Roman Catholic Diocese of Venosa

The Italian Catholic diocese of Venosa, in southern Italy, existed until 1986. In that year it was united into the Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa. From 1976 to 1986, Venosa had been a suffragan of the archdiocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo.[1][2]

History edit

The earliest events of the Christian history of Venosa are contained in the mythological martyrdoms of the Twelve Brothers[3] (286) and, in 303, of Felix, bishop of Thibiuca in Africa proconsularis, near Carthage. Francesco Lanzoni has shown that there are five different versions of the martyrology, sometimes with different companions, and different destinations to the place of execution. The first recension is assigned to the sixth century. The second recension of the martyrology mentions Venosa, but to do so two emendations of two different nonsensical place names are required. The third recension has the bishop executed at Nola, though his body ends up in Milan, or Nola (through an emendation of the text).[4] Lanzoni agrees with most scholars in placing Bishop Felix's death in Africa near Carthage, under the proconsul Annulinus.[5]

Stephanus (498) is the first Bishop of Venosa whose date is known accurately.

The names of other bishops up to the Norman conquest in the 11th century have not been preserved.

The Benedictine abbey of Santissima Trinità di Venosa was founded in 1043, under the patronage of the Norman Duke Drogo.[6] The abbey became the mausoleum of the family of Duke Robert Guiscard.[7]

It is alleged that a bishop of Venosa in the first half of the 13th century was assassinated by a cleric. Bishop Bono (1223) is usually named as the victim.[8] The only source for the incident is the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, whose remark is preserved in a document in which he responds to a number of questions put to him by four bishops, sent as nuncios by Pope Gregory IX.[9] The bishops complained that clerics were being thrown into imperial prisons and executed. Frederick, in a reproach to the laxity of church authorities, replied: "[The Emperor] is also aware of killings, because the Church of Venosa weeps over the death of their bishop, killed by a monk, because of the lack of punishment of clerics and monks.[10]

A diocesan synod was held in Venosa by Bishop Giovanni Gerolamo Maneri (1585–1591) on 17 September 1589.[11] Andrea Pierbenedetti (1611-1634) held a diocesan synod in Venosa on 2 April 1614.[12] Bishop Pietro Antonio Corsignano held a diocesan synod in Venosa on 4–6 April 1728.[13]

Bishop Lamberto Arbaud (1509) embellished the cathedral,[14] which was demolished a little later to permit the erection of fortifications.

The Napoleonic disruption and restoration edit

From 1801 to 1818 the see of Venosa remained vacant. From 1806–1808, Naples was occupied by the French, and Joseph Bonaparte was made king,[15] after Napoleon had deposed King Ferdinand IV. Joseph Bonaparte was succeeded by Joachim Murat from 1808 until the fall of Napoleon in 1815. Pope Pius VII was a prisoner of Napoleon in France from 1809 to 1815, and was both unable and unwilling to make new episcopal appointments. The French expelled all monks, nuns, and Jesuits from the kingdom, and closed the monasteries and convents; colleges of canons were also closed.[16]

Following the extinction of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, the Congress of Vienna authorized the restoration of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples. Since the French occupation had seen the abolition of many Church institutions in the Kingdom, as well as the confiscation of most Church property and resources, it was imperative that Pope Pius VII and King Ferdinand IV reach agreement on restoration and restitution. Ferdinand, however, was not prepared to accept the pre-Napoleonic situation, in which Naples was a feudal subject of the papacy. Neither was he prepared to accept the large number of small dioceses in his kingdom; following French intentions, he demanded the suppression of fifty dioceses.[17] Lengthy, detailed, and acrimonious negotiations ensued.[18] On 17 July 1816, King Ferdinand issued a decree, in which he forbade the reception of any papal document, including papal bulls, without prior reception of the royal exequatur. This meant that prelates could not receive bulls of appointment, consecration, or installation without the king's permission.[19]

A concordat was finally signed on 16 February 1818, and ratified by Pius VII on 25 February 1818. Ferdinand issued the concordat as a law on 21 March 1818.[20] The re-erection of the dioceses of the kingdom and the ecclesiastical provinces took more than three years. The right of the king to nominate the candidate for a vacant bishopric was recognized, as in the Concordat of 1741, subject to papal confirmation (preconisation).[21] On 27 June 1818, Pius VII issued the bull De Ulteriore, in which the metropolitanate of Acerenza was restored, with Anglona e Tursi, Potenza, Tricarico, and Venosa as suffragans; the diocese of Lavello was permanently suppressed and united to the Church of Venosa.[22]

In 1818, the diocese of Lavello, suffragan to the archdiocese of Bari, was suppressed and its territory united to the diocese of Venosa. The city of Lavello was founded in 1042, when the Norman count Arniclino[23] fixed his seat at Lavello.[24]

