The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capua ( la, Archidioecesis Capuana) is an
archdiocese (originally a suffragan bishopric) of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in
Capua
Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.
History
Ancient era
The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...
, in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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, Italy, but its archbishop no longer holds
metropolitan rank and has no ecclesiastical province.
["Archdiocese of Capua"]
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016["Archdiocese of Capua"]
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 Since 1979, it is a
suffragan of the
Archdiocese of Napoli, i.e. no longer has its own
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...
nor metropolitan status.
History
According to the tradition, Christianity was first preached at Capua by
St. Priscus, a disciple of
St. Peter. In the martyrology mention is made of many Capuan martyrs, and it is probable that, owing to its position and importance, Capua received the Christian doctrine at a very early period.
The first bishop of whom there is positive record is Proterius (Protus), present at the Roman Council under
Pope Melchiades in 313.
Bishop Memorius, who held a council to deal with the
Schism of Antioch and the
heresy of Bonosus, is often mentioned in the letters of
St. Augustine and
St. Paulinus, and was the father of the ardent
Pelagian
Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from t ...
Julian of Eclanum
Julian of Eclanum (Latin: ''Iulianus Aeclanensis''; it, Giuliano di Eclano; c. 386 – c. 455) was bishop of Eclanum, near today's Benevento (Italy). He was a distinguished leader of the Pelagians of 5th century.
Life
Julian was born in Apulia. ...
.
In 841, during the bishopric of Paulinus, a band of Saracens destroyed
Capua
Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.
History
Ancient era
The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...
, and much of the population emigrated in a new town founded in another location. The episcopal see was moved there; later the old city, growing around the ancient basilica of
Santa Maria Maggiore, was repopulated and called Santa Maria di Capua (current
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Santa Maria Capua Vetere ( nap, Santa Maria 'e Capua) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, part of the region of Campania (southern Italy).
Though it is not connected with the ''Civitas Capuana'', the town is a medieval place and ...
). It is part of the current archdiocese of Capua. The first bishop of the diocese of ''Capua Nova'' ("New Capua") was
Landulf (843–879).
In 968
pope John XIII took refuge in Capua, and in gratitude raised the see to
archiepiscopal
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
rank on 14 August 966. First archbishop was John (966–973).
On 24 December 1108,
Pope Paschal II
Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...
, who had been staying at Benevento for some months, visited Capua at the request of Abbot Bruno of Montecassino, and dedicated the renovated church of S. Benedict in Capua.
Cathedral and chapter
In the 13th century, the cathedral had more than fifty-two clerics called ''canonici''. Archbishop Marino Filomarino (1252–1285) reduced the number to forty, ten priests, ten deacons, and twenty subdeacons. They were originally presided over by a dignity called the archpriest, though the name was later changed to fean. There was also an archdeacon. In 1698 there were four dignities (the dean, the archdeacon, and two primicerii)
Councils at Capua
In Lent 1087, an important conference of cardinals and bishops took place at Capua with Cardinal Desiderius, the abbot of Montecassino. A prominent part in the proceedings was taken by Cincius, the consul of Rome,
Jordan Prince of Capua, and
Duke Roger of Apulia and Calabria. On 24 May 1086, Desiderius had been the leading candidate in the papal election to succeed
Pope Gregory VII, but he steadfastly refused the election. Finally he was prevailed upon to assume the papal mantle, but he had second thoughts and removed himself to Terracina. The conference at Capua put strong pressure on him to reassume the papal throne, and, on 21 March 1087, he relented. Finally he was crowned in Rome on 9 May 1087 as
Pope Victor III
Pope Victor III ( 1026 – 16 September 1087), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 May 1086 to his death. He was the successor of Pope Gregory VII, yet his pontificate is far less notable than his time as De ...
.
On 7 April 1118,
Pope Gelasius II, who had been forced to flee from Rome on 1 March, held a council in Capua; the
Emperor Henry V
Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...
, who had seized Rome, and the
antipope Gregory VIII
Gregory VIII (died 1137), born Mauritius Burdinus (''Maurice Bourdin''), was antipope from 10 March 1118 until 22 April 1121.
Biography
He was born in the Limousin, part of Occitania, France. He was educated at Cluny, at Limoges, and in Castil ...
(Martin Burdinus, Bishop of Braga), who crowned him emperor, were excommunicated.
In 1569, Cardinal Niccolò Caetani di Sermoneta (1546–1585) presided over a provincial council in Capua. Archbishop Cesare Costa (1572–1602) held a provincial council on 2 November 1577. On 6–9 April 1603, Archbishop Robert Bellarmine (1602–1605) presided at a provincial council in Capua. The next provincial council took place in 1859, two hundred and fifty-six years after Bellarmine's council.
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1602–1605) held a diocesan synod in 1603. Cardinal Niccolò Caracciolo (1703–1728) held a diocesan synod in Capua on Pentecost Sunday, 1726.
