.S. Richardson, 1863), pp. 235-271, at pp. 258-261.
36. Cappelletti XIX, p. 136.
37. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976), § 10.
38. Christus Dominus 40. Therefore, in order to accomplish these aims this sacred synod decrees as follows: 1) The boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces are to be submitted to an early review and the rights and privileges of metropolitans are to be defined by new and suitable norms. 2) As a general rule all dioceses and other territorial divisions that are by law equivalent to dioceses should be attached to an ecclesiastical province. Therefore, dioceses which are now directly subject to the Apostolic See and which are not united to any other are either to be brought together to form a new ecclesiastical province, if that be possible, or else attached to that province which is nearer or more convenient. They are to be made subject to the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop, in keeping with the norms of the common law. 3) Wherever advantageous, ecclesiastical provinces should be grouped into ecclesiastical regions for the structure of which juridical provision is to be made.
39. Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 651-653.
40. Cappelletti XIX, pp. 127-128.
41. Vitale, p. 263.
42. Vitale, p. 199.
43. Cappelletti XIX, pp. 122-123.
44. Cappelletti XIX, p. 126.
45. Vitale, p. 229.
46. Ritzler & Sefrin VI, p. 99, note 1.
47. Vitale, p. 265.
48. Vitale, p. 265. The Memmoli family retained the right to nominate to the two canonries.
49. Benedictus XIV (1842). "Lib. I. caput secundum. De Synodi Dioecesanae utilitate". Benedicti XIV ... De Synodo dioecesana libri tredecim (in Latin). Vol. Tomus primus. Mechlin: Hanicq. pp. 42–49. John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis (March 19, 1997): Acta Apostolicae Sedis 89 (1997), pp. 706-727.
50. Vitale, pp. 225-226.
51. Concilium provinciale Beneventanum, quod fr. Vincentius Maria ordinis Praedicatorum, tituli S. Sixti S.R.E. presb. cardinalis Vrsinus, archiepiscopus metropolita. Habuit anno a Christo nato 1693. Diebus 11. 13. 16. mensis Aprilis, Benevento: e Typographia archiepiscopali, 1693.
52. Emanuele Brancaccio (1669), Constitutiones editae ab illustriss. & reuerendissimo D. Emanuele Brancatio episcopo arianensi in prima synodo celebrata in ecclesia cathedrali, Viterbo: ex typographia Brancatia apud Petrum Martinellum, 1669.
53. Synodus dioecesana Arianensis, celebrata in cathedrali ecclesia Arianensis, sub diebus decima quarta, decima quinta, et decima sexta Maii 1843. Abellini 1843.
54. A. Pratesi, "«Chartae rescriptae» del sec. XI provenienti da Ariano Irpino," in: Bulletino dell' istituto Italiano per il medio evo LXVIII (1956), p. 193, no. 2.
55. Meinardus was present at the consecration of the church at Montecassino by Pope Alexander II on 1 October 1071. In a declaration made by Bishop Meinardus in December 1080, preserved in the "Chronica S. Sophiae", he notes that he had predecessores. The document is quoted by Vitale, p. 369. Ughelli VIII, pp. 213-214. Kehr IX, p. 137.
56. "Nos Ursus gratias Dei episcopus sancte sedis Arianensis." Paola Massa (2014), "Vivere «secundum Langnobardorum legem»," pp. 14, 113.
57. Sarulo: Kehr IX, p. 137.
58. Gerardus took part in the First Crusade. Ughelli VIII, p. 214.
59. "Ego Riccardus divina dispensante clementia sancte sedis Arianensis episcopus." (1134): Massa (2014), pp. 121-122; 129, Tabella 2, no. 7.
60. Paganus: Massa (2014), pp. 14 with note 62; 129, Tabella 2, no. 8.
61. 12 May 1164: "Ego Willelmus dei gratia arianensis sedis episcopus." Camillo Minieri Riccio (1878), Saggio di codice diplomatico: formato sulle antiche scritture dell'archivio di stato di Napoli, Volume 1 (Naples: Rinaldi e Sellitto, pp. 284-285.
62. Bishop Bartholomaeus was present at the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXII (Venice: A. Zatta 1778), p. 461.
63. Rao (Ras, Raone): Mattei-Cerasoli (1918), p. 366: "Reverendus pater Dominus Rao Dei gratia Arianensis Episcopus, auditor causarum Curie Reverendi Patris et Domini Domni Landulfi, miseratione divina S. Angeli Diaconi Cardinalis, Apostolicae Sedis Legati." In 1301, Bishop Rao was chosen archbishop of Siponto by the majority of the members of the Chapter, but when the matter was referred to the pope, Boniface VIII rejected the election on 1 September 1301, "ex certis causis legitimis". Eubel I, p. 106. Georges Digard, Les registres de Boniface VIII, Vol. III (Paris: Fontemoing 1907), pp. 121-122, no. 4122.
64. Rostagnus: Ughelli VIII, p. 216. Eubel I, p. 106.
65. Laurentius was the immediate successor of Bishop Rostagnus. He was already bishop-elect on 1 March 1320, when Pope John XXII authorized the archbishop of Benevento to confirm the election, despite a previous reservation of the right of appointment to the pope, so long as the election by the Chapter was canonical and the candidate suitable. Laurentius' successor is mentioned in 1342. C. Eubel, Bullarium Franciscanum V (Roma: Typis Vaticanis 1898), p. 181, no. 389. Eubel I, p. 106.
66. Tommaso's successor was appointed on 10 January 1364. Eubel I, p. 106.