Modern Developments edit

Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40,[25] Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy. The decree "Eo quod spirituales" of 12 September 1976 created a new episcopal conference in the region called "Basilicata", to which were assigned all of the dioceses that belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Potenza; they had formerly belonged to the episcopal conference of "Apulia".[26]

On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered the unification of the dioceses of Melfi, Rapolla, and Venosa, into a single bishopric, to be named "Dioecesis Melphiensis-Rapollensis-Venusina", with its headquarters in Melfi. The cathedral of Melfi was designated the diocesan cathedral, and the cathedral of Venosa became a co-cathedral, and its Chapter became the Chapter of a co-cathedral. The diocese of Venosa was suppressed, and its territory united to the territory of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa. The diocese of Rapolla had been suppressed in 1528, and its territory united to the diocese of Melphi.[27]

The diocese of Melfi is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo.

Statistics[28] edit

Year Catholics Total Population Percent Catholic Diocesan Priests Religious Priests Total Priests Catholics Per Priest Permanent Deacons Male Religious Female Religious Parishes
1886 36,000 .0% 89 0 8
1950 50,050 50,100 99.9% 29 11 40 1,251 15 26 10
1970 40,267 40,567 99.3% 17 12 29 1,388 12 70 13
1980 33,350 33,619 99.2% 18 2 20 1,667 3 54 13

Bishops of Venosa edit

to 1200 edit

...
[Philippus] (238)[29]
[Joannes] (443)[30]
[Asterus] (493)[31]
  • Stephanus (attested c. 492/493–502)[32]
...
[Petrus (1014)][33]
...
[Andreas (1045)][34]
[Iaquintus (1053)][35]
  • Morandus (attested 1059)[36]
  • Rogerius (attested 1069)[37]
  • Constantinus (attested 1071–1074)[38]
...
  • Berengarius (1093– ? )[39]
...
[Robertus (1105)][40]
  • Fulco (attested 1113)[41]
...
  • Petrus (attested 1177–1183)[42]
...

1200 to 1500 edit

...
  • Bonus (attested 1223)[43]
...
  • Jacobus (attested 1256)[44]
...
  • Philippus de Pistorio, O.P. (1271–1281/1282)[45]
...
  • Guido (attested 1299–1302)[46]
...
  • Petrus (1331–1334)[47]
...
  • Raimundus Agonti de Clareto, O.Carm. (1334–1360?)[48]
  • Petrus (1360–1363?)
  • Goffredus (1363)
  • Thomasius (1363– ? )[49]
  • Stephanus ( ? ) Avignon Obedience[50]
  • Salvator Gerardi de Altomonte (1387) Avignon Obedience[51]
  • Nicholas Franciscus Grassi (1387– )
  • Laurentius de Aegidio (attested 1383)[52]
  • Franciscus de Veneraneriis (1386-1395) Roman Obedience
  • Jannotus (Joannes) (1395–1400) Roman Obedience
  • Andreas Fusco (1400–1419) Roman Obedience
  • Dominicus de Monte Leone, O.P. (1419–1431)[53]
  • Robertus Procopii (1431–1459)[54]
  • Nicolas Solimele (17 Oct 1459–1492)
  • Sigismundus Pappacoda (1492–1499)[55]
  • Antonio de Fabris (Fabrigas) (1499-1501)[56]

1500 to 1600 edit

1600 to 1800 edit

Sede vacante (1635–1638)[70]
Sede vacante (1710–1718)[78]
  • Giovanni Michele Teroni, B. (1718-1726)[79]
  • Felipe Itúrbide (Yturibe), O. Carm. (31 Jul 1726 - 13 Mar 1727 Resigned)
  • Pietro Antonio Corsignani (17 Mar 1727 -1738)[80]
  • Francesco Antonio Salomone (Salamone) (1738-1743)[81]
  • Giuseppe Giusti (20 May 1743 - 1764 Died)[82]
  • Gaspare Barletta (17 Dec 1764 - 1778 Died)[83]
  • Pietro Silvio di Gennaro (12 Jul 1779 - 1786 Died)[84]
  • Salvatore Gonnelli (18 Jun 1792 Confirmed - 23 Sep 1801 Died)[85]

