The Diocese of Lamezia Terme (Latin: Dioecesis Neocastrensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria. In 1818 the ancient see of Martirano, the former Mamertum (the first bishop of which was Domnus, in 761), was united to the diocese of Nicastro.[1] The diocese was then a suffragan of the archdiocese of Reggio in Calabria.[2] In 1986, the historic Diocese of Nicastro had its name changed. It is currently called the Diocese of Lamezia Terme, and it is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace. The name change reflects the incorporation of the comune of Nicastro into Lamezia Terme, an administrative change of 1968 on the part of the State of Italy.[3][4]
History
The earliest appearance of the name Nicastro is in the Diatyposis (Νέα Τακτικά) of Leo the Wise, composed at Constantinople around 900. Nicastro is listed twelfth and last among the bishops of the Greek Metropolitanate of Reggio Calabria.[5] For a long time,[vague] the Greek Rite was in use at Nicastro.
The church in the village below the citadel of Nicastro was built and endowed by the Norman Aumberga, the niece of Robert Guiscard and sister of Count Richard Dapifer, the son of Drago. It became the Cathedral of St Peter. In 1101, Count Richard the Dapifer transferred to the diocese of Nicastro property and chattels which had belonged to Aumberga in the territory between Agarena and Nicastro.[6] The first bishop of this city of whom there is any record was Henricus (1094), who is mentioned in the donation. Among the ten subscribers to the charter are Archbishop Robert of Reggio Calabria and Bishop Sasso of Cassano, who was serving as Papal Vicar in Calabria for Pope Paschal II.[7]
Pope Calixtus II visited Nicastro on 9 December 1121, on his way from Taranto to Catanzaro.[8]
In 1638 a major earthquake struck Calabria. Nicastro was very severely hit. All the buildings were damaged or destroyed, and some 1200 people lost their lives. At Martirano the death toll was 517.[10] The old cathedral of Nicastro, built by the generosity of Aumberga, was destroyed by the earthquake.[11] A new cathedral was erected in a more expansive location by Bishop Perrone.[12] The cathedral was served by a Chapter composed, in 1680, of six dignities and fourteen Canons.[13] The dignities were: the Dean, the Archdeacon, the Cantor, the Treasurer, the Cappellanus Major, and the Penitentiary; the Cappellanus Major was pastor of the cathedral parish.[14] In 1773 there were seven dignities and twenty-four Canons.[15] The town had three other parishes besides the Cathedral: S. Teodoro (governed by the Archdeacon), Santa Maria Maggiore, and Santa Lucia.
In Nicastro there was a convent of the Franciscans, founded in 1400 by the Conventual Franciscans and dedicated to S. Maria della Grazia; it was taken over by the Observant Franciscans and then in 1594 by the Reformed Franciscans. There was also a convent of the Dominicans, established in 1502 and dedicated to the Annunciation; it was made a stadium generale by Father General Niccolò Ridolfi. The Capuchins established the convent of S. Maria degli Angeli in 1545; provincial chapters of the Order met there in 1550, 1556 and 1618. All three were suppressed in 1809 and converted into other uses.[16]
Change of diocesan name
In 1968, the government of the Italian Republic annexed the town of Nicastro to the city of Lamezia. In 1985, following the signing of a revised concordat with the Italian Republic, the Vatican Secretary of State issued a set of instructions (Normae) for implementing some of its provisions, "so that the names [of dioceses] might be more appropriately accommodated to new circumstances, and better respond to the current necessities of civil and social life."[17] On 27 September 1986, after appropriate consultations, Pope John Paul II granted permission to the Congregation of Bishops to implement the norms. In the case of Nicastro, the Congregation issued a decree on 30 September 1986, in which the long-standing name of "Neocastrenses" was retained for business of the Curia (i.e. for ecclesiastical matters), but in the vernacular it was to be referred to as "Diocesi di Lamezia Terme".[18]
^At the beginning of 1122 Pope Calixtus II sent a mandate to Henricus and two other bishops to examine the possible usurpation of church property. Kehr, p. 31, no. 1. Ughelli, pp. 401-403.
^Guido was present at the Lateran Council of Pope Alexander III in March 1179. Gams, p. 905. Kamp, p. 974.
