Roman Catholic Diocese of Gravina-Montepeloso

The diocese of Gravina and Montepeloso is a former ecclesiastical territory of the Roman Catholic Church in Apulia, southern Italy. Since 1986 it has formed part of the merged diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva. Gravina in Apulia was the seat of the episcopal see from the ninth century.[1][2]

Ecclesiastical history

The first known bishop of Gravina is Leo; other bishops of note are: Samuele (1215), who built at his own expense the church of the Madonna di Altamura, afterwards an archipresbyterate nullius (i.e. exempt from the jurisdiction of the neighbouring bishop); Giacomo II (1302), who replaced the Greek rite with the Latin (Roman Rite) by order of the Archbishop of Acerenza; Vincenzo Giustianiani (1593), a Genoese nobleman, who founded the seminary, the church of the Madonna delle Grazie and the Capuccinelle convent; Domenico Cennini (1645), who built the episcopal residence; Fra Domenico Valvassori (1686), a patron of learning and founder of an Accademia Teologica.

In 1650 Vincenzo Maria Orsini, the future Pope Benedict XIII, was born in this town as Pietro Francesco Orsini.

In 1818 the diocese of Gravina was united aeque principaliter with the former bishopric of Montepeloso, which dated back to the 12th century (according to other sources, 15th century) and was suffragan of the archdiocese of Potenza. Montepeloso is situated on a hill in the neighbouring Province of Potenza. The united dioceses, directly subject to the Holy See, had in the early 20th century 9 parishes and some 28,000 baptized people.

Having been vacant for a long time, in 1986 it was included in the new diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva.

Ordinaries

Diocese of Gravina (di Puglia)

Erected: 9th Century
Latin Name: Gravinensis
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Acerenza e Matera

...

• Giovanni Roberto Santoro (1429 – 1444 Died)

• Administrator Marino Orsini (Marinus de Ursinis) (1447–1473)[3]

• Giacomo Vittorio Appiani (1473 – 1482 Died)[3]
• Pietro Matteo d'Aquino (1482 – 12 Feb 1508 Appointed, Bishop of Lecce)[3]
• Antonio Brancaccio (bishop) (Brancati), O.P. (18 Feb 1508 – 1518 Died)[4]
• Luca Rinaldi (1 Dec 1518 – 1552 Died)[4]
• Giovanni Angelo Pellegrini (14 Dec 1552 – 1568 Died)[4]
• Francesco Bossi (2 Aug 1568 – 5 May 1574 Appointed, Bishop of Perugia)[4][5]
• Gastone Ettore Paganelli (1574 – 1575 Died)[4]
• Giulio Ricci (9 May 1575 – 13 Nov 1581 Appointed, Bishop of Teramo)[4]
• Antonio Maria Manzolio (1581 – 1593 Resigned)[4][6]
• Vincenzo Giustiniani (2 Aug 1593 – 1614 Died)[6]
• Agostino Cassandra, O.F.M. Conv. (24 Nov 1614 – Sep 1623 Died)[6]
• Giulio Cesare Sacchetti (4 Dec 1623 – 16 Mar 1626 Appointed, Bishop of Fano)[6]
• Arcangelo Baldini, O.P. (20 Jul 1626 – 1629 Died)[6]
• Arcasio Ricci (13 Nov 1630 – Feb 1636 Died)[6]
• Filippo Cansacchi (Consacchi) (15 Dec 1636 – 1645 Died)[6]
• Domenico Cennini (6 Mar 1645 – Aug 1684 Died)[6]
• Domenico Valvassori, O.S.A. (18 Mar 1686 – 2 Oct 1689 Died)[7]
• Marcello Cavalieri, O.P. (11 Jan 1690 – Aug 1705 Died)
• Luigi Capuani (Ludovico Capulani) (14 Dec 1705 – 13 Sep 1708 Died)
• Cesare Francesco Lucini, O.P. (11 May 1718 – 2 Mar 1725 Died)
• Vincenzo Ferrero, O.P. (18 Apr 1725 – 8 Feb 1730 Appointed, Bishop of Lucera)
• Camillo Olivieri (5 Mar 1731 – 21 Aug 1758 Died)
• Nicolò Cicirelli (18 Dec 1758 – May 1790 Died)
• Michele de Angelis (18 Jun 1792 Confirmed – 10 Oct 1806 Died)

Diocese of Gravina e Irsina (Montepeloso)

United: 27 June 1818 with the Diocese of Montepeloso
Latin Name: Gravinensis et Montis Pelusii
Immediately Subject to the Holy See

• Ludovico Maria Roselli, O.F.M. (2 Oct 1818 Confirmed – 15 Oct 1818 Died)
• Cassiodoro Margarita (21 Dec 1818 Confirmed – 1 Sep 1850 Died)
• Franciscus Xaverius Giannuzzi Savelli (17 Feb 1851 Confirmed – 14 Aug 1851 Died)
• Mario De Luca (27 Sep 1852 Confirmed – 24 Mar 1855 Died)
• Raffaele Antonio Morisciano (28 Sep 1855 Confirmed – 27 Sep 1858 Appointed, Bishop of Squillace)
• Alfonso Maria Cappetta (Cappelta) (20 Jun 1859 Confirmed – 22 Jul 1871 Died)
• Vincenzo Salvatore (6 May 1872 – 7 Sep 1899 Died)
• Cristoforo Maiello (14 Dec 1899 – 8 Mar 1906 Died)
• Nicolo Zimarino (6 Dec 1906 – 15 May 1920 Died)
• Giovanni Maria Sanna, O.F.M. Conv. (12 May 1922 – 15 Apr 1953 Retired)
• Aldo Forzoni (14 May 1953 – 30 Nov 1961 Appointed, Bishop of Diano-Teggiano)
• Giuseppe Vairo (19 Jan 1962 – 23 Dec 1971 Resigned)
• Salvatore Isgró (25 Apr 1975 – 18 Mar 1982 Appointed, Archbishop of Sassari)

Diocese of Gravina

11 October 1976: Diocese Split into the Diocese of Gravina and the Diocese of Matera e Irsina
Latin Name: Gravinensis
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Bari-Canosa

• Tarcisio Pisani, O.M. (28 Jun 1982 – 30 Sep 1986 Appointed, Bishop of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti)

United on 30 September 1986 with the Territorial Prelature of Altamura ed Acquaviva delle Fonti to form the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti

References

1. "Diocese of Gravina" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 20, 2016
2. "Diocese of Gravina" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 20. 2016
3. Eubel, Konrad (1914). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI Vol II (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 161. (in Latin)
4. Eubel, Konrad (1923). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI Vol III (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 205. (in Latin)
5. "Bishop Francesco Bossi" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
6. Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. p. 197. (in Latin)
7. "Bishop Domenico Valvassori, O.S.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 21, 2016

Sources

•  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Gravina and Montepeloso". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "article name needed". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.