since 1800 edit

Sede vacante (1801–1818)[86]
  • Nicola Caldora (1818-1825 Resigned)[87]
  • Luigi Maria Parisio (Canisio) (9 Apr 1827 Confirmed - 1827)[88]
  • Federico Guarini, O.S.B. (23 Jun 1828 Confirmed - Sep 1837)
  • Michele de Gattis (2 Oct 1837 Confirmed - 23 Apr 1847)
  • Antonio Michele Vaglio (22 Dec 1848 Confirmed - 28 Jul 1865)
Sede vacante (1865–1871)
  • Nicola de Martino (1871–1878 Resigned)[89]
  • Girolamo Volpe (15 Jul 1878 Succeeded - 1880)[90]
  • Francesco Maria Imparati, O.F.M. (27 Feb 1880 - 23 Jun 1890 Appointed, Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera)
  • Lorenzo Antonelli (1891-1905)[91]
  • Felice del Sordo (12 Aug 1907 -1911)[92]
  • Giovanni Battista Niola (Oct 1912 - Nov 1912 Resigned)
  • Angelo Petrelli (20 May 1913 - 11 Sep 1923 Died)
  • Alberto Costa (30 Apr 1924 - 7 Dec 1928 Appointed, Bishop of Lecce)
  • Luigi dell'Aversana (Orabona) (14 Jan 1931 - 6 Nov 1934 Died)
  • Domenico Petroni (1935–1966 Retired)[93]
  • Giuseppe Vairo (5 Mar 1973 - 25 Oct 1976 Appointed, Bishop of Tricarico)
  • Armando Franco (25 Oct 1976 - 12 Sep 1981 Appointed, Bishop of Oria)
30 September 1986: Diocese of Venosa suppressed, and its territory united with the Diocese of Melfi e Rapolla to form the Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa

See also edit

Vescovi di Venosa (in Italian)