67. Simon had been Primicerius of the cathedral Chapter of Salerno. He was appointed bishop of Ariano by Gregory XI on 25 October 1372. Bishop Simon was transferred to the diocese of Murano by Pope Gregory XI on 27 April 1373. Eubel I, pp. 106, 352.
68. Dominicus had been Bishop Hierapetra (Crete) (1363–1364), and then Bishop of Murano (1364–1373). He was appointed bishop of Ariano by Gregory XI on 27 April 1373, in an exchange of seats with Bishop Simon. Eubel I, pp. 106, 352.
69. Lucas was appointed by Pope Boniface IX on 21 February 1390. Eubel I, p. 106.
70. Donatus was appointed by Pope Boniface IX on 19 June 1400. He was transferred to the diocese of Trevico by Pope Innocent VII on 15 September 1406. He died in 1422. Eubel I, pp. 106, 525.
71. Angelo was appointed bishop of Ariano by Pope Innocent VII on 28 July 1406. He died in 1432. Eubel I, p. 106 with note 8.
72. Grassi was appointed Archbishop of Reggio Calabria on 30 April 1449 by Pope Eugenius IV. He died in 1453. Eubel II, pp. 94, 222.
73. Eubel II, p. 94.
74. Eubel, Konrad (1923). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. III (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. p. 116. (in Latin)
75. Preconio, a master of theology and noted preacher, was nominated Bishop of Monopoli (1546–1561) by the Emperor Charles V, and confirmed by Pope Paul III. He was transferred to the diocese of Ariano by Pope Pius IV on 13 June 1561. He was at the Council of Trent in April 1552, and in January and February 1562. He was appointed Archbishop of Palermo by Pope Pius IV on 18 March 1562, after only nine months as Bishop of Ariano. He died on 18 August 1568. Eubel III, pp. 117 fwith note 4; 248 with note 5; 269 with note 8.
76. Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. pp. 94–95. (in Latin)
77. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 98-99.
78. Born in Naples in 1705, "Fra Antonio" Sanchez became a lecturer in theology in houses of his Order. He was made public lecturer in theology at the University of Naples. On 12 May 1748, Sanchez was nominated bishop of Ariano by the King of Naples, Charles III of Spain, on 2 April 1748, and confirmed on 6 May 1848 by Pope Benedict XIV. He was nominated by the king on 7 March 1754, and appointed Archbishop of Taranto on 22 April 1754 by Pope Benedict. He was transferred to Salerno on 28 May 1759. He resigned in 1783 and was appointed titular Archbishop of Sardis. Ritzler & Sefrin Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 99 with note 2; 363 with note 4; 393 with note 6.
79. Pulci-Doria: Ritzler & Sefrin Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 99 with note 3.
80. Potenza was born in Marsico Nuovo in 1722. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure (Sapienza, Rome 1746). He was Archdeacon of Marsico, and Vicar General of Aversa, and Campagna e Satriano, and finally of Agrigento (Sicily). He was nominated bishop of Ariano by the King of Naples on 3 April 1778, and approved by Pope Pius VI on 1 June; he was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Zelada on 7 June 1778. He was named Bishop of Sarno on 26 March 1792. He died on 1 September 1811. Ritzler & Sefrin Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 100 with note 4; 368 with note 4.
81. Pirelli was nominated by the King of Naples on 16 December 1791, and approved by Pope Pius VI on 26 March 1792. Ritzler & Sefrin Hierarchia catholica VI, p. 100 with note 5.
82. Italy was under invasion by French armies. Napoleon made himself King of Italy in May 1805. A French monarchy, first under Joseph Bonaparte, and then under Joachim Murat, replaced the Bourbons in Naples. Pope Pius VII was a prisoner in France from 1809–1815.
83. Russo was nominated by King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies on 20 March 1818, and approved by Pope Pius VII on 6 April 1818. He died on 6 February 1837. Ritzler & Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 89.
84. A native of Leprano (Capua), Capezzuti was nominated by Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies on 16 December 1837, and confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI on 15 February 1838. He died on 22 January 1855. Ritzler & Sefrin VII, p. 89.
85. Caputo was born in Nardò (Lecce) in 1809. He had been bishop of Oppido, and was transferred to Ariano on 27 September 1858, by Pius IX, with the recommendation of King Ferdinand II. He was provisionally named Cappellano Maggiore by a decree of 8 December 1860. On 9 July 1861, he was named Cappellano Maggiore of Naples by Victor Emmanuel II, who had become King of Italy on 17 March 1861. Gherardo Santanello, Orazione funebre di monsignor fra Michele Maria Caputo vescovo di Ariano e cappellano maggiore del re d'Italia nelle provincie meridionali, Napoli: tip. Guerrera 1862. Annuario pontificio (Roma: 1860), p. 94. Alfredo Zazo, "Una denunzia del vescovo di Ariano Irpino Michele M. Caputo [1859]," in: Samnium 46 (1973), pp. 109-111. [Anon.], "Caputo, Michele Maria," in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Volume 19 (1976).
86. In 1875, Aguilar was appointed Archbishop of Brindisi by Pope Pius IX.
87. In 1888, Bishop Trotta was appointed Bishop of Teramo by Pope Leo XIII.

