Giorgio Otranto (19 September 1940 – 5 January 2023) was an Italian historian, specialized in the history of early Christianity.

Giorgio Otranto
Born19 September 1940 (1940-09-19)
Died5 January 2023 (2023-01-06) (aged 82)
Bari, Italy
OccupationHistorian

Life and career

edit

Born in Corigliano Calabro, the son of a tailor, Otranto graduated in Classical Literature at the University of Bari.[1]

The main object of Otranto's studies was the history of Christianity, particularly the history of early Christianity in central and southern Italy up to the time of Pope Gregory I (590-604).[1] He founded the Centro di studi Micaelici e Garganici in Monte Sant'Angelo, a research institute mainly devoted to studies related to the Archangel Michael cult.[2] He served as a full professor of History of Christianity and Churches in the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at his alma mater, and starting from the early 1990s he was visiting professor in a number of foreign universities.[3] In 2012 he was awarded the Premio Presidente della Repubblica for his career.[2]

Otranto died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Bari, on 5 January 2023, at the age of 82.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Colantuono, Gaetano (5 January 2023). "L'irresistibile vitalità di Giorgio Otranto, grande studioso e vulcanico organizzatore". La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Paura, Ernesto (9 January 2023). "Ci ha lasciati Giorgio Otranto: tra i maggiori storici italiani del Cristianesimo". AbmReport (in Italian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Puricella, Anna (5 January 2023). "Giorgio Otranto è morto a 82 anni: lo storico del Cristianesimo ha portato il santuario di Michele Arcangelo nel mondo". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.(subscription required)
edit