Notes edit

  1. ^ Cheney, David M. "Diocese of Venosa". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.self-published
  2. ^ Chow, Gabriel. "Diocese of Venosa". GCatholic.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.self-published
  3. ^ Lanzoni, pp. 285-288. The Beneventan twelve are not to be confused with the Umbrian twelve: pp. 428-434.
  4. ^ Lanzoni, pp. 295-298.
  5. ^ Lanzoni, p. 296: "Come si spiega questo pasticcio ? L'ipotesi del Monceaux (Hist. littér. de l'Afrique chrétienne, III, 136), del p. Delehaye (« Anal. Boll. », an. 1897, p. 28, e an. 1921, pp. 241 e seg.) e del Quentin (o. e, pp. 522-32) mi sembra molto plausibile. S. Felice di Thibiuca, un martire africano autentico, non sarebbe morto ne a Venosa ne a Nola, ma in Africa presso Cartagine (forse il 15 luglio) per ordine del proconsole Anullinus, e sarebbe stato sepolto nel suburbano lungo la via che poi fu detta vicus Scillitanorum dove sorse la basilica Fausti."
  6. ^ Kehr IX, p. 491: "Primum hoc et celeberrimum inter abbatias a ducibus e gente Normannorum fundatas monasterium monachorum ord. s. Benedicti erectum est a Drogone duce, cui a. 1043 in divisione possessionum tunc a Normannis acquisitarum civitas Venusiae attributa est." Giacomo Tirsone (2012), "La basilica della SS. Trinità di Venosa dalla Tarda Antichità all’Età Moderna (II parte)," (in Italian), Tesi di Laurea Specialistica discussa presso l'Università di Roma "Torvergata". Relatore: Prof. Vincenzo Fiocchi Nicolai (Roma 2012), pp. 99-141, at pp. 104-106.
  7. ^ Cappelletti XX, p. 496.
  8. ^ Ughelli VII (1721), p. 172. Cappelletti XX, p. 497.
  9. ^ Matthew of Paris, Monk of Saint Albans, Chronica maiora (in Latin) ed. H. R. Luard, Vol. III (London: Longman 1876), p. 557.
  10. ^ Novit etiam de occisis, quod propter impunitatem clericorum et monachorum Venusina ecclesia gemit obitum prelati sui, a suo monacho interfecti." Luard identifies the bishop, whom the Emperor does not name, as Bonus, Bishop of Venosa.
  11. ^ Constitutiones synodales ecclesiae Venusinae editae, et promulgatae in synodo diocesana habita Venusij die 17. Septemb. quae fuit Dominica tertia anno 1589 (in Latin) Venosa: apud Paulum Bladum 1591.
  12. ^ Synodus dioecesana ecclesiae Venusinæ. Ab admodum illust. & reuerendiss. D. Andrea Perbenedicto de civitate Camerini ... habita anno Domini 1614 Venosa: apud Euangelistam Deuch 1620.
  13. ^ Synodus dioecesana ab illustrissimo et reverendissimo domino d. Petro Antonio Corsignani Dei, & apostolicae sedis gratia Venusiae episcopo, in cathedrali Venusina ecclesia celebrata dominica in albis, & duabus feriis sequentibus 4. 5. 6. mensis Aprilis 1728. (in Latin) (Venosa 1728); appended to the synodical acts, Bishop Corsignani inserted his own useful treatise, "De ecclesia et civitate Venusiae ejusdemque episcopis" (in Latin), 57 pp.
  14. ^ Ughelli VII, p. 175: "Chorum Cathedralis marmoreis subselliis et portam ejusdem exornavit."
  15. ^ F. Artaud de Montor, Histoire du Pape Pie VII (in French) Vol. II, second edition (Paris: Adrien Leclerc 1837), pp. 132-140.
  16. ^ R.M. Johnston (1909), The Napoleonic Kingdom in Southern Italy and the Rise of the Secret Societies, Volume I (London: Macmillan), pp. 149. 161-162;
  17. ^ Francesco Scaduto (1887). Stato e chiesa nelle due Sicilie dai Normanni ai giorni nostri (in Italian). Palermo: A. Amenta. pp. 42–58, 74–78.
  18. ^ F. Artaud de Montor, Histoire du Pape Pie VII (in French) Vol. II, second edition (Paris: Adrien Leclerc 1837), pp. 507-509.
  19. ^ Vito Giliberti (1845), Polizia ecclesiastica del regno delle due Sicilie (in Italian), (Napoli: F. Azzolini), pp. 399-400.
  20. ^ F. Torelli (1848), La chiave del concordato dell'anno 1818 I, second edition (Naples: Fibreno 1848), pp. 1-19.
  21. ^ Torelli I, p. 9.
  22. ^ Torelli I, pp. 117-118.
  23. ^ Ughelli VII, p. 740.
  24. ^ Umberto Benigni (1912), "Venosa," The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15 (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912); retrieved: 13 August 2022, writes "Arnichino", an obvious slip of the pen.
  25. ^ Christus Dominus 40. Therefore, in order to accomplish these aims this sacred synod decrees as follows: 1) The boundaries of ecclesiastical provinces are to be submitted to an early review and the rights and privileges of metropolitans are to be defined by new and suitable norms. 2) As a general rule all dioceses and other territorial divisions that are by law equivalent to dioceses should be attached to an ecclesiastical province. Therefore dioceses which are now directly subject to the Apostolic See and which are not united to any other are either to be brought together to form a new ecclesiastical province, if that be possible, or else attached to that province which is nearer or more convenient. They are to be made subject to the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop, in keeping with the norms of the common law. 3) Wherever advantageous, ecclesiastical provinces should be grouped into ecclesiastical regions for the structure of which juridical provision is to be made.
