Manfredonia Cathedral (Italian : Duomo di Manfredonia, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo Maiorano) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Manfredonia in Italy, dedicated to Saint Laurence of Siponto (Italian : Lorenzo Maiorano, "Laurence Majoranus"), one of the patron saints of the city. Formerly the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Siponto, later known as Manfredonia, it is now the seat of the Archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo.
The construction of a cathedral in Manfredonia, after the transferral here of the seat of the bishops of Siponto, began on 7 February 1270 and finished in 1274. The first building was destroyed by the Turks in 1620, and was not rebuilt until 1700, using the ruins of the old Angevin church on the authority of the then bishop, Bartolomeo della Cueva, Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini (later Pope Benedict XIII), and Mgr. Andrea Cesarano. Della Cueva modified the main entrance, moving it to the opposite end of the church. He also had the canons' stalls constructed and the main altar.
Formerly the main entrance was where the campanile now stands that was built by Cardinal Orsini in 1677. The bell from the old campanile given by Archbishop Marullo in 1646 and cast by the famous Napoletan bellsetter Onofrio Giordano was transferred to the new tower.
In the cathedral are frescoes of 1940-1941, by Natale Penati of Milan, representing: Pope Julius III and Pope Benedict XIII; the apparition of Saint Lawrence to Totila; Justinus and companions, the saints of Siponto; and the Martyrs of Forconio.
Here are preserved the portraits of the archbishops (Orsini, Muscettola, Rivera, Tagliatela and others), some parchments, the baptismal registers from 1600 onwards and various other books.
The protectress of Manfredonia is the Madonna of Siponto, and the protector, San Lorenzo Maiorano (Laurence of Siponto), whose body was moved here from Siponto by Bishop Matteo Orsini, a member of the Dominican Order and later a cardinal, on 30 October 1327. The painting and the statue of the Madonna with her splendid crown of gold sprinkled with diamonds were blessed by Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, on 28 August 1955, the feast of the Coronation of the Virgin.
During the fire and the destruction of the cathedral by the Turks the body of Saint Laurence was also destroyed, except for the right arm, which remains in the cathedral today.
In the 1960s at the wish of the bishop Cesarano the new façade in travertine marble was constructed, which incorporates the marble statue of John XXIII created by the sculptor Aronne del Vecchio.
Pope Benedict XIII, born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in February 1730.
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Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometres 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 it. As of 2017 its population was 56,932.
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The Archdiocese of Manfredonia–Vieste–San Giovanni Rotondo is a Latin Church non-Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the civil province of Foggia, in Apulia, south-eastern Italy, which is part the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Foggia-Bovino
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Siponto was an ancient port town and bishopric of Magna Graecia in Apulia, southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a frazione of the comune of Manfredonia, in the province of Foggia. Siponto is located around 3 km south of Manfredonia.
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The Diocese of Vieste 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 Siponto (Manfredonia) as perpetual Administrators. On 30 September 1986, the diocese of Viesti was suppressed, its territory incorporated into the archdiocese of Siponto, and renamed the Archdiocese of Manfredonia–Vieste. Its former cathedral, named in honor of the Assumption of the body of the Virgin Mary into heaven, is now the Vieste Co-cathedral and, like nearly all cathedrals in Italy, a minor basilica.
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The Diocese of San Severo is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Apulia. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Foggia-Bovino.
The 1758 papal conclave, convoked after the death of Pope Benedict XIV, elected Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico of Venice, who took the name Clement XIII.
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Giuseppe Accoramboni JUD was an Italian Cardinal who served as Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, and had previously been Archbishop of Imola.
Laurence of Siponto, also known as Laurence Maioranus, is an Italian saint, patron of the city of Manfredonia and the Archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo. Manfredonia Cathedral is dedicated to him. He is credited with founded the shrine to Saint Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano.
Giuseppe II Pozzobonelli was an Italian Cardinal and the Archbishop of Milan from 1743 to 1783.
Antoine de Challant, was a Savoyard cleric who served as Chancellor of the Count of Savoy and was coopted into the papal curia by Pope Benedict XIII of the Avignon Obedience, who created him a cardinal and named him Archbishop of Moûtiers-Tarentaise. He served principally as a diplomat for the pope in negotiations directed toward the settling of the Great Western Schism, though his efforts had to be directed mostly to keeping Benedict from being repudiated by the French government. He himself finally abandoned Benedict and joined the cardinals who called for a general council of the Church. He participated in the Council of Pisa, and was one of the electors of Pope Alexander V. He also participated in the Council of Constance, and was one of the electors of Pope Martin V.