History
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adding to it. (August 2022)
Potenza was destroyed by order of the Emperor Frederick II, and was rebuilt by Bishop Oberto, beginning in 1250, to be destroyed again under Charles of Anjou.[3]
The town claims that it was evangelized by Saint Peter; Saint Aruntius and his companions are said to have suffered martyrdom there under the Emperor Maximian. The legend has been destructively criticized by Francesco Lanzoni (1927).[4]
The date of the establishment of the Diocese of Potenza (Potentinus) is not known. The earliest known bishop is Herculentius, who corresponded with Pope Gelasius I between 494 and 496.[5]
An outstanding bishop was Gerardo della Porta (1099–1119), who was recognized as a saint, and to whom the cathedral is dedicated, along with the universal dedication to the Assumption throughout the kingdom of Naples. In 1221, Bishop Garsias limited the number of canons in the cathedral Chapter to twelve.[6] In 1721, the Chapter was headed by three dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, and the Cantor) and nine canons.[7]
The town of Potenza was destroyed by the earthquake of 1273 (or 1278).[8]
The Cathedral, built by Bishop Oberto (attested 1250–1256),[9] was restored by Giovanni Andrea Serra (1783–99), and Achille Caracciolo (1616).[10] Bishop Achille Caracciolo was also responsible for laying the cornerstone of a new seminary.[11]
In 1694, Potenza was involved in the earthquake of 8 September, which affected nearly the entire kingdom of Naples. Three hundred houses were completely destroyed, the rest suffered damage. The church of Santissima Trinità and the castello were heavily damaged. Four or five people were reported dead.[12] The seminary building also suffered severe damage. Bishop Agnello Rossi (1695–1707) began the reconstruction.[13]
Bishop Giovanni Andrea Serrao (1783–1799) of Potenza was assassinated on 24 February 1799.[14] He had been the Jansenist leader in southern Italy, and was an Erastian in church politics.[15] He supported the French inspired Parthenopean Republic, and was a target of Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo's sanfedist army.
On 27 June 1818, the diocese of Potenza was united with Diocese of Marsico Nuovo to form Diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo. Potenza was made a suffragan of the archdiocese of Acerenza, along with Anglona e Tursi, Tricarico, and Venosa. The diocese of Matera was suppressed and united with the archdiocese of Acerenza.[16]
In the earthquake of 1 February 1826, all of the public and private buildings were seriously damaged. Two or three old buildings collapsed completely. The palace of the royal Intendant, the episcopal palace, the monastery of the Riformati, and the civic hospital were reduced to a bad condition. The campanile of the cathedral lost its lead roof.[17] In the earthquake of 16 December 1857, in Basilicata there were 9591 deaths, with 1411 reported wounded. In the city of Potenza alone, 22 died and 11 were injured. Aftershocks continued into the next year.[18] According to Cappelletti, the city of Potenza was practically annihilated.[19]
A diocesan synod was held in Potenza by Bishop Gaspare Cardoso, O.S.B. (1606 – 1615) on 2 April 1606.[20] Bishop Pietro Ignazio Marolda held a diocesan synod in Potenza in 1834.[21]
Post-Vatican II changes
On 11 February 1973, Pope Paul VI promoted the diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo to the status of an archdiocese, and made it immediately subject to the papacy, rather than to some other archdiocese in the regions of Basilicata or Lucania. It had been suffragan to the archdiocese of Acerenza. The bishop was given the rank of archbishop, and granted the right to use the processional cross and the pallium. The College of Canons of the cathedral, as well, were given archdiocesan dignity and privileges.[22]
On 31 May 1973, by decree of the Congregation of Bishops of the papal curia, five parishes belonging to the Diocese of Campagna were transferred to the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Potenza.[23] In 1986, the diocese of Campagna was completely suppressed.
On 8 September 1976, the Congregations transferred territory from the Diocese of Acerenza,[24] the Diocese of Rapolla, and from the Territorial Abbacy of Santissima Trinità di Cava de’ Tirreni[25] It also lost two towns to the diocese of Anglona-Tursi.[26]
Following the Second Vatican Council, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, Christus Dominus chapter 40,[27] 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, including Materana and Mons Pelusii; they had formerly belonged to the episcopal conference of "Apulia".[28] Pope Paul VI ordered consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned. After twenty years, problems and objections were still apparent.
On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed a new and revised concordat. Based on the revisions, a set of Normae was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, aeque personaliter, was abolished. The Vatican continued consultations which had begun under Pope John XXIII for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.
On 30 September 1986, Pope John Paul II ordered that the dioceses of Potenza, Marsico Nuovo, and Muro Lucano be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title Archidioecesis Potentina-Murana-Marsicensis. The seat of the diocese was to be in Potenza, and the cathedral of Potenza was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedrals in Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano were to become co-cathedrals, and their cathedral Chapters were each to be a Capitulum Concathedralis. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Potenza, 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 dioceses of Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano.[29]
On 25 January 1998 the archdiocese of Potenza gained territory from the Archdiocese of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi–Conza–Nusco–Bisaccia[2]
The cathedral Chapter of Potenza is currently (2022) composed of thirteen persons: ten canons (including a president, a vice-president, an economus, and a penitentiary) and three honorary canons. The president also serves as the parish priest of the cathedral parish.[30]
In 1990, the six bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Basilicata established a joint seminary for the training of priests, situated in Potenza.[31] The seminary of Potenza was closed, and its building was repurposed as the Osthello della Gioventù.[32]