  26. ^ The bull Eo quod spirituales (in Latin), in: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 68 (1976), pp. 678-680.
  27. ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 738-740.
  28. ^ "Catholic Hierarchy".
  29. ^ Bishop Philippus is named by Ferdinando Ughelli, Italia Sacra VII (1721), p. 168, but without any evidence whatever. He is rejected by Lanzoni, p. 298.
  30. ^ Giovanni is listed by Ughelli, p. 168, who relates the tale that he raised an army which successfully resisted Attila the Hun's attack on Venosa. Attila never came near Venosa, however, and Ughelli mentions no source. He is rejected by Lanzoni, p. 298-299.
  31. ^ Ughelli VII, p. 168, citing the legendary Acta Sancti Sabini to the effect that Asterus and two other bishops consecrated an altar to S. Michael the Archangel on Monte Gargano. He is rejected by Lanzoni, p. 299.
  32. ^ Stephanus was present at the Roman synods of Pope Symmachus in 501 and 502. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus octavus (8) (Florence: A. Zatta 1762), p. 252. Lanzoni, p. 299. Kehr points out, Italia pontificia Vol. IX, p. 489, no. 1 note, that Ewald and Loewenfeld believe that the letters of Pope Gelasius, which contain no indication of a bishop's diocese, were directed to Bishop Stephanus of Naples, who also participated in the Synod of 502: "Ewald in Neues Archiv I 515 not. 1 et Loewenfeld Epistolae pontificum Romanorum inedita p. 6 not. 3, Stephanum perperam Neapolitanum ep. fuisse putant."
  33. ^ Kehr IX, p. 488-489, points out that this Petrus is the same person as the Petrus of the latter part of the reign of Pope Alexander III: ": "Petrus ad a. 1014 recensitus ex inscriptione consecrationis ecclesiae s. Mariae de Foresta apud Lavellum sub Alexandro III factae (ed. G. Solimene La chiesa vescovile di Lavello p. 106), qui idem est ac ille Petrus, qui concilio Lateranen. ab Alexandro III a. 1179 celebrate interfuit (Mansi XXII 215. 461)."
  34. ^ Andreas is to be deleted, according to Kehr IX, pp. 488-489: "ex serie delendi sunt ... Andreas, quem solus Cenna [in the synodal acts of 1615] ad a. 1045 laudat (1XVIII 218; 2p. 252)."
  35. ^ Known only from a fictitious narration of the consecration of a monastery, Giaquinto is to be deleted. Kehr IX, pp. 489-490: "ex serie delendi sunt ... laquintus, qui nonnisi in fabulosa illa notitia de consecratione mon. s. Petri in monte Vulture occurrit." Kehr IX, p. 503, no. †1: "...Nomina cardd., archiepp. et epp. certe maxima ex parte ficticia...."
  36. ^ Pope Nicholas II dedicated the monastery S. Trinità in Venosa, the work of abbot Ingilbert and Bishop Morandus. Kehr IX, pp. 490 and 493-493, nos. 3 and 4.
  37. ^ Kehr IX, p. 490. Giuseppe Crudo, La SS.ma Trinita di Venosa. Memorie storiche diplomatiche archeologiche (in Italian) (Trani 1899), p. 133. L. R. Menager (1959), "Les fondations monastiques de Robert Guiscard, due de Pouille et de Calabre," in: Quellen und Forschungen 39 (1959), p. 89.
  38. ^ Cappelletti XX, pp. 496-497 (Cappelletti extends his life to 1093). Ughelli VII, pp. 169-170.
  39. ^ Pope Urban II appointed Berengarius, the abbot of S. Trinità in Venosa to the office of bishop of Venosa. Kehr IX, p. 490, no. 4.
  40. ^ Robertus had been a canon of the cathedral Chapter when elected bishop, according to Ughelli VII, p. 172, and Cappelletti XX, p. 497. The inscription which supports the claim, however, names him only as deacon and canon, not bishop: Kehr IX, p. 488-489: "ex serie delendi sunt... Robertus, qui in charta a. 1105 data (ed. Briscese in Archivio storico per la Calabria e la Lucania X (1940), p. 32 n. 6) diaconus et canonicus eccl. s. Andreae apost. episcopii civ. Venusinae, non episcopus (ut Ughelli aliique) nominatur."
  41. ^ Fulco: Kehr IX, p. 489. Kehr VIII (1935), p. 161, no. 173.
  42. ^ Bishop Petrus attended the Third Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. Kamp, pp. 804-805. He also participated in the reconsecration of the church of S. Maria della Foresta in Lavallo, under Pope Alexander III, six centuries after its foundation. Giustino Fortunato (1904), La Badia di Monticchio: Con 71 documenti inediti (in Italian), Trani: V. Vecchi, pp. 343-346. Kehr IX, p. 490, nos. 5-7.
  43. ^ Kamp, pp. 805-886. Orderic Vitalls, Historia ecclesiastica, Book VII chapter 7.
  44. ^ Kamp, p. 806.
  45. ^ Kamp, p. 807-808.
  46. ^ Ughelli VII, p. 142. Eubel I, p. 520.
  47. ^ Petrus was appointed by Pope John XXII on 12 July 1331. On 17 August 1334, Bishop Pietro was transferred to the diocese of Acerenza by Pope John XXII. Eubel Hierarchia catholica I, pp. 70, 520.
  48. ^ Raimundus: Eubel I, p. 520. Ughelli VII, p. 142, calls him Augustinus, but a note names him as a Dominican.
  49. ^ Thomas, who was Archpriest of Acerenza, was appointed Bishop of Venosa on 14 June 1363 by Pope Urban V. In 1367 he was present at the consecration of the church of S. Audeno di Veglia. Ughelli VII, p. 152. Cappelletti XX, p. 497. Eubel I, p. 520.
