The Archdiocese of Taranto ( la, Archidioecesis Tarentina) is a metropolitan

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 ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

in southern Italy, on a bay in the Gulf of Taranto."Archdiocese of Taranto"
''

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 Taranto"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 Its suffragan sees are the dioceses of

Castellaneta Castellaneta (Tarantino: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, about from Taranto. Located in a territory spanning from the Murgia to the Ionian Sea, characterized by numerous ''gravina'' ...

and Oria.

History

In a local Tarantine legend, according to a document of the 11th or 12th century,Lanzoni, p. 315. the Gospel was preached in Taranto by St. Peter the Apostle. He had arrived in the city in AD 45, along with Saint Mark, on their way to Rome. Amasianus was a gardener or greengrocer, whom Peter converted to Christianity. It is only later, much later, that the Tarentines claim that Amasianus was consecrated a bishop. It is also stated that St. Cataldus was consecrated by St. Peter the Apostle. Whether Amasianus was the first bishop of Taranto, or whether it was Cataldus, in whose honor the cathedral is dedicated, seems to be a pointless inquiry. As Lanzoni remarks, the stories are full of fables. The real Cataldus was an Irish bishop from Rachau (or Rachan) of the 6th century, who happened to die in Taranto during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The city also honors the martyr St. Orontius. irontius, the son of an imperial treasurer, had been converted to Christianity by Justus, a disciple of St. Paul, who had landed at the port of Saint Cataldus, and preached to the population in the locality of Lecce in the time of Nero, despite harassment by imperial officials. They returned to Corinth, where St. Paul consecrated Orontius the first bishop of Lecce, and the party returned to Lecce to continue their evangelization. The first bishop whose date is known is Petrus (not ''Innocentius'') (496). In the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great (590–604), the names of three bishops who filled the episcopal chair are known: Andreas (590), Joannes (601), and Honorius (603). Archbishop Joannes (978) is the first who had the title of

archbishop 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 archdi ...

. It is well known that Taranto even under the Byzantines never adopted the

Greek Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours are ...

. Stephanus perished in the battle of Nelfi (1041) fought by the Greeks and the Normans; Draco (1071) erected the cathedral; Filippo (1138) was deposed for supporting the antipope Anacletus II, and died in the monastery of Chiaravalle; Archbishop Angelo was employed in several embassies by

Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

; Jacopo da Atri was slain in 1370;

Marino del Giudice Marino, Mariño or Maryino may refer to: Places * Marino, Lazio, a town in the province of Rome, Italy * Marino, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide ** Marino Conservation Park ** Marino Rocks Greenway, a cycling route ** Marino Rocks railway ...

(1371) was one of the cardinals condemned by

pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

in 1385. Cardinal

Ludovico Bonito Ludovico Bonito (died 1413) was a Roman Catholic cardinal. Biography On 1 Jun 1387, Ludovico Bonito was appointed during the papacy of Pope Urban VI as Archbishop of Palermo. In 1395, he was transferred by Pope Boniface IX to the Archdiocese o ...

(1406) was one of the few who remained faithful to

Gregory XII Pope Gregory XII ( la, Gregorius XII; it, Gregorio XII; – 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario," or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was oppose ...

; Cardinal Giovanni d'Aragona (1478), was son of King Ferdinand I of Naples;

Giovanni Battista Petrucci 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 ...

suffered for the complicity of his father in the conspiracy of the barons; Cardinal

Battista Orsini Battista is a given name and surname which means Baptist in Italian. Given named * Battista Agnese (died 1564), cartographer from the Republic of Genoa, who worked in the Venetian Republic * Battista Dossi, also known as Battista de Luteri, Ita ...

died in 1503 in the

Castle of Sant' Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

. Cardinal

Marcantonio Colonna Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was a Roman aristocrat who served as a Viceroy of Sicily in the service of the Spanish Crown, Spanish gener ...

(1560) introduced the Tridentine reforms and established the seminary;

Girolamo Gambara Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – after ...

