Metropolitan Archdiocese Of Messina–Lipari–Santa Lucia Del Mela

The Archdiocese of Messina ( la, Archidioecesis Messanensis-Liparensis-Sanctae Luciae) was founded as the Diocese of Messina but was raised to the level of an archdiocese on 30 September 1986 with the merging with the former Diocese of Lipari (5th century)"Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 25 September 2016."Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved 25 September 2016. and the Territorial Prelature of Santa Lucia del Mela (1206), and as suffragans the Diocese of Patti and Diocese of Nicosia.

History

In the war between King Charles II of Naples and Frederick III of Sicily for the crown of Sicily, Messana supported Frederick, even under attack by the fleet of Charles in 1298. Sicily was under papal interdict because it rejected the candidate supported by the Pope.

Canon Antonio Amico wrote extensively on the history of Messina in the seventeenth century.

Messina has the misfortune of being situated on a major tectonic plate boundary, between the European plate and the African plate. On 11 January 1693, a major earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sicily from Messina to Syracuse; twenty-nine people died, and destruction extended to the Royal Palace, the Episcopal Palace, the Seminary, and there was severe damage to the Church of S. Francesco. The bell towers of the cathedral and the church of SS. Anunziata were destroyed. In February 1783, Messina was stricken by a major destructive earthquake. At least 617 persons died in the city. The cathedral, Episcopal Palace, seminary, a large part of the hospital, most of the palazzi in the Teatro Maritima, and convents and monasteries (including the Certosa of S. Bruno and the Convent of S. Dominico Soriano) were damaged or destroyed. On 28 December 1908 a major earthquake struck Messina, destroying the Cathedral, the seminary, and numerous other buildings. It is estimated that 91% of the buildings in Messina were destroyed. The quake was accompanied by a destructive tsunami. Some 75,000 people lost their lives.

Cathedral and Chapter

The new cathedral (built between 1909 and 1921) was again damaged by bombs and a fire during World War II. Like its predecessors, and like all of the cathedrals in the Kingdom of Naples, it was dedicated to the Assumption of the Body of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.

The Chapter of the Cathedral was founded by Count Roger Guiscard in the late 11th century, perhaps in 1091. The dignitaries of the Cathedral Chapter were: the Dean, the Cantor and the Archdeacon. The Dean is already attested in 1094, and held the first place after the Archbishop; he had one of the canonries annexed to his office. The Cantor also holds one of the canonries; a Cantor is attested in 1131. The Archdeacon, who is also known from 1094, holds the Canonry of S. Petrus Pisanorum. There were eighteen Canons, the first three of whom were the three dignities. Except for the canonry of the Dean, the canons and prebends were conferred alternately by the Pope and the Archbishop. There were also eighteen priests called 'Canonici tertiarii', who, however, did not belong to the Chapter.

San Salvatore

The most famous monastery in the diocese of Messina was that of the Holy Savior (S. Salvatoris, San Salvatore), which had been founded by the Norman Count Roger in 1059, and was under the leadership of Fr. Bartolomeo. The monks of that monastery followed the Rules of St. Basil. Their abbot bore the Greek title ''Archimandrite'', and he acquired preeminence and control over all of the Basilian monks in Sicily and Calabria. The Archimandrite was elected by the monks. In 1421 the office was secularized, and given ''in commendam'' (caretakership) to secular prelates instead of monks. In a ''breve'' of 23 February 1635, Pope Urban VIII made the office immediately subject to the Holy See, and the pope of the day appointed the Archimandrite. In 1883 Pope Leo XIII united the office of Archimandrite with that of the Archbishop of Messina. The monastery was situated at the tip of the mole in the harbor of Messina, until the Emperor Charles V had the monks moved to a new building on the mainland and the monastery on the mole destroyed to make way for his lighthouse. The monastery was closed during the Revolution of 1848.

Bishops of Messina

: Bacchilus (41)]
: Barchirius (68)]
: Eleutherius (121)]
: John I (151)]
: Alexander I (154)]
: Justinianus (183)]
: Raimond
: Capito (313)]
: Alexander II (347)]
: Evagrius (363)]
: Bacchilus II (381)]
* Eucarpus I (501)
* Peregrinus I (514)
* Eucarpus II (attested 558–560)
* Felix I (attested 591, 593)
* Donus (attested 595–603)
* Felix II (600)
* Guglielmo I (603)
* Isidorus (610)
: Peregrinus II (649)]
* Benedictus (682)
* Gaudiosus (787)
* Gregorius (869)
: Ippolitus (968)]
:''Sede Vacante (under the Arab occupation)''
* Roberto I (1081)
* Gaufridus (Goffredo) I (attested in 1113, 1122)
* Guglielmo II (c.1122 – c. 1126))
* Hugo (Ugone) (1127–1139)
* Gaufridus (Goffredo) II (attested 1140)
* Roberto II (attested 1142)
* Gerardus (attested 1144)
* Arnaldo (1147–?)
* Roberto III (attested 1151–1159)

Archbishops of Messina

from 1166 to 1400

* Nicolò I (1166-1182)
* Riccardo Palmieri (January 1183 - 7 August 1195)
* Berardo (Berzio) (1196 – 1227/1231)
:''Sede vacante'' (<1231 – 1232)
* Lando (Landone) (April 1232 – c. 1248)
:''Sede vacante''
* Giovanni Colonna (archbishop), O.P. (October 1255 – 1262)
* Tommaso D'Agni Lentini, O.P. (1262 – 1266) (Administrator)
* Bartolomeo Pignatelli (25 March 1266 – 13 June 1270)
:''Sede vacante'' (13 June 1270 – 5 December 1274)
* Reginaldo Lentini (5 December 1274 – 31 May 1287)
* Francesco Fontana (23 April 1288 - 1296)
: Raniero II Lentini (1296–1304)
* Guidotto de Abbiate (10 January 1304 – 1333)
: ''Sede vacante'' (1333 – 1341/1342)
* Federico de Guercis (1341–1342) (Archbishop-elect)
* Raimando de Pezzolis (1342–1348)
* Giordano Curti (1348)
* Pietro Porta, O.Cist. (20 March 1349 – 1351?)
: Anzalone Bonsignore
* Guglielmo Monstrio (23 December 1355 – 1362)
* Dionisio da Murcia, O.E.S.A. (20 March 1363 – after 18 July 1380)
* Cardinal Niccolò Caracciolo Moschino, O.P. (Apostolic Administrator 1380–1387)
* Paolo Zuccaro (1380–1387)
* Maffiolo Lampugnani (1387–1392) (Roman Obedience)

from 1400 to 1600

* Filippo Crispi, O.E.S.A. (1392 – 1 December 1402)
: ietro Budano (1403–?)ref name=GCathMessina />
* Tommaso Crisafi, O.F.M. (12 January 1403 – July 1426)
: Archida Ventimiglia (1426 – 13 August 1428)
* Bartolomeo Gattola (14 October 1426 – 1446)
: ietro III (1446–1447)ref name=GCathMessina />
* Cardinal Antonio Cerdà i Lloscos, O.SS.T. (8 January 1448 – 28 March 1449)
* Giacomo Porcio (21 April 1449 – 1450)
: ndrea Amodeo (1449–1450)ref name=GCathMessina />
* Giacomo Tedesco (4 November 1450 – 14 March 1473)
: eontius Crisafi (1473)ref name=GCathMessina />
* Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (1473 – 1474) (Administrator)
* Giacomo di Santa Lucia