  50. ^ Stephanus was appointed by Clement VII (1378–1394). Eubel I, p. 520.
  51. ^ Salvator was appointed by Clement VII (1378–1394). Eubel I, p. 520.
  52. ^ Laurentius: Cappelletti XX, p. 497.
  53. ^ He is called Dionysius by Ughelli VII, p. 173. Eubel I, p. 520 calls him Dominicus (perhaps as a slip of the pen, as he was a Dominican).
  54. ^ Robertus Procopii had been Archpriest of the cathedral Chapter of Venosa. Cappelletti XX, p. 498.Eubel, Hierarchia catholica II, p. 265 with note 1.
  55. ^ A Neapolitan patrician, born in 1456, the son of Francesco Pappacoda and the nephew of the Seneschal and Councillor of King Ladislaus, Artusio Pappacoda, Sigismondo was appointed bishop of Venosa on 3 December 1492. He was transferred to the diocese of Tropea by Pope Alexander VI on 10 May 1499. Pope Clement VII wanted to make him a cardinal, but he refused. He died on 3 November 1536. Giuseppe Sigismondo, Descrizione della città di Napoli e suoi borghi Volume 2 (Naples: Fratelli Terres 1788), pp. 204-205. Vito Capialbi, Memorie per servire alla storia della santa chiesa Tropeana, (Naples: Forcelli 1852), pp. 41-46. Eubel II, pp. 257, 265.
  56. ^ Antonio Civalerio was appointed bishop of Venosa on 10 May 1499, and immediately sent as papal nuncio of Pope Alexander VI to Naples. He was papal vicar of Rome and Vicar of S. Peter's Basilica in 1500. On 29 November 1500 Bishop Antonio was the celebrant of the Mass in the papal chapel with the pope in attendance (Burchard "Diarium" Vol. III, p. 86 Thuasne). Ughelli VII, p. 174. Cappelletti XX, p. 498. Eubel II, p. 265 with note 4.
  57. ^ Bongiovanni was a native of Recanati. He was physician to Pope Alexander VI. He had a wife (who died in 1501) and two sons, Antonio Jacopo who became Bishop of Camerino, and Gianbattista who became Bishop of Vence in France. Ughelli VII, pp. 174-175. Cappelletti XX, p. 499. Eubel II, p. 265.
  58. ^ Ughelli VII, p. 175, states that Lambert was a Frenchman from Antibes, and that he had previously been bishop of Vence (for which there is no evidence: cf. Gallia christiana III (Paris 1725), p. 1227: "...non reperitur in indicibus Venciensium episcoporum...."). He was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Julius II on 16 November 1510. On 3 May 1512, "Lambertus Venusinus" was present at the 1st session of the Fifth Lateran Council, at the 2nd session on 7 May, at the 3rd session on 3 December, at the 4th session on 10 December, but not at the 5th session on 16 February 1513. Neither does he appear at the 6th session under Leo X, or in connection with any of the reform committees appointed by the Council, or at the 7th session on 17 June 1513, J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus 32 (reprint Paris: Hubert Welter 1902), p. 679, 709, 729, 745, 764-765, 807-808.
  59. ^ a b c d e f Eubel, Vol III, p. 330.
  60. ^ Guido was the son of Antonio de'Medici, the son of Giuliano and Leonarda Deti, of the Castellina and Ottaiano branches of the Medici. Guido was a Doctor of canon law, and had been a Canon of the cathedral of Florence (1506–1532). He was also Prior of S. Apollinare, Provost of Ognisanti in Florence, and Piovano di S. Ippolito di Castel Fiorentino. His relative, Pope Leo X, brought him to Rome and made him a protonotary apostolic, in place of his deceased brother, Averardo; and a privy chamberlain. He was named Castellan of the Castel S. Angelo by his cousin, Pope Clement VII in April 1525. He was named bishop of Venosa on 12 June 1527, at a time when the papal court had already sought refuge in the Castel. He never went to Venosa. On 3 January 1528, Pope Clement appointed him Archbishop of Chieti, though he remained Castellan until November 1534. Salvino Salvini (1782), Catalogo cronologico de' canonici della chiesa metropolitana fiorentina (Florence: Gaetano Cambiagi), p. 70, no. 480. Eubel III, p. 330. Pio Pagliucci, I Castellani del Castel S. Angelo. Vol. I, part 2: "I Castellani Vescovi," (in Italian) (Roma: Polizzi e Valentini 1909), pp. 79-96.
  61. ^ A native of Spain, Seroni was transferred from the diocese of Asti (1525–1528), where he was still only bishop-elect, by Pope Clement VII on 23 March 1528. He consecrated the new cathedral. Cappelletti XX, p. 499. Eubel III, pp. 121, 330.
  62. ^ Of Spanish origins, Della Quadra was born in Naples. Cappelletti XX, p. 499. Eubel III, p. 330.
  63. ^ A native of Genoa, but born on the island of Chios, Giustiniani was the nephew of Cardinal Vincenzo Giustiniani, O.P (1570–1582). He had been a judge at Interamna. Baldassare needed a dispensation, since he had not been in Holy Orders a full six months when appointed bishop of Venosa. He died at the age of 45, on 13 March 1584. Ughelli VII, pp. 176-177. Cappelletti XX, p. 500. Eubel III, p. 330 with note 8.
  64. ^ Mareri was a priest of the diocese of Rome according to Eubel (most sources stating he was a native of L'Aquila and archpriest), and held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure. He was appointed bishop of Venosa on 20 May 1585 by Pope Sixtus V. He died on 28 January 1587. Ughelli VII, p. 179. Cappelletti XX, p. 500. Eubel III, p. 330 with note 8.