(1569) was a distinguished nuncio; Lelio Brancaccio (1574) suffered considerable persecution on account of his efforts at reformation; Tommaso Caracciolo (1630), a Theatine, died in the odour of sanctity.

Early 20th century

The city of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

forms a single parish divided into four pittagerii, each of which contains a sub-pittagerio. It includes the

Basilian Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to: * Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...

Abbey of S. Maria di Talfano, where there are still some Albanians following the Greek Rite.

Bishops

;''Diocese of Taranto'' ''Erected: 5th century''
''Latin Name: Tarentinus'' *Petrus (attested 494) *Andreas (attested 593) *Joannes *Honorius (attested 603) *Joannes (attested 649) *Gervasius *Germanus (attested 680) *Caesarius (attested 743) :... ;''Archdiocese of Taranto'' ''Elevated: 10th century''
''Latin Name: Tarentinus''

from 978 to 1400

*Joannes (attested 978) *Dionysius (983) *Alexander Facciapecora *Stephanus *Draso (Drago) (attested 1071) *Ursus *Basilius *Albertus *Jacobus *Stephanus Philamarinus *Moraldus (Monaldus) :... *Gervasius (attested 1187–1193) *Angelus (1194 – 1200) :''Sede Vacante'' (by 28 July 1200 – January 1202) *Geraldus (attested 1202) *Nicolaus (attested 1205) *Berardus (attested 1205, 1210, 1211) *''Ignotus'' (1215) *Gualterus (attested 1216 – March 1218) *Nicolaus (10 May 1219 – 20 August 1247) :''Sede Vacante'' (8 August 1249 – 25 March 1252) *Henricus de Carasolo (25 March 1252 – 22 July 1274) :: acobus de Viterbio was ''not'' an archbishop:''Sede Vacante'' (20 October 1274 – 3 December 1275) *Henricus de Carasolo, again (12 March 1276 – 20 April 1297) *Gualterius (22 June 1299 – 1301) *Gregorius, O.P. (1301 – 1334) *Rogerius Capitignonas (26 April 1334 – 1348) * Bertrand de Castronovo (de Chateauneuf) (1348 – 7 Jan 1349) *Jacobus (7 January 1349 – 1378) *Martinus (20 November 1381 – 1384) (Avignon Obedience) *Matthaeus (28 May 1384 – after 1394) (Avignon Obedience) *Marinus del Judice (by 4 June 1380 – c. 1382/1385) (Roman Obedience) * Pierre Amelli, O.S.A. (c. 1386 – 12 Nov 1387) *Petrus (12 April 1389 – 1391?) *Elziarius (27 June 1391 – ) *Bartolommeo d'Aprano ( – 17 March 1400) (Roman Obedience)

from 1400 to 1600

*Jacobus Palladini (24 March 1400 – 16 November 1401) * Alamanno Adimari (16 Nov 1401 – 3 Nov 1406) *Cardinal

(Ludovicus Bonitus) (29 July 1407 – 1412?) *Cardinal

Rinaldo Brancaccio Rinaldo Brancaccio (died 27 March 1427) was an Italian cardinal from the 14th and 15th century, during the Western Schism. Other members of his family were also created cardinals: Landolfo Brancaccio (1294); Niccolò Brancaccio, pseudocardinal o ...

(3 Jul 1412 – 1420 Resigned) (Administrator) *

Giovanni Berardi Giovanni Berardi (1380 in Italy, 1380 – 21 January 1449), Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal, of the counts of Tagliacozzo, was elected Archbishop of Taranto in 1421, and occupied the see until December 1439, when Pope Eugenius IV raised hi ...

de Tagliacozzi (20 Oct 1421 – 8 Jan 1440) *

Giuliano Cesarini Julian Cesarini the Elder ( It.: ''Giuliano Cesarini, seniore'') (1398 in Rome – 10 November 1444 in Varna, Ottoman Empire) was one of the group of brilliant cardinals created by Pope Martin V on the conclusion of the Western Schism. His ...

