The Archdiocese of Acerenza () is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

archdiocese 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 associated ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, included in the provinces of

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

and

Potenza Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...

. It has existed as a diocese since the fourth or fifth centuries. In the 11th century it was elevated to an archdiocese. In 1203 it was united with the diocese of Matera to form the Archdiocese of Acerenza and Matera. This was separated again in 1954, recreating the Archdiocese of Acerenza, which briefly became the Diocese of Acerenza in 1976 before reverting to an archdiocese in 1977. Its metropolitan is the Archdiocese of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo.

History

Acerenza Acerenza ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History With its strategic position ab ...

was certainly an episcopal see in the course of the fifth century, for in 499 we meet with the name of its first known bishop, Justus, in the Acts of the Roman Synod of that year. The town was known in antiquity as the "high nest of Acherontia". Acerenza was in early imperial times a populous and important town, and a bulwark of the territory of

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

and

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

. In the Gothic and Lombard period it fell into decay, but was restored by

Grimoald II Grimoald II () (died 714), called the Younger, was the mayor of the palace of Neustria from 695. Life Grimoald was the second son of Pepin of Herstal and Plectrude and his father placed him in the office of mayor of the palace in the Neustrian ...

, Duke of Beneventum (687-689). An Archbishop of Acerenza ( Giraldus) appears in 1063 in an act of donation of

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

to the monastery of the Santissima Trinità in

Venosa Venosa (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Pala ...

. For a few years after 968 Acerenza adopted the

Greek Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

in consequence of an order of the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas (963-969), whereby it was made one of five suffragans of the

archdiocese of Otranto The Archdiocese of Otranto (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Hydruntina'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The seat of the diocese is at Otranto Cathedral in the city of Otranto, Apulia. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Le ...

, and compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

. On 16 June 1102,

Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II (; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, 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 creat ...

confirmed for the archbishop of Acerenza all his diocese's privileges and possessions, including the suffragan (subordinate) dioceses of Venosa, Gravina, Tricarico, Tursi, and Potenza, whose bishops he had the right of confirming and consecrating.

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban 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 last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

(1378–1389), Bartolommeo Prignano, was once Archbishop of Acerenza.

Acerenza Cathedral Acerenza Cathedral (, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e San Canio'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Canius in the town of Acerenza, in the province of Potenza and the region o ...

is known for a bust which has long been supposed to be that of

Saint Canius Saint Canius ( or ''San Canione'') was a Roman Catholic bishop and martyr, and patron saint of the cities of Calitri, Acerenza and its archdiocese. He may have been a descendant of the Roman '' gens Cania''. He is venerated on 25 May. Life and p ...

, patron of the city, to whom the cathedral is dedicated, but which is now judged to be a portrait-bust of

Julian the Apostate Julian (; ; 331 – 26 June 363) was the Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism ...

, though others maintain that it is a bust of the

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 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 Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...

, after the manner of the sculptors of the Antonine age.

List of bishops/archbishops

Bishops of Acerenza

::''Down to 'Joseph', the names and duration of the bishops are traditional and undocumented.'' * Romanus (300–329) * Monocollus (for 8 years) * Petrus I (for 3 years) * Sylvius (for 5 years) * Theodosius (for 8 years) * Aloris (for 22 years) * Stephanus Primus (for 2 years) * Araldus (for 4 years) * Bertus (for 3 years) * Leo I (for 23 years) * Lupus (for 3 years) * Evalanius (for 12 years) * Azo (for 3 years) * Asedeus (for 8 years) * Joseph (for 23 years) :... * Justus of Acerenza (occurs 499) :... * Leo II (occurs 799) * Peter II (833) * Rudolf (869–874) * Leo III (874–904) * Andrea (906–935) * Johannes I (936–972) * Johannes II (993–996) * Stephan II (996–1024)

Bishops or Archbishops of Acerenza

:*''at some point during the 11th century, before 1063, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese'' * Stephan III (1029–1041) * Stephan IV (1041–1048) * Goderio I (1048–1058) * Goderio II (1058–1059)

Archbishops of Acerenza

* Godano or Gelardo (1059–1066) * Arnald (1066–1101) * Peter III (1102–1142) * Durando (1142–1151) * Robert I (1151–1178) * Riccardo (1178–1184) * Peter IV (1184–1194) * Peter V (1194–1197) * Rainaldo (1198–1199) * Andrea (1200–1231)

Archbishops of Acerenza and Matera

''From 1203 to 1954 the archbishopric of Acerenza was joined to that of the Diocese of Matera to form the Archbishopric of Acerenza and Matera'' * Andrea (1200–1231 and 1236–1246) * Anselm (1252–1267) * Lorenz (1268–1276) * Pietro d'Archia (1277–1299) * Gentile Orsini (1300–1303) * Guido (or Guglielmo) (1303–1306) * Landolfo (or Rudolfo) (1306–1308) * Robert II (1308–1334) * Pietro VII (1334–1343) * Giovanni Corcello (1343–1363) * Bartolomeo Prignano, later

(1363–1377) * Niccolò Acconciamuro (1377–1378) * Giacomo di Silvestro (1379) * Bisanzio Morelli (1380–1391) * Pietro Giovanni de Baraballis (1392–1394) * Stefano Goberio (1395–1402) * Riccardo de Olibano (1402–1407) * Niccolò Piscicello (1407–1414) * Manfredi Aversano (1414–1444) * Marino de Paolis (1444–1470) * Francesco Enrico Lunguardo (1471–1482) * Vincenzo Palmieri (1483–1518) * Andrea Matteo Palmieri (1518–1528) *

Luigi de Palmieri Luigi (; ) is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin b ...