^Bohemundus took part in the consecration of the church of S. Pietro de Balnea in Palermo on 28 May 1199. Ughelli, p. 403. Rocco Pirro (1733). Mongitore, Antonino (ed.). Sicilia sacra disquisitionibus et notitiis illustrata. Vol. Tomus primus (third ed.). Palermo: haeredes P. coppulae. pp. 119–120. Kamp, p. 975.
^Urso: Eduard Winkelmann (1880). Acta Imperii inedita Seculi XIII (in German and Latin). Vol. I. Innsbruck: Wagner'schen Universitäts-Buchhandlung. p. 653, no. 848. Kamp, pp. 976-977.
^Bernardus was a monk, but his Order is unknown. Kamp, p. 979.
^Leonardus had been a papal Chaplain of Pope Clement IV. Kamp, pp. 979-981.
^Bishop Robert was the nephew of Bishop Philip of Squillace (1274–1286). He obtained the diocese of Nicastro by simony, according to Pope Nicholas III, and as bishop had wasted and used up revenues on incontinentiae vitio ('the sin of self-indulgence'); he was therefore cited to appear before the Pope. During his examination he admitted his crimes and freely resigned, to avoid being deposed. Pope Nicholas then reserved the appointment of the next bishop for himself, and appointed Tancred. Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 176-177, and 351-352. Kamp, p. 981.
^The duty of consecrating Tancred was assigned by Pope Nicholas III, as he states in his letter to Tancred of 15 May 1279, to the Bishop of Porto, who at that time was Robert Kilwardby (Eubel I, p. 36). Bishop Tancredo was elected Archbishop of Otranto by the Cathedral Chapter in 1282, but his transfer was refused by Pope Martin IV. He was excommunicated and deposed by Pope Nicholas IV. According to Ughelli, he was restored by Boniface VIII and died in 1299. Gaetano Moroni, ed. (1848). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni (in Italian). Vol. XLIX. Venezia: Emiliana. p. 64. Ughelli, pp. 404-405 (wrongly stating that it was Honorius IV who deposed Tancred). Eubel, I, p. 361 with note 4.
^Nicholas had been Abbot of Sma. Trinità in Mileto. His bull of appointment from Pope Boniface VIII is printed by Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 185-186. The task of consecrating Nicolaus was assigned to the Bishop of Tusculum, who at that time was Giovanni Buccamati Eubel, I, pp. 39; 361, with notes 5 and 6.
^There was a contested election. Petrus was chosen by 5 canons, Gualterius (a Canon of Nicastro and Dean of the Cathedral Chapter of Catanzaro) by 19, and Geoffrey (Dean of Mileto) by 14. Nonetheless Petrus had himself consecrated bishop by the Archbishop of Reggio. The matter was brought to the Pope, who appointed an examiner, Guillaume de Balacto, Archdeacon and Rector of Benevento, who was to suspend Petrus if the facts warranted. Ughelli, p. 405. Eubel, I, p. 361 with note 7. G. Mollat, ed. (1906). Jean XXII (1316-1334); Lettres communes analysées d'Après les registres dits d'Avignon et du Vatican (in French and Latin). Paris: A. Fontemoing. pp. 121, no. 11700.
^Ambrosius was a Canon of Nicastro, and was provided as bishop by Pope John XXII. Eubel I, p. 361.
^Giuliano had been Bishop of Stabiae. His transfer was approved by Urban VI. Eubel, I, p. 362.
^Gentile had previously been Bishop of the Marsi (1385–1409). He appeared at the Council of Pisa on 5 April 1409: J.-D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXVII (Venice 1784), p. 339. Eubel, I, p. 328, 362.
^Joannes was a Doctor of Canon Law. Eubel, II, p. 201.
^Antonio had been Abbot of the monastery of Sma Trinità (diocese of Mileto). Eubel II, p. 201, with n. 2.
^Bishop Pietro had been Archpriest of the church of S. Giovanni de Latoma (diocese of Nicastro), and then Bishop of Gerenza (1481–1489). Eubel, II, pp. 158, 201.
^Bartolomeo de Luna was a papal chamberlain. Eubel, II, p. 201.