(Sr.) (1440 – 7 Mar 1444) (Administrator) *Marino Orsini (30 July 1445 – 1472) * Latino Orsini (30 Oct 1472 – 11 Aug 1477 Died) * Giovanni d'Aragona (10 Nov 1477 – 17 Oct 1485 Died) *

(Petruzzi) (17 Nov 1485 – 26 Oct 1489 Appointed, Archbishop (Personal Title) of Teramo) * Francesco de Perez (26 Oct 1489 – 1491 Died) *

Giovanni Battista Orsini Giovanni Battista Orsini, or Jean-Baptiste des Ursins, was the 39th Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller from 1467 to 1476. References *Musée de Cluny

(5 Nov 1490 – 24 Sep 1498 Resigned) * Enrico Bruno, O.P. (24 Sep 1498 – 1509 Died) * Orlando Carretto della Rovere (10 Oct 1509 – 24 Apr 1510 Appointed,

Titular Archbishop of Nazareth The Archbishop of Nazareth is a former residential Metropolitan see, first in the Holy Land, then in Apulian exile in Barletta (southern Italy), which had a Latin and a Maronite successor as titular sees, the first merged into Barletta, the second s ...

) ''(in Latin)'' * Giovanni Maria Poderico (24 Apr 1510 – 1524 Died) * Francesco Armellini Pantalassi de' Medici (15 Dec 1525 – Oct 1527 Died) * Girolamo d'Ippolito, O.P. (18 Jan 1528 – Aug 1528 Died) *

Antonio Sanseverino Antonio Sanseverino (died 1543) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop. Biography Antonio Sanseverino was born in Naples ca. 1477, the son of Giovanni Antonio Sanseverino, a Neapolitan patrician, and Enrichetta Carafa. Early in ...

, O.S.Io.Hieros. (31 Aug 1528 – 17 Aug 1543 Died) * Francesco Colonna (22 Oct 1544 – 1560 Died) *

(Sr.) (9 Jul 1560 – 13 Oct 1568 Appointed, Archbishop of Salerno) *

Girolamo di Corregio Girolamo di Corregio (1511–1572) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop. Biography Girolamo di Corregio was born in Correggio, Emilia-Romagna in 1511, the son of Giberto X, Count of Correggio and his wife Veronica Gambara. His m ...

(13 May 1569 – 9 Oct 1572 Died) *

Lelio Brancaccio (archbishop) Lelio Brancaccio (died 1599) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Taranto (1574–1599) and Archbishop of Sorrento (1571–1574). ''(in Latin)''Juan de Castro (bishop of Taranto) Juan de Castro, O.S.B. (died 1601) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Taranto (1600–1601). ''(in Latin)''Ottavio Mirto Frangipani Ottavio Mirto Frangipani (11 April 1544 – 24 July 1612) was an Italian bishop and papal diplomat, who as papal nuncio to Cologne (1587–1596) and to Brussels (1596–1606) oversaw the implementation of Tridentine reforms in the Rhineland and ...

(20 Jun 1605 – 24 Jul 1612) * Bonifazio Caetani (22 Apr 1613 – 24 Jun 1617 Died) *

Antonio d'Aquino Antonio d'Aquino (died 10 January 1578) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Taranto (1618-1627) and Bishop of Sarno (1595-1618). ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)''Francisco Sánchez Villanueva y Vega (24 Jan 1628 Confirmed – 23 Sep 1630 Appointed, Archbishop (Personal Title) of Mazara del Vallo)"Archbishop Francisco Sánchez Villanueva y Vega"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 7, 2016. Gauchat, p. 343, with note 6. *Cardinal Gil Carrillo de Albornoz (Aegidius Albornotius) (23 Sep 1630 – 30 Mar 1637 Resigned) * Tommaso Caracciolo (archbishop), C.R. (30 Mar 1637 Confirmed – 1665 Died)"Archbishop Tommaso Caracciolo, C.R."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 8, 2016. He was a member of the family of the Princes of Avellino. The family produced nine bishops in the Kingdom of Naples in the 17th century. * Tommaso de Sarria, O.P. (13 Apr 1665 – 5 Nov 1682 Died) *

Francesco Pignatelli Francesco Pignatelli (6 February 1652 – 15 December 1734) was an Italian cardinal. Biography Born at Senise, in the province of Potenza, he entered the order of Theatines in 1665 (at the age of 13). On 27 September 1684, after being nominated ...