Loss of metropolitan status
Following the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, ''Christus Dominus'' chapter 40, major changes were made in the ecclesiastical administrative structure of southern Italy. Wide consultations had taken place with the bishops and other prelates who would be affected. Action, however, was deferred, first by the death of
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
on 6 August 1978, then the death of
Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I ( la, Ioannes Paulus I}; it, Giovanni Paolo I; born Albino Luciani ; 17 October 1912 – 28 September 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later. Hi ...
on 28 September 1978, and the election of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
on 16 October 1978.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
issued a decree, "Quamquam Ecclesia," on 30 April 1979, ordering the changes. Three ecclesiastical provinces were abolished entirely: those of Conza, Capua, and Sorrento. A new ecclesiastical province was created, to be called the Regio Campana, whose metropolitan was the archbishop of Naples. The dioceses formerly members of the suppressed Province of Capua (Gaeta, Calvi and Chieti, Caserta, and Sessa Arunca) became suffragans of Naples. The archbishop of Capua himself retained the title of archbishop, but the diocese became a suffragan of Naples.
Bishops and archbishops
Bishops, to 966
*Proterius (attested 313, 314)
:...
*Vincentius (attested 342, 353, 372)
:...
:
italianus:
amphilus:
ulianus:
ymmachus:
ufinus:...
* Priscus (443 Died)
[ Priscus was an African bishop, who fled the Vandal invasion and landed in Campania. Ughelli, pp. 302-305. Cappelletti, p. 20.]
:...
*Tiburtius (465)
:...
*Constantinus (attested 487–499)
:...
:
lexander:...
*
Germanus (c.516–541)
*Victor (541–554)
*Priscus (555–560)
:...
*Probinus (570–572)
:...
* Festus (591–594)
:...
*Basilius (attested 598–602)
:...
*Gaudiosus (attested 649)
:...
*Decorosus (attested 680)
:...
:{Vitalianus] (date unknown)
:
utchar(date unknown)
:...
*Theodorus (attested 743)
:...
:
adipertus(c. 830]
:...
*Paulinus (835–843)
:...
*Landulphus (attested 856–879)
:...
*Landulphus
:...
*Otho
*Ugo
*Petrus (attested 928)
*Sico (attested 942–944)
*Adelbertus (attested 949)
*Joannes (attested 965–974)
Archbishops, 966–1500
*Joannes (965–966–974)
*Leo (974–978)
*Gerbertus (978–980)
*Atenulfus (981–990)
*Aio (991? 993?)
*Pandulfus
*Atenulfus
*Nicephorus (d. 1059)
:...
*Otho (attested 1122)
*Flilppo
*Ugo
*Guilelmus
*Goffredus
*
Alfano, Archbishop of Capua, Alfano (1158–1183)
*
Matthaeus (1183–1199)
* Rainaldus di Celano (1204 ? – ? )
* Rainaldus Gentile (1216–1222)
:''Sede vacante'' (1222–1225)
* Jacobus (1225–1242)
:Gualterius da Ocre (1247–1249) (Archbishop-elect)
*
Marino Filomarino (1252–1285)
* Cinthius de Pinea (1286–1290)
* Salimbene (1291–1297)
*
Pietro Gerra
Pietro Gerra or Guerra (. 19 February 1301) was an Italian ecclesiastic who held a series of important posts. He was born in the first half of the thirteenth century at Ferentino, where he became a canon of the local cathedral. He was later appoi ...
(Pietro Guerra) (1298–1299)
*
Leonardo Patrasso
Leonardo Patrasso (Alatri, 1230 – Lucca, 7 December 1311) was an Italian Franciscan and Cardinal.
He was a canon at Alatri, and from 1290 its bishop. He was bishop of Aversa from 1297 to 1299.Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el menor
Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní the Younger ( Sp.: ''Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el menor'') (1470–1500) (called the Cardinal of Santa Maria in Via Lata, the Cardinal of Valencia, or Cardinal Borgia) was a Spanish Roman Catholic bishop and ...
(1496–1498 Resigned)
*
Juan López (1498–1501 Died)
Archbishops, 1500–1800
*
Giovanni Battista Ferrari (1501–1502)
* Cardinal
Ippolito d'Este
Ippolito (I) d'Este ( hu, Estei Hippolit; 20 March 1479 – 3 September 1520) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, and Archbishop of Esztergom. He was a member of the ducal House of Este of Ferrara, and was usually referred to as the Car ...
(I) (1502–1520) ''Administrator''
*
Nikolaus von Schönberg
Nikolaus von Schönberg (11 August 1472 – 7 September 1537) was a German Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Capua.
Biography
Born in Rothschönberg near Meissen to a noble family which already had several Bishops of Meissen, Nikolaus beca ...
,
O.P. (1520–1536 Resigned)
*
Tommaso Caracciolo (1536–1546)
* Cardinal
Niccolò Caetani di Sermoneta (1546–1549)
*
Fabio Arcella
Fabio Arcella (died 1560) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Capua (1549–1560), Bishop of Policastro (1537–1542), Bishop of Bisignano (1530–1535), and Apostolic Nuncio to Naples (1529–1530 and 1535–1537).
Biograph ...
(1549–1564)
* Niccolò Caetani di Sermoneta (1564–1585)
econd appointment*
Cesare Costa,
C.O. (1572–1602 Died)
*
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine, SJ ( it, Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. ...