  65. ^ Ridolfi was a noted preacher in Venice, a Master of theology and Regent at the Ca Grande di Venezia, and the author of numerous sermons on various topics: Delle prediche del r.p. maestro Pietro Ridolfi da Tossignano, dell'Ordine Minore Conuentouale, ... fatte in vari luoghi, & intorno à vari soggetti: parte prima con tre tauole, la prima delle prediche; la seconda delle cose più notabili, con le postille, & autorità in margine; la terza esplica, Volumes 1-2 (Venezia: appresso Francesco de' Franceschi, 1584). On 18 February 1591, Ridolfi was appointed Bishop of Senigallia by Pope Gregory XIV. Eubel III, pp. 330. M. Bovini Mazzanti, "L'opera pastorale di frate Pietro Ridolfi da Tossignano, vescovo di Senigallia dal 1591 al 1601," (in Italian), in: Picenum seraphcum 17 (1984–1987), pp. 131-167.
  66. ^ On 7 January 1605, Donati, a native of Corregio, was appointed Bishop of Ascoli Piceno by Pope Clement VIII. Ughelli VII, p. 180. Eubel III, p. 330. Gauchat (1935), p. 364.
  67. ^ Gauchat (1935), Hierarchia catholica IV, p. 364.
  68. ^ Pierbenedetti was a native of Camerino. He held the degree Doctor in utroque iure, and served as Vicar General in the dioceses of Catania, Nucerino, and Cesena. He was then Vicar General of Cardinal Federigo Borromeo in Milan. On 14 March 1611, he was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Paul V (Borghese), and was consecrated in Rome on 20 March by Cardinal Giovanni Mellini. Gerardo Pinto (1902), Giacomo Cenna e la sua Cronaca venosina (in Italian) (Trani: V. Vecchi), p. 13, note 2. Gauchat, p. 364 with note 4.
  69. ^ Frigerio was a native of Ferrara, and held the degree Doctor in utroque iure: Antonio Libanori, Ferrara d'oro imbrunito Parte I (Ferrara: Alfonso e Gio. Battista Maresti, 1665), pp. 106-107. In 1629 Frigerio, who held a beneficed position at S. Peter's basilica, wrote a book on the management of an estate, based on proofs from scripture, Aristotle and other ancient authors: L'economo prudente Roma: Appresso Lodouico Grignani, 1629. He was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Urban VIII on 17 September 1635, and was consecrated in Rome on 23 September by Cardinal Francesco Brancaccio. He died less than fourteen months later, on 13 November 1636. Gauchat, p. 364 with note 5.
  70. ^ Gauchat, p. 364, note 5, remarks that the process to appoint Giovanni Mascardi, the bishop of Nebbio in Corsia, began, but was not completed.
  71. ^ Conturla: Gauchat (1935), p. 364 with note 6.
  72. ^ Pecolo: Gauchat (1935), p. 364 with note 7.
  73. ^ Pavonelli was a native of Civitella del Tronto in the diocese of Teramo, and held a degree in theology and philosophy from his Order. He was a client of the Ludovisi nephews and the nephews of Innocent X. He was appointed bishop by Pope Innocent X on 18 May 1648. He held a diocesan synod, and redecorated the episcopal palace. He died on 23 September 1653. Corsignani, "de ecclesia et civitate Venusiae", in: Synodus dioecesana, p. 54. Cappelletti XX, p. 501. Gauchat (1935), p. 364 with note 8.
  74. ^ Born in 1605, Tarugi was a member of a noble family of Orvieto, and was granted the degree of master of theology by his convent in Orvieto. He was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Innocent X on 5 October 1654, and made his solemn entry into Venosa on 13 February 1655. He was appointed commendatory Archbishop of Myra in Lycia by Pope Clement X on 2 May 1672, which he held for two (not twenty) years. He died on 25 March 1674, and was buried in the cathedral of Venosa. He wrote works on S. Onofrio, S. Albertus Magnus, and S. Catherine of Siena. Giovanni Battista Cavalieri, Galleria De' Somme Pontefici, Patriarchi, Arcivescovi, E Vescovi Dell' Ordine De' Predicatori, Volume 1 (Benevento: Stamparia Arcivescovale, 1696), p. 637. Gauchat (1935), p. 364 with note 9. Ritzler and Sefrin Hierarchia catholica V, p. 278.
  75. ^ Desio: Ritzler and Sefrin Hierarchia catholica V, p. 410 with note 3.
  76. ^ Neri was born in Tivoli in 1628. He was tonsured in 1642, and became a priest on 31 December 1654, at the age of twenty-six. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure, and served as Advocatus Fisci (legal counsel) of the Inquisition of the Kingdom of Naples from 1667. He was a canon of the cathedral of Naples, and in 1668 the Penitentiary. Pope Clement X appointed him Bishop of Massa Lubrense on 16 May 1672. He was transferred to the diocese of Venosa by Pope Innocent XI on 10 January 1678. He died on 4 September 1684. Corsignani records in his "de ecclesia et civitate Venusiae", Synodus dioecesana ab illustrissimo et reverendissimo domino d. Petro Antonio Corsignani Dei, & apostolicae sedis gratia Venusiae episcopo, in cathedrali Venusina ecclesia celebrata dominica in albis, & duabus feriis sequentibus 4. 5. 6. mensis Aprilis 1728, (in Latin), p. 55. Ritzler and Sefrin Hierarchia catholica V, pp. 259 with note 3; 410 with note 4.