(Sr.), C.R. (27 Sep 1683 – 19 Feb 1703) :''Sede vacante'' (1703–1713) *Giovanni Battista Stella (30 Aug 1713 – Dec 1725 Died) *Giovanni Fabrizio de Capua (22 Dec 1727 – 11 Dec 1730) *Celestino Galiano, O.S.B. (30 Apr 1731 Confirmed – 31 Mar 1732 Resigned) *Casimiro Rossi (19 Jan 1733 Confirmed – 5 May 1738) *Giovanni Rossi, C.R. (21 May 1738 – 20 Feb 1750) *Antonino Sersale (16 Nov 1750 – 11 Feb 1754) *Isidoro Sánchez de Luna, O.S.B. (22 Apr 1754 – 28 May 1759) *Francesco Saverio Mastrilli, C.R. (13 Jul 1759 – Oct 1777) *Giuseppe Capecelatro (30 Mar 1778 – 28 Mar 1817 Resigned)

since 1800

*Giovanni Antonio de Fulgure, C.M. (25 May 1818 – 6 Jan 1833 Died) *Raffaele Blundo (6 Apr 1835 – 20 Jun 1855 Died) *Giuseppe Rotondo (Rotundo) (17 Dec 1855 – 20 Jan 1885 Died) *Pietro Alfonso Jorio (Iorio) (27 Mar 1885 – 15 Nov 1908 Resigned) *Carlo Giuseppe Cecchini, O.P. (4 Dec 1909 – 17 Dec 1916 Died) *Orazio Mazzella (14 Apr 1917 – 1 Nov 1934 Resigned) *Ferdinando Bernardi (21 Jan 1935 – 18 Nov 1961 Died) *Guglielmo Motolese (16 Jan 1962 – 10 Oct 1987 Retired) *Salvatore De Giorgi (10 Oct 1987 – 11 May 1990 Resigned) *Benigno Luigi Papa, O.F.M. Cap. (11 May 1990 – 21 Nov 2011 Retired) *Filippo SantoroOn 18 September 2012, Archbishop Santoro was named 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 sovereign ...

to serve as one of the papally-appointed Synod Fathers for the October 2012 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New

Evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

: (21 Nov 2011 – )

Auxiliary bishop

Guglielmo Motolese Guglielmo () is the Italian form of the masculine name William. It may refer to: People with the given name Guglielmo: * Guglielmo I Gonzaga (1538–1587), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat * Guglielmo Achille Cavellini (1914–1990), influential It ...

(1952-1962), appointed Archbishop here

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Angelo Raffaele Panzetta, appointed Archbishop of Crotone-Santa Severina in 2019

References

Books

Reference Works

* (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * pp. 946–947. (Use with caution; obsolete) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * (in Latin) * * *

Studies

* *Bianchi, Roberto; Angelo Carmelo Bello (2003). ''Il movimento riformatore cattolico nell 'Arcidiocesi di Taranto durante l'episcopato di Monsignor Pietro Alfonso Jorio (1885-1908)'', Edizioni Pugliesi, Martina Franca, 2003. * * *De Marco, Vittorio (1990). ''La diocese di Taranto nel Settocento (1713–1816)''. Roma: Storia e lettere. (in Italian) * *Kehr, Paulus Fridolin (1962). ''Italia pontificia. Regesta pontificum Romanorum.'
Vol. IX: Samnium–Apulia–Lucanium
Berlin: Weidmann, pp. 383–396. * * * *

Acknowledgment

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taranto Roman Catholic dioceses in Apulia Dioceses established in the 6th century