Roman Catholic Diocese of Venafro

The Diocese of Venafro was a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy, located in Venafro, province of Isernia, region of Molise in the ecclesiastical province of Capua. In 1852, the dioceses of Isernia and Venafro were united under the governance of one and the same bishop, aeque personaliter. The diocese of Venafro was permanently suppressed on 30 September 1986.

History

On 17 October 1032, Gerardus was consecrated bishop of Isernia at the request of the clergy of Isernia by Archbishop Adenulphus of Capua. The archbishop delineated the borders of the diocese as including the territory of the county of Isernia, the county of Venafro, and the County of Bovino. ^[1]

In 1100, the Diocese of Venafro (Dioecesis Venafrensis) was established. ^[2]

In 1621, the city of Venafro in the Terra Laboris had a population of c. 2000. The diocese was a suffragan of the Metropolitan archbishopric of Capua. ^[3]

Bishop Matthias Joccia (1718–1733) opened the diocesan seminary in 1728. ^[4]

On 27 June 1818, Pius VII issued the bull De Ulteriore, in which he reestablished the metropolitan archbishopric of Capua, and assigned as suffragan (subordinate) dioceses: Isernia, Calvi, Suessa, and Caserta. The diocese of Venafro was permanently suppressed, and united to the diocese of Isernia. ^[5]

On 18 June 1852, in the bull "Sollicitudinem Animarum", Pope Pius IX the arrangement was changed. The diocese of Isernia and the revived diocese of Venafro were to be under the governance of one single bishop, aeque personaliter, to be called the diocese of Isernia e Venafro. ^[6]

On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Isernia and Venafro be merged into full union as one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Dioecesis Aeserniensis-Venafrensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Isernia, and the cathedral of Isernia was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedral in Venafro was to become a co-cathedral, and its cathedral Chapter was to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Isernia, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the suppressed diocese of Venafro. ^[7]

Bishops of Venafro

• Constantinus (499) ^[8]

...

Sede vacante (591) ^[9]

Sede vacante (595)

...

• Rainaldus (15 February 1252 – ? ) ^[10]
• Joannes
• Andreas
• Jordanus

Romanus, O.S.B. Vallomb.

• Docibilis
• Peregrinus, O.S.A.
• Sparanus
• Petrus
• Joannes Grocei (6 September 1328 – 1348) ^[11]
• Pietro Bossiano, O.P. (24 June 1348 – 1366) ^[12]
• Guido (11 August 1366 – ? ) ^[13]
• Petrus (1387/1388) ^[14]
• Carlo (Carlotus) Archamono (8 Jul 1388 – 23 Mar 1422 Appointed, Bishop of Bitetto) ^[15]
• Nicolaus (1387 – 1396) ^[16]
• Rogerius de Castro Petrae (14 July 1396 – 1399) ^[17]
• Andrea Fiascone de Prata (6 October 1399 – 1426) ^[18]
• Antonius Mancini (18 December 1426 – 1465) ^[19]
• Giovanni Gatula (2 October 1465 – 1472) ^[20]
• Angelo Alberto (17 Aug 1472 – 1504 Died) ^[20]
• Ricomanni Buffalini (2 Oct 1504 – 1528 Died) ^[21]

Cardinal Girolamo Grimaldi) (1528 – 1536) Apostolic Administrator ^[22]

• Bernardino de Soria, O.F.M. (1536 – 1548) ^[23]
• Giambattista Caracciolo Pisquizi (22 Mar 1548 – 1557 Died) ^[24]
• Giovanni Antonio Carafa (1557 – 1558) ^[25]
• Andrea Matteo Acquaviva d'Aragona (1558 – 1573) ^[26]
• Orazio Caracciolo (16 Sep 1573 – 1581)
• Ladislao d'Aquino (20 Oct 1581 – 12 Feb 1621)
• Ottavio Orsini (1621 – 1632) ^[27]
• Vincenzo Martinelli, O.P. (20 Sep 1632 – 10 Sep 1635 Died) ^[28]
• Giacinto Cordella (1 Oct 1635 – 15 Dec 1666) ^[29]
• Sebastiano Leopardi (16 Mar 1667 – 2 Jul 1669 Died) ^[30]
• Ludovico Ciogni (1 Sep 1669 – 6 Aug 1690 Died) ^[31]
• Carlo Nicola de Massa (11 Dec 1690 – 23 Mar 1710 Died) ^[32]
• Mattia Joccia (11 May 1718 – 19 Jan 1733 Died) ^[33]
• Francesco Agnello Fragianni (11 May 1733 – 28 Feb 1742 Appointed, Bishop of Calvi Risorta) ^[34]
• Giuseppe Francesco Rossi (24 Sep 1742 – 27 Jan 1754 Died) ^[35]
• Francesco Saverio Stabile (20 May 1754 – 1 Dec 1788 Died) ^[36]
• Donato de’ Liguori (26 Mar 1792 – 27 Jan 1811 Died) ^[37]