,
S.J. (1602–1605 Resigned)
*
Antonio Caetani (iuniore) (1605–1624)
*
Luigi Caetani (1624–1627 Resigned)
*
Girolamo Costanzo (1627–1633)
*
Girolamo de Franchis (1634–1635)
*
Camillo Melzi
Camillo is an Italian masculine given name, descended from Latin Camillus. Its Slavic cognate is Kamil.
People with the name include:
*Camillo Agrippa, Italian Renaissance fencer, architect, engineer and mathematician
*Camillo Almici (1714–17 ...
(1636–1659)
*
Giovanni Antonio Melzi Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
(1661–1687)
* Cardinal
Gasparo Cavalieri (1687–1690 Died)
*
Giacomo Cantelmo
Giacomo Cantelmo (13 June 1645 – 11 December 1702) was a Roman Catholic cardinal from 1690 to 1702.
Biography
Giacomo Cantelmo was born in Naples on 13 June 1645, the son of Fabrizio Cantelmo, 5th Duke of Popoli and prince of Pettorano, a ...
(1690–1691)
*
Giuseppe Bologna (1691–1697 Died)
*
Carlo Loffredo
Carlo Loffredo, Theatines, C.R. (31 March 1635 – January 1701) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Capua (1698–1701), Archbishop of Bari-Canosa (1691–1698), and Bishop of Molfetta (1670–1691). ''(in Latin)''
Biography ...
,
C.R. (1698–1701 Died)
* Niccolò Caracciolo (1703–1728 Died)
* Mondilio Orsini,
C.O. (1728–1743 Resigned)
* Giuseppe Maria Ruffo (1744–1754 Died)
* Muzio Gaeta (Jr.) (1754–1764 Died)
* Michele Maria Capece Galeota,
C.R. (1764–1777 Resigned)
* Adelmo Gennaro Pignatelli di Belmonte,
O.S.B.
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
(1777–1785 Died)
* Agostino Gervasio,
O.E.S.A. (1792–1806 Died)
Archbishops, since 1800
* Baldassare Mormile,
C.R. (1818–1826)
* Francesco Serra Cassano (1826–1850)
* Giuseppe Cosenza (1850–1863)
* Francesco Saverio Maria Apuzzo (1871–1880)
*Mariano Ricciardi (24 Nov 1871 – 23 Aug 1876 Died)
*
Alfonso Capecelatro di Castelpagano,
C.O. (1880–1912)
* Gennaro Cosenza (1913–1930 Retired)
* Salvatore Baccarini,
C.R. (1930–1962 Died)
* Tommaso Leonetti (1962–1978 Retired)
*
Luigi Diligenza (1978–1997 Retired)
*
Bruno Schettino (1997–2012 Died)
* Salvatore Visco (2013–)
Current archbishop
On April 30, 2013, Bishop
Salvatore Visco of Isernia-Venafro was appointed Archbishop of Capua by Pope Francis. Archbishop Visco was born in Naples on July 28, 1948. He completed his studies at the Major Seminary of Naples as a student at the
Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy, in the section Saint Thomas (Capodimonte). He was ordained a priest on April 14, 1973. After ordination he was
Parochial Vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
of Holy Mary. He served as a Professor of Religion in the public schools (1974-1994), and at the same time was Pastor of the Church of Mater Domini (1985-1993), Director of the Diocesan Liturgical Office (1985-1994), Episcopal Delegate for the
Permanent Diaconate
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
ministry program, and Diocesan Director for other Ministries (1985-1995). He was promoted vicar general of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pozzuoli, and dean of the chapter of the cathedral (1994-2007). Appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Isernia-Venafro on April 5, 2007, by Pope
Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
, he was ordained a bishop on June 2, 2007. He is currently vice-president of the Episcopal Conference of Abruzzi - Molise.
[Vatican Press Office, "Bolletino" 30 April 2013 ]
Notes and references
Attribution
*
Books
Reference works
* p. 867-869. (Use with caution; obsolete)
* p. 467-468. (in Latin)
* p. 243. (in Latin)
* p. 305. (in Latin)
* p. 324. (in Latin)
* p. 365.
* p. 388.
*
*
*
Studies
*
*
*
*Jannelli, Gabriele (1872). ''Storia cronologica dei vescovi dell'antica Capua''. Caserta 1872.
*Jannelli, Gabriele
''Serie cronologica dei vescovi dell'antica Capua, Sicopoli, Capua nuova e Berolasi e degli arcivescovi capuani'' Caserta 1872 (on the official diocesan website)
*Kamp, Norbert (2002), "The bishops of southern Italy in the Norman and Staufen Periods," in: Graham A. Loud and Alex Metcalfe (edd.), ''The society of Norman Italy'' (Leiden/Boston/Köln, 2002), pp. 185–209.
*Kehr, Paul Fridolin (1925)
''Italia pontificia''Vol. VIII (Berlin: Weidmann 1925), pp. 200–237.
*Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)'. Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 189–204.
*
External links
diocesan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capua
Roman Catholic dioceses in Campania
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capua
Dioceses established in the 2nd century
Capua