^Capranica was a Roman, an Apostolic Secretary, and a Canon of the Vatican Basilica. In 1506, still bishop-elect he served as Vice-Legate of the March of Ancona. He took part in the Fifth Lateran Council of Pope Julius II in 1512. Ughelli, pp. 406-407. Monaldo conte Leopardi (1824). Series Rectorum Anconitanae Marchiae (in Latin). Recaneti: Morici. p. 48. Eubel, III, p. 255. [This is not the bishop of Fermo who gave the funeral oration for Cardinal Bessarion]
^Antonius de Paula had been Treasurer of the Cathedral Chapter of Catanzaro. He was transferred to the diocese of Catanzaro on 24 July 1523. Eubel, III, pp. 158, 256.
^Geronimo de Paula was the nephew of his predecessor. He too, in his turn, was named Bishop of Catanzaro, on 9 May 1530. Eubel, III, p. 158, 256.
^Ricci had been Archimandrite of Messina, and he was allowed to keep the office on being named Bishop of Nicastro. Ughelli, IX, p. 407. Eubel, III, p. 256.
^Andrea della Valle: Eubel, III, p. 256 with note 9.
^Capizucchi was a member of the distinguished Roman noble family. He began his career as a Canon of the Vatican Basilica and Auditor of the Roman Rota (judge), and then Dean (1527). He participated in the Fifth Lateran Council, and was then named Prefect of the Signature of Grace. He was Vicar General of the City of Rome for Popes Leo X, Adrian VI, Clement VII, and Paul III. Clement VII entrusted him, as Auditor of the Rota, with the management of the case of the annulment of Henry VIII. On 31 October 1534 Pope Paul III appointed Capizucchi Legate of the Marches. He died in Rome on 6 August 1539. Ughelli, IX, pp. 407-408. Eubel, III, p. 256. Guy Bedouelle; Patrick Le Gal (1987). Le Divorce d'Henry VIII d'Angleterre : études et documents (in French). Geneva: Librairie Droz. p. 328. ISBN978-2-600-03132-5.
^Cervini was a Protonotary Apostolic and the papal Secretary for Latin Briefs. He was not consecrated a bishop until after his election to the Papacy in 1555. He was therefore only Bishop-elect, and could not exercise any of the spiritual powers of a bishop. He was appointed, Bishop of Reggio Emilia on 24 September 1540. His letter of appointment from Pope Paul III, dated 28 August 1539, is printed by Taccone-Gallucci, pp. 272-273 and 376.
^Cardinal Savelli: Ughelli, IX, p. 409. Eubel, III, p. 256 with note 12.
^Mariano Savelli was the son of Giovanni Battista Savelli, Captain of the Republic of Florence, and Constanza Bentivoglio; his brother was Cardinal Giacomo Savelli, Vicar of Rome. He was appointed Bishop of Nicastro on 19 November 1554, at the age of 27, but when he was transferred to the diocese of Gubbio on 6 February 1556 he was still bishop-elect. He died on 19 September 1599. Francesco Sforza Pallavicino (1803). Istoria del Concilio di Trento scritta dal padre Sforza Pallavicino . (in Italian). Vol. Tomo XIV. Venezia: G. Zanardi. p. 124. Eubel, III, pp. 193, 256.
^Facchinetti's bull of appointment from Pope Pius IV, dated 26 January 1560, is published by Taccone-Gallucci at pp. 277-279, with commentary at pp. 377-378. It is not known when or by whom Facchinetti was consecrated a bishop.
^Spinelli, the son of Duke Ferdinando Spinelli, was a priest of the diocese of Naples, and a Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law). He was appointed Bishop of Policastro on 4 December 1581. Eubel, III, pp. 256, 277.
^Patritius (Patrice) Gauchat (1935). Hierarchia catholica medii et recentioris aevi. Vol. IV. Monasterii. p. 256.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) A native of Montefalco, Bontodasio had been the Minister General of his Order.
^Mondosio suffered through the earthquake of 1638, losing both his cathedral and his episcopal palace. Giuliani, p. 22. Gauchat, IV, p. 256 with note 8.
^Perrone was a native of Rossano. He held the degree of Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law). He had been Vicar Apostolic of Squillace, and Vicar General of Cassano. He was consecrated in Rome on 25 April 1639 by Cardinal Alessandro Cesarini. Perrone built the new cathedral in Nicastro after the earthquake of 1638, spending 18,000 ducats of his own money. He died on 16 November 1677. Giuliani, p. 22. Adilardi,in: D'Avino, p. 458. Gauchat, IV, p. 256 with note 9.