Sede vacante (1811 – 1818) ^[38]

The diocese of Venafro was suppressed by Pope Pius VII on 27 June 1818.

The list continues at the Diocese of Isernia e Venafro.

References

1. Ferdinando Ughelli, Italia Sacra, second ed., Vol. VI (Venice 1721), pp. 394-395: ""...consecravimus praesulem eorum jam supradictum Gerardum confratrem nostrum gubernandi ac regendi praedicta Ecclesia cum omnibus suis ecclesiis, sive monasteriis infra eodem Comitatu Iserniensis, et Comitatu Venafrano, et infra Comitatu Bojonensis, et in tota terra pertinentes monasterii S. Vincentii." V. Cappelletti, Le chiese d'Italia Tomo XX (Venezia: G. Antonelli 1866), p. 157. Gams, p. 939 col. 2.
2. "Diocese of Venafro" Catholic-Hierarchy.org . David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
3. Gauchat, p. 361, note 1.
4. Gams, p. 939, column 2.
5. Bulliarii Romani Continuatio Tomus 25 (Rome 1853), p. 58, § 11: "Ecclesia archiepiscopalis Capuanae suffraganeas habebit episcopales ecclesias Iserniensem, Calvensem, Suessanam, et Casertanam. Alteram vero episcopalem ecclesiam Theanensem Calvensi ecclesiae episcopali aeque principaliter perpetuo unimus. In perpetuum autem supprimentes episcopalem ecclesiam Venafrensem, eamdem cum sua civitate ac dioecesi unimus atque aggregamus episcopali ecclesiae Iserniensi"
6. Collezione degli atti emanati dopo la pubblicazione del Concordato dell'anno 1818 Vol. 13 (Napoli: Stamp. dell'Iride, 1854), (in Italian and Latin), pp. 42-66.
7. Acta Apostolicae Sedis 79 (Città del Vaticano 1987), pp. 625-628.
8. Constantinus received letters from Pope Gelasius I (in 496): P. Jaffe, Regesta pontificum Romanorum editio altera I (Leipzig 1885), p. 95. He was present at the Roman synod of Pope Symmachus in 499. J.D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio editio novissima Tomus 8 (Florence 1762), p. 235. Cappelletti, pp. 159-160.
9. Francesco Lanzoni (1927), Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604) , (in Italian), Faenza: F. Lega, p. 177.
10. Rainaldus had been archbishop-elect of Capua: Eubel, I, p. 518.
11. Joannes had previously been Canon of Valva and Bishop of Amelia (1327–1328): Eubel, I, p. 85.
12. Gams, p. 939.
13. Guido had previously been Bishop of Troja. Eubel, I, p. 499, 519 note 11.
14. Petrus was appointed by Clement VII of the Avignon Obedience.
15. Archamono was appointed by Clement VII of the Avignon Obedience.
16. Nicolaus was appointed by Urban VI of the Roman Obedience.
17. Roger was appointed by Boniface IX of the Roman Obedience.
18. Andrea was appointed by Boniface IX of the Roman Obedience.
19. Eubel, I, p. 519.
20. Eubel, II, p. 264.
21. He was a priest of the diocese of Cività Castellana, and was a papal notary. He held the academic rank of Master. Eubel, III, p. 328 with note 3.
22. Cardinal Grimaldi was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Venafro the year after the sack of Rome. on 9 October 1528. He resigned the charge on 2 June 1536, on the appointment of a regular bishop. Ughelli VI, p. 586. Eubel, III, p. 328.
23. A native of Burgos, Fra Bernardino had been Bishop of Ravello (1529–1536). On 2 June 1536, he was appointed bishop of Venafro by Pope Paul III. Bernardino died in Rome in 1548. Cappelletti XX, p. 171. Eubel, III, pp. 282, 328.
24. Caracciolo died in Rome. Eubel, III, p. 328.
25. Appointed on 5 April 1557, Carafa died in Rome in 1558. Eubel, III, p. 328.
26. Andrea Matteo was appointed bishop of Venafro on 20 July 1558, by Pope Paul IV (Carafa). On 16 September 1573, Acquaviva was appointed Archbishop of Cosenza by Pope Gregory XIII. He died in Rome in 1576. Eubel III, pp. 184, 328. David M. Cheney,"Archbishop Andrea Matteo Acquaviva d'Aragona" Catholic-Hierarchy.org ; retrieved: 21 March 2016.^{[ self-published source ]}
27. Orsini was a Roman. He had a degree Doctor in utroque iure (Bologna). He became a Referendary of the Apostolic Signature. Appointed bishop of Venafro by Pope Paul V (Borghese) on 13 September 1621, he was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Roberto Ubaldini on 21 September 1621. He was appointed Bishop of Segni on 20 September 1632, by Pope Urban VIII (Barberini). Gauchat, IV, p. 315; 361 with note 2.
28. A Roman, Martinelli was a Doctor of theology, and taught philosophy at the Minerva. He had been Master of the Apostolic Palace. He was appointed Bishop of Conversano (1625–1632). Gauchat, IV, pp. 163 with note 3; 361.
29. Cordella was a native of Fermo, and was Doctor in utroque iure. He was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili on 28 October 1635. He was appointed Bishop of Recanati e Loreto on 15 December 1666, and died there on 15 November 1675. Gauchat, IV, pp. 293 with note 5; 361 with note 3.
30. Leopardi was a Protonotary Apostolic. Gauchat, p. 361 with note 5.
31. Born in Rome, Cicogni was a Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the University of Rome, La Sapienza (1666). Ritzler, V, p. 407 with note 3.
32. De Massa was born at Mortola in the diocese of Sorrentl. He was Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the University of Naples. He was Almoner of Pope Innocent XI and was beneficiatus of the Vatican Basilica. Ritzler, V, p. 407 with note 4.
33. Joccia was born in Capua, and was a Canon of the Cathedral of Capua. He was an examiner of the clergy of the diocese and Rector of the diocesan seminary. He held the title of Doctor in utroque iure (Doctor of Canon and Civil Law) from the University of Rome, La Sapienza (1694). He was consecrated in Rome by Cardinal Antonio Zondadari on 15 May 1718. He died on 19 January 1733. Ritzler, V, p. 407, with note 5.
34. Ritzler, VI, p. 434 with note 2.
35. Ritzler, VI, p. 434 with note 3.
36. Ritzler, VI, p. 434 with note 4.
37. Gams, p. 940. Ritzler, VI, p. 434 with note 5.
38. Pope Pius VII was a prisoner of Napoleon in France from 1809 to 1815. The Church in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was not restored until 1818.

