Siponto ( la, Sipontum, grc-gre, Σιπιούς) was an ancient port town and bishopric in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Manfredonia Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the gulf to the east of i ...

, in the

province of Foggia The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and ...

. Siponto is located around 3 km south of Manfredonia.

History

According to legend, Sipontum was founded by Diomedes, product of the union of the

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

ic hero of the same name with the daughter of the king of the

Daunians The Daunians ( el, Δαύνιοι, Daúnioi; la, Daunii) were an Iapygian tribe that inhabited northern Apulia in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Messapians, inhabited central and southern Apulia respectivel ...

. Siponto was probably founded by the Daunians. Sipontum was a flourishing Greek colony, its Greek name being Sipious (Σιπιούς); having fallen into the hands of the

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan-speaking people, who may have originated as an offshoot of the Sabines, they for ...

, it was retaken about 335 BC by King

Alexander of Epirus Alexander I of Epirus ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος Α'; c. 371 BC – 331 BC), also known as Alexander Molossus (), was a king of Epirus (343/2–331 BC) of the Aeacid dynasty.Ellis, J. R., ''Philip II and Macedonian Imperialism' ...

, uncle of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

. In 189 BC it became a

Roman 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 letter ...

colony with its original Sipious name still used in Byzantine times, and in 663 AD it was taken and destroyed by the Slavs. In the ninth century, Sipontum was for a time in the power of the Saracens; in 1042 the Normans made it the seat of one of their twelve counties. The latter won a decisive victory there over the Byzantine general Argyrus in 1052.

Michael of Zahumlje Michael of Zahumlje (reign usually dated c. 910–935), also known as Michael Višević (Serbo-Croatian: ''Mihailo Višević'', Serbian Cyrillic: Михаило Вишевић) or rarely as Michael Vuševukčić,Mihanovich, ''The Croatian nation i ...

on 10 July 926 sacked Siponto, which was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

town in

.Rački, ''Odlomci iz državnoga práva hrvatskoga za narodne dynastie:'', p. 15 It remains unknown if he did this by Tomislav's supreme command as suggested by some historians. Apparently, Tomislav sent the

Croatian navy , image = Seal of Croatian Navy.png , caption = Emblem of the Croatian Navy , start_date = 1991 , country = , allegiance = , branch = , type = Navy , role = , size = 1,36330 vessels , command_structure = Armed Forces of Croatia , gar ...

under Michael's leadership to drive the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s from that part of southern Italy and free the city. Before the second half of the 12th century, the

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

and the

Hospitalier Order The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

founded their first Italian

finca In English usage, a ''finca'' (; ) refers to a piece of rural or agricultural land, typically with a cottage, farmhouse or estate building present, and often adjacent to a woodland or plantation. Overview Especially in tourism, the term has ...

s in the area of Capitanata, which spanned from Siponto to

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

, including

Spinazzola Spinazzola is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. People *Pope Innocent XII was born here in the castle of the Pignatelli family, now destroyed. *Michele Ruggieri (1543–1607), Jesuit miss ...

, Borgonioni,

Salpi Salpi may refer to: Geography * Salapia, an ancient settlement in Daunia (present-day Apulia), Italy **Roman Catholic Diocese of Salpi People * Salpy, also transliterated Salpi, a feminine Armenian given name * Salpi Ghazarian, Armenian-American ...

Trinitapoli Trinitapoli is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. A few kilometres from the town are the ruins of Salapia (later called Salpia and Salpi), which was already a bishopric by 314, ...

, Santa Maria de Salinis, Belmonte, Lama and Bersentino. They were devoted to

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

, the commerce of marine salt, the depot of dietary goods, the

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

and

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

cultivation, as well to the use of natural waterfalls through

mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name *Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Unit ...

. Such a skilful administration of their assets, grew the economic and military potential of the Orders, who were engaged in the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

and in the protection of local communities. Some of the Knight Templar's ''masserie'' survived until the 21st century. Lastly, Siponto produced one of the greatest

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Jewish scholars, Rabbi

Isaac ben Melchizedek Isaac ben Melchizedek (; also known by the acronym Ribmaṣ ; c. 1090–1160), , was a rabbinic scholar from Siponto, Italy, and one of the first medieval scholars to have composed a commentary on the Mishnah, of which only his commentary on ''Sed ...

, who composed one of the earliest commentaries on the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

, a compendium of ancient Jewish oral law. In 1223, a major earthquake centered on Monte Gargano destroyed nearly every building in Siponto. The tremors continued for another two years, until, by 1225, everything was in ruins.