  77. ^ Scoppa was born in Messana in Sicily, of the family of the barons of Campo, and held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure and was a protonotary apostolic. He was Provost of the collegiate church of Santa Maria Peroni in Pavia. He had previously been Archbishop of Ragusa in Dalmatia (1693–1701), and was consecrated a bishop on 13 February 1701 by Cardinal Bandino Panciatico. He was transferred to Venosa by Pope Innocent XII on 11 April 1699. He died in Venosa in December 1710 (Corsignani, p. 56, quotes his funeral inscription, giving the date as 25 June 1711). Ritzler and Sefrin V, pp. 327 with note 3; 410 with note 6.
  78. ^ Bishop Corsignani records in his "de ecclesia et civitate Venusiae", Synodus dioecesana, p. 25, the tomb inscription of Msgr. Domenico Cannia, the Archdeacon of Venosa, who had once been Vicar General Capitular in Andria Apostolica and in Melfi, and held the office in Venosa as well: "Venusii preter hanc Capitularem quoque Vicarium gessit." Cannia died on 25 August 1716. He may have been the official elected by the cathedral Chapter to administer the diocese of Venosa during the vacancy.
  79. ^ Bishop Corsignani, "de ecclesia et civitate Venusiae", p. 56-57, relates that Teroni had been a teacher of philosophy and theology and then Provost of the Barnabite house at San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome, and a Qualificator at the Holy Office (Inquisition); finally he became Procurator General of his Order. He was designated bishop of Venosa by Pope Clement XI on 22 May 1713, but his appointment was not completed until 10 January 1718. He was consecrated on 16 January in Rome, by Cardinal Fabrizio Paolucci. Teroni died in Venosa in July 1726 (on 4 June, according to his epitaph, cited by Corsignani). Ritzler and Sefrin V, p. 410 with note 7.
  80. ^ On 22 July 1738, Corsignani was transferred to the diocese of Valva e Sulmona by Pope Benedict XIII.
  81. ^ Born in Termoli in 1677, Salomone held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure from the University of Macerata (1759). He was several times Vicar General and Vicar Capitularis at Termoli. He was then Vicar Generao of Macerata e Rapolla, and Archdeacon of the cathedral of Termoli. He was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Benedict XIII, and consecrated in Rome on 14 September 1738 by Cardinal Giovanni Antonio Guadagni, O.Carm.Discalc. He died in Venosa on 17 May 1743. Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 437 with note 2.
  82. ^ Giusti: Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 437 with note 3.
  83. ^ Barletta: Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 437 with note 4.
  84. ^ Di Gennaro: Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 437 with note 5.
  85. ^ Gonnelli: Ritzler and Sefrin VI, p. 437 with note 6.
  86. ^ Gams, p. 940. Cappelletti, p. 501.
  87. ^ Caldora was born in Naples in 1759. He was nominated bishop of Venosa by King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies on 14 June 1818, and confirmed by Pope Pius VII on 26 June 1818. He was consecrated a bishop in Rome on 28 June by Cardinal Michele di Pietro. He resigned the diocese on 10 December 1825, and died in 1827. Alberto Gibboni (1975), "Venosa e mons. Caldora," (in Italian), in: Historica Vol. 28 (1975), pp. 178-184. Ritzler and Sefrin, Hierarchia catholica VII, p. 392.
  88. ^ On 25 June 1827, Parisio was transferred to the diocese of Gaeta Ritzler and Sefrin VII, pp. 125, 392.
  89. ^ De Martino was a priest of the diocese of Diano, a papal domestic prelate (monsignor), and the Canon Theologus of the cathedral of Diano. He was appointed bishop of Venosa on 22 December 1871. He was granted a coadjutor bishop in Girolamo Volpe, and resigned on 9 July 1878. He was granted the honorary title of Bishop of Samos on 15 July 1878. He died on 10 June 1881. Ritzler and Sefrin VIII, pp. 496, 585.
  90. ^ On 27 February 1880, Bishop Volpe was transferred to the diocese of Alife by Pope Leo XIII. He died on 9 April 1886. Ritzler and Sefrin VIII, pp. 90, 539, 585.
  91. ^ Antonelli was a native of Tremonti, in Diocese of Marsi. He was appointed bishop of Venosa by Pope Leo XIII on 1 June 1891. He died on 13 July 1905. Ritzler and Sefrin VIII, p. 585.
  92. ^ On 12 Oct 1911, Del Sordo was transferred to the diocese of Alife by Pope Pius X. Ritzler and Sefrin VIII, p. 585.
  93. ^ Petroni was born in 1881. He held the degree of Doctor of canon law. He was named Bishop of Anglona e Tursi in 1930 by Pope Pius XI. He was transferred on 1 April 1935 to the diocese of Melfi e Rapolla and also named Bishop of Venosa. He retired on 5 October 1966, and was given the honorary title of Bishop of Marazanae Regiae. He died in 1978. Annuariu Pontificio various years. Roberto P. Violi (1990), Episcopato e società meridionale durante il fascismo (1922-1939) (An. Veritas Ed., 1990), p. 105.

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