^Puglia was born in Laurino (diocese of Capaccio) in 1691. He was a Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the Sapienza in Rome (1737). He was Archpriest of the Collegiate Chapter of Laurino, and then served as Vicar-General in the dioceses of Tolentino, San Severino, Cingoli, Fossombrone, and Tivoli. He died on 5 February 1773. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 306 with note 3.
^Pace was appointed Bishop of Vico Equense on 10 May 1773. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 306 with note 3.
^Mandarani: Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 306 with note 4.
^Pellegrini was born in Langobardi (diocese of Tropea) in 1736. He obtained the title of Doctor in utroque iure (Civil and Canon Law) from the University of Naples (1768). He served as Procurator of the Poor in the papal Nunciature in Naples (1766), serving as teacher of theology. In 1768 he was named Vicar-General of the diocese of Nocera, then of Acerenza (1775), and of Taranto (1785). Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies nominated him to the diocese of Nicastro on 31 October 1797, and he was confirmed by Pope Pius VI on 29 January 1798. Pellegrini was consecrated a bishop in Rome on 2 February 1798 by Cardinal Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil. He resigned on 12 May 1818, as the new Concordat between the Holy See and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies went into effect. He died in his birthplace on 13 March 1822 at the age of 86. Ritzler-Sefrin, VI, p. 306 with note 5.
^Papa reopened the seminary, which had been closed since the time of Bishop Mandarani. He was transferred to the diocese of Sorrento on 20 December 1824. Giuliani, p. 25.
^Berlingeri was born in Cotrone in 1774. He had been Dean of the Cathedral of Cotrone. Diario di Roma (1825) numero 1, p. 1.
^Barberi was born in Squillace in 1806. He was a doctor of theology. He served as Prior of the Neapolitan Province of the Dominicans. In the summer of 1862 Bishop Barberi was a strong supporter of the Plebiscite on the Kingdom of Italy. Il mediatore giornale settimanale politico, religioso, scientifico, letterario (in Italian). Torino: Stamperia dell'Unione Tipografico-Editrice. 1862. pp. 1143–1145. He was assigned a Coadjutor bishop in the person of Giuseppe Candido, titular bishop of Lampsacus (Turkey) on 18 November 1881; and then, on 1 June 1888, Domenico Maria Valensise, titular bishop of Askalon (Palestine). Il Monitore ecclesiastico (in Italian). Vol. II. Maratea. 1879. p. 142.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)La Civiltà Cattolica. Serie decimaterza (in Italian). Vol. X. Roma: La Civiltà Cattolica. 1888. p. 747.
^Valensise had been named Coadjutor Bishop on 1 June 1888.
^Regine was born in Forio d'Ischia (diocese of Ischia) in 1856. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Nicastro and titular Bishop of Ascalon (Palestine) on 9 June 1902. He was named Bishop of Nicastro by Pope Leo XIII on 4 Oct 1902. He was appointed Archbishop of Trani e Barletta (e Nazareth e Bisceglie) by Pope Benedict XV on 6 December 1915. He died on 4 October 1918. Annuario Pontificio 1912 (Roma 1912), p. 147. Onofrio Buonocore (1948). La Diocesi d'Ischia dall'origine ad oggi (in Italian). Naples: Rispoli. pp. 67–69. Ritzler-Sefrin, VIII, pp. 125, 407. Giovanni Saladino, Giovanni Régine vescovo di Nicastro. Un pastore di san Pio X, Soveria Mannelli (Catanzaro), Calabria letteraria, 1992.
^Cantafora(in Italian) was born in Scandale (province of Crotone) in 1943. He studied at the Minor Seminary in Crotone and the regional Major Seminary in Catanzaro. After ordination in 1969 he served as chancellor of the Curia in Crotona (1970–1973), priest of SS. Veneranda and Anastasia in Crotone, and then Rector of S. Giuseppe (1970–1975). He was episcopal vicar for pastoral affairs (1975), and an honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Crotone (1989). He was appointed a member of the diocesan College of Consultors (1994–1999), and then Administrator of the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Crotone (from 2001). He was Vicar Forane for the city of Crotone.
Books
References
Eubel, Conradus, ed. (1913). Hierarchia catholica. Vol. I (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. (in Latin)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Nicastro". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