, O.F.M. (1528–1530) :* ''Apostolic Administrator Andrea Matteo Palmieri (1530–1531)'' *

Giovanni Michele Saraceni Giovanni Michele Saraceni (1 December 1498 – 27 April 1568) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Saraceni was born in Naples and was a relative of Cardinal Fabio Mignanelli. He was the archbishop of Acerenza and Matera f ...

(1531–1556) * Sigismondo Saraceno (1558–1585) *

Francesco Antonio Santorio Francesco Antonio Santorio (died 1589) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Acerenza, Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera (1586–1589) ''(in Latin)'' and Archbishop of Santa Severina (1573–1586). ''(in Latin)'' ...

(1586–1588) * Francisco Avellaneda (Francesco de Abillaneda) (20 March 1591 to 3 September 1591) *

Scipione de Tolfa Scipione de Tolfa (died 1595) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera (1593–1595) ''(in Latin)'' and Archbishop of Trani (1576–1593). ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 10 December 1576, Scipione de Tolfa was app ...

(1593–1595)Gauchat p. 57. *

Giovanni Myra Giovanni Myra or Giovanni Mira (died 1600) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera (1596–1600) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Castellammare di Stabia (1591–1596). ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 13 September 1591 ...

(1596–1600) :''

Sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

(1600–1606)'' * Giuseppe de Rossi (1606–1610) *

Giovanni Spilla 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 ...

, O.P. (Juan de Espila) (1611–1619) * Fabrizio Antinori (1621–1630) *

Giandomenico Spinola Giandomenico Spinola (1580 – 11 August 1646) (also Giovanni Domenico Spinola) was an Italian cardinal. Early life Spinola was born in 1580 in Genoa. Though few records exist detailing his family background or education, he is listed as ''Questor ...

(1630–1632) *

Simone Carafa Roccella Simone Carafa Roccella, C.R. (died 22 March 1676) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Messina (1647–1676) and Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera (1638–1647). Biography Simone Carafa Roccella was ordained a priest in t ...

, C.R. (1638–1647) * Giambattista Spinola (1648–1664) *

Vincenzo Lanfranchi Vincenzo Lanfranchi, C.R. (1609–1676) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera (1665–1676) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Trivento (1660–1665). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Vincenzo Lanfranchi was born Naples ...

(1665–1676) *

Antonio del Río Colmenares Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

(1678–1702) * Antonio Maria Brancaccio, C.R. (1703–1722) * Giuseppe Maria Positano, O.P. (1723–1729) * Alfonso Miraconda, O.S.B. (1730–1737) * Giovanni Rossi, C.R. (1737–1738) * Francesco Lanfreschi, C.R. (1738–1754) * Antonio Ludovico Antinori, Cong.Orat. (1754–1758) * Serafino Filangeri, O.S.B. (1759–1762) * Nicola Filomarini, O.S.B. (1763–1768) * Carlo Parlati (1768–1774) * Giuseppe Sparano (1775–1776) * Francesco Zunica (1776–1796) * Camillo Cattaneo della Volta (1797–1834) * Antonio Di Macco (1835–1854) * Gaetano Rossini (1855–1867) * Pietro Giovine (1871–1879) * Gesualdo Nicola Loschirico, O.F.M. Cap. (1880–1890) * Francesco Maria Imparati, O.F.M. (1890–1892) * Raffaele di Nonno, C.Ss.R. (1893–1895) * Diomede Angelo Raffaele Gennaro Falconio, O.F.M. (1895–1899) * Raffaele Rossi (1900–1906) * Anselmo Filippo Pecci, O.S.B. (1907–1945) * Vincenzo Cavalla (1946–1954)

Archbishops of Acerenza

:''Acerenza and Matera were separated again into two archdioceses on 2 July 1954'' * Domenico Pecchinenna (1954–1961) *

Corrado Ursi Corrado Ursi (26 July 1908 – 29 August 2003) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Naples from 1966 to 1987, and was created a cardinal in 1967, given the titular church of San Callisto.Archbishop of Naples The Archdiocese of Naples () is a Latin Catholic archdiocese in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10 ...

) * Giuseppe Vairo (1966–1979)the archdiocese of Acerenza became a diocese on 21 August 1976 and an archdiocese again on 3 December 1977
Catholic Hierarchy
* Francesco Cuccarese (1979–1987) *

Michele Scandiffio Michele Scandiffio (29 September 1928 – 6 June 2022) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate. Scandiffio was ordained to the priesthood in 1951. He served as the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Acerenza The Archdiocese of A ...

(1988–2005) *

Giovanni Ricchiuti Giovanni Ricchiuti is an Italian archbishop of the Catholic church. On 15 October, he's been appointed archbishop of the diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti. Life Giovanni Ricchiuti was born on 1 August 1948 in Bisceglie, in the Pr ...

(2005–Present)

Notes

Bibliography

Reference works for bishops

* * * * * * * * * *

Studies

*Kehr, Paulus Fridolin (1962). ''Italia pontificia. Regesta pontificum Romanorum.'
Vol. IX: Samnia – Apulia – Lucania
Berlin: Weidmann. pp. 452–467. *Schwartz, Gerhard (1907)
''Die Besetzung der Bistümer Reichsitaliens unter den sächsischen und salischen Kaisern: mit den Listen der Bischöfe, 951-1122''
Leipzig: B.G. Teubner. pp. 772–779.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acerenza Roman Catholic dioceses in Basilicata