Bibliography

Episcopal lists

• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. I (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. II (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
• Eubel, Conradus; Gulik, Guilelmus (1923). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. III (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
• Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo (in Latin). Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz. pp. 852–853.
• Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica (in Latin). Vol. IV (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. V (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi (in Latin). Vol. VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio.

Studies

• Barberius, Fabius, Fabii Barberii ... Catalogus episcoporum Ariani sub Hispaniarum Regis nominatione vsq; ad præsens nostrum æuum anno 1635. (in Latin). Neapoli: Typis F. Sauij, 1635.
• Barberio, F. (2006). Catalogus episcoporum Ariani. Ariane 2006.
• Cappelletti, Giuseppe (1864). Le chiese d'Italia: dalla loro origine sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. Tomo decimonono (19). Venice: G. Antonelli. pp. 117–138.
• Esposito, L. (2016). "Ariano sacra nei suoi antichi documenti." (in Italian). In: Quei maleteddi Normanni. Studi offerti a Errico Cuozzo. ed. Jean-Marie Martin, Rosanna Alaggio. Napoli: Centro Europei die Studi Normanni 2016.
• Flammia, Nicola (1893). Storia della città di Ariano dalla sua origine sino all'anno 1893. (in Italian) Ariano di Puglia: Tipografia Marino, 1893.
• Kamp, Norbert (1973). Kirche und Monarchie im staufischen Königreich Sizilien: Prosopographische Grundlegung ; Bistümer und Bischöfe des Königreichs 1194-1266. 1. (in German). Münster: W. Fink, 1973. (pp. 223 ff.)
• Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1962). Regesta pontificum Romanorum. Italia pontificia, Vol.IX: Samnium—Apulia—Lucania. ed. Walter Holtzmann. Berlin: Weidemann. (in Latin) pp. 137–139.
• Massa, Paola (2014). "Vivere «secundum Langnobardorum legem» ad Ariano Irpino tra X e XII secolo." (in Italian). In: Scrineum Rivista 11 (Firenze: Firenze UP 2014), pp. 1–124.
• Mattei-Cerasoli, L. (1918), "Di alcuni vescovi poco noti," (in Italian), in: Archivio storico per le provincie Napolitane XLIII (n.s. IV 1918), pp. 363–382.
• Schiavo, Norma (2018). La chiesa di Ariano nel Medioevo e i suoi Santi Patroni. (in Italian). Mnamon, 2018.
• Ughelli, Ferdinando; Coleti, Nicolaus (1721). Italia sacra, sive de episcopis Italiae, et insularum adjacentium (in Latin). Vol. Tomus octavus (8). Venezia: Apud Sebastianum Coleti. pp. 212–224.
• Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo (in Latin). Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz.
• Vitale, Tommaso (1794). Storia della regia città di Ariano e sua diocesi. (in Italian).Roma: Salomoni 1794.

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia (old edition)

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