Caesarius of Alagno (died 1263) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest, bishop and royal counsellor. He served as an archdeacon in the cathedral of Sant'Andrea in his hometown of

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...

before moving to

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

, where he stayed with a sister before settling in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In 1211 he was elected

bishop of Famagusta The Roman Catholic Diocese of Famagusta (Latin: ''Dioecesis Famagustanus'') was a Latin rite diocese with see in the city of Famagusta, on the island of Cyprus during the crusader rule, and is now a Latin Catholic titular see. History * After to ...

in the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (french: Royaume de Chypre, la, Regnum Cypri) was a state that existed between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan. It comprised not only the island of Cyprus, but it also had a foothold on the Anat ...

. In 1221, 1224 and 1225 he made trips to Rome as the procurator of Queen Alice of Cyprus. In 1225

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

promoted him to the archbishopric of Salerno, which had been vacant since 1221. Along with five other Sicilian bishops appointed by Honorius, he was at first unable to occupy his see on account of the opposition of the

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusa ...

.. Caesarius later became an avid

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

(imperialist), a ''

familiaris In the Middle Ages, a ''familiaris'' (plural ''familiares''), more formally a ''familiaris regis'' ("familiar of the king") or ''familiaris curiae''In medieval documents, ''curiae'' may also be spelled ''curiæ'' or ''curie''. ("of the court"), ...

'' and counsellor of Frederick's illegitimate son King

Manfred of Sicily Manfred ( scn, Manfredi di Sicilia; 123226 February 1266) was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over th ...

. From Manfred he obtained the right to hold an eight-day market at Salerno during the feast of Saint Matthew, the city's patron. He augmented the archdiocese's possessions with the district of

Battipaglia Battipaglia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Salerno, Campania, south-western Italy. Famed as a production place of buffalo mozzarella, Battipaglia is the economic hub of the Sele plain. History Formerly part of the ancien ...

(confirmed by Manfred) and the castle of Olevano (confirmed by Frederick II). In January 1260 he altered the customary food allowance of the cathedral canons of Salerno, threatening violators with excommunication. He died in 1263 and was buried in the cathedral of Amalfi. His tomb lies beside the main entrance, under a marble arch.

References

{{authority control 1263 deaths Archbishops of Salerno Year of birth unknown