Books

• Cappelletti, Giuseppe (1866). Le chiese d'Italia Tomo vigesimo (20). Venezia: Giuseppe Antonelli, pp. 138–160. Retrieved: 2016-10-26.
• Cotugno, Gabriele (1824). Memorie istoriche di Venafro.(in Italian). Napoli: stamperia della Società filomatica, 1824. [Annotated list of bishops, pp. 146-171]
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 1 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. (in Latin)
• Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1914). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 2 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
• Eubel, Conradus; Gulik, Guilelmus (1923). Hierarchia catholica, Tomus 3 (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana.
• Gams, Pius Bonifatius (1873). Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae: quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo (in Latin). Ratisbon: Typis et Sumptibus Georgii Josephi Manz.
• Gauchat, Patritius (Patrice) (1935). Hierarchia catholica IV (1592-1667). Münster: Libraria Regensbergiana. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1952). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi V (1667-1730). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
• Ritzler, Remigius; Sefrin, Pirminus (1958). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentis aevi VI (1730-1799). Patavii: Messagero di S. Antonio. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
• Ughelli, Ferdinando; Coleti, Niccolò (1719). Italia sacra sive De episcopis Italiæ, et insularum adjacentium (in Latin). Vol. Tomus quartus (4). Venice: apud Sebastianum Coleti. Retrieved 2016-10-28.