Ecclesiastical history

Ancient bishopric

According to legend, the Gospel was preached at Sipontum by

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and by

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

. Another tradition relates the martyrdom of the priest Saint Justin and his companions under

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

and

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

, about 255. A bishopric of Sipontum (or Siponto) was established around 400 AD (or already in the third century according to others). The first bishop whose date may be fixed, was Felix, who was at Rome in 465. Another legend reports that, in the time of bishop

Laurence of Siponto Laurence of Siponto, also known as Laurence Maioranus ( it, Lorenzo Maiorano) (d. 7 February, c. 545), is an Italian saint, patron of the city of Manfredonia and the Archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo. Manfredonia Cathedral is ...

, during the papacy of

Gelasius I Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 19 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.The title of his biography by Walter Ullma ...

(492-496), the archangel

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

appeared on

Monte Gargano Gargano (, Gargano Apulian Italo-Romance arˈgæːnə is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming ...

; in memory of the event, the Monastery of the Archangel was founded. Among the pilgrims were the emperors Otto III, Henry II, and Lothar III, and popes Leo IX, Urban II, and et Alexander III. A bishop Felix is attested in 591 and 593, and a bishop Vitalianus in 597 and 599. By about 688, Siponto was almost abandoned. The diocese was suppressed, and

Pope Vitalian Pope Vitalian ( la, Vitalianus; died 27 January 672) was the bishop of Rome from 30 July 657 to his death. His pontificate was marked by the dispute between the papacy and the imperial government in Constantinople over Monothelitism, which Rome ...

was obliged to entrust the pastoral care of Sipontum to the bishopric of Benevento.Online version
New Advent.

New (arch)bishopric

The see was re-established in 1034 as Diocese of Siponto, recovering its territory from the meanwhile Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Benevento The Italian Catholic metropolitan Archdiocese of Benevento ( la, Archidioecesis Beneventana) has a long history; it now has five suffragan dioceses: the diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, the diocese of Avellino, the diocese of Cerreto Sannita-T ...

. Suffragan Bishops of Siponto were : * Bonus (1049? – 1059?) In April 1050,

Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...

held a synod at Siponto, at which he deposed two archbishops, who were charged with simony. In August 1059, at the Synod of Melfi,

Pope Nicholas II Pope Nicholas II ( la, Nicholaus II; c. 990/995 – 27 July 1061), otherwise known as Gerard of Burgundy, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 January 1059 until his death in 27 July 1061. At the time of his ...

deposed the archbishop of Trani and bishop of Siponto. Archbishop Johannes of Trani, in his tomb inscription claimed to be "Archiepiscopus Tranensis, Sipontinensis, Garganensis Ecclesiae, atque Imperialis Synkellus." * Guisard (attested 1062) * Gerard (1066–74) Under bishop Gerardus, Siponto became the non-Metropolitan Archdiocese of Siponto in 1074. Non-Metropolitan Archbishops of Siponto were : * Giovanni (? – ?) * Omobono (1087? – 1097?)Ughelli VII, p. 824. In 1090, the diocese of Siponto lost territory to establish the

Diocese of Vieste The Diocese of Vieste (Latin: ''Dioecesis Vestanus'') was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. On 27 June 1818, the diocese of Viesti was granted to the archbishops of Sipo ...

. In 1099 Siponto was promoted to the rank of Metropolitan Archdiocese of Siponto

Cathedral

The ancient cathedral remained still at Sipontum but, with the building of

city by and named after 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 ...

, who decided to rebuild Siponto in a new nearby location, the archiepiscopal see was transferred to the new town in 1230, under its new title Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Manfredonia In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

(viz.), yet still Sipontin(us) as Latin adjective.

Notes and references

Bibliography

* *Kamp, Norbert (1975). ''Kirche und Monarchie im staufischen Königreich Sizilien
I. Prosopographische Grundlegung, Bistumer und Bistümer und Bischöfe des Konigreichs 1194–1266: 2. Apulien und Calabrien
' München: Wilhelm Fink 1975. *Kehr, Paulus Fridolin (1962). ''Italia pontificia. Regesta pontificum Romanorum.'
Vol. IX: Samnia – Apulia – Lucania
. Berlin: Weidmann. . pp. 230-267. *Lanzoni, Francesco (1927).
Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604)
'. . Faenza: F. Lega, pp. 277-284; 291-294; 300-303; 165-168. * * *

Sources and external links

*

{{authority control Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy Frazioni of the Province of Foggia Manfredonia Colonies of Magna Graecia Archaeological sites in Apulia Roman sites of Apulia Former populated places in Italy