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. It had been a suffragan of the archdiocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo.^[1][2]

History

The earliest events of the Christian history of Venosa are the martyrdoms of the Twelve Brothers (286) and of Feliz, Bishop of Tabara in Africa, and his companions (303). Stephanus (498) is the first Bishop of Venosa whose date is known accurately.

The names of other bishops up to the Norman conquest have not been preserved. Buono (1223) was assassinated by a cleric; Lamberto Arbaudo (1509) embellished the cathedral, which was demolished a little later to permit the erection of fortifications.

In 1818 the diocese of Lavello, suffragan to the archdiocese of Bari, founded in 1042 when the Norman count Arnichino fixed his seat at Lavello, was united to Venosa.^[3]

Ordinaries

Diocese of Venosa

Erected: 5th Century
Latin Name: Venusinus
Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo

• Nicolas Solimele (17 Oct 1459 - 1492 Died)
• Sigismondo Pappacoda (3 Dec 1493 - 10 May 1499 Appointed, Bishop of Tropea)
• Lamberto Arbaud (16 Nov 1510 - )
• Tommaso da San Cipriano, O.P. ( 1519 - )
• Guido de' Medici (12 Jun 1527 - 3 Jan 1528 Appointed, Archbishop of Chieti)
• Fernando de Gerona, O.S.A. (23 Mar 1528 - 1542 Resigned)
• Alvaro della Quadra (12 May 1542 - 1551 Resigned)
• Simone Gattola (13 Mar 1552 - Apr 1566 Died)
• Francesco Rusticucci (21 Aug 1566 - 31 Jan 1567 Appointed, Bishop of Fano)^[4]
• Paolo Oberti, O.P. (17 Feb 1567 - 13 Sep 1567 Died)
• Giovanni Antonio Locatelli (12 Dec 1567 - 7 Sep 1571 Died)
• Baldassarre Giustiniani (6 Feb 1572 - 13 Mar 1584 Died)^[5]
• Giovanni Tommaso Sanfelice (4 May 1584 - 6 Mar 1585 Died)
• Giovanni Gerolamo Mareri (20 May 1585 - 28 Jan 1587 Died)
• Pietro Ridolfi (bishop), O.F.M. Conv. (18 Feb 1587 - 18 Feb 1591 Appointed, Bishop of Senigallia)^[6]
• Vincenzo Calcio, O.P. (18 Feb 1591 - 3 May 1598 Died)
• Sigismondo Donati (17 Aug 1598 - 7 Jan 1605 Appointed, Bishop of Ascoli Piceno)
• Mario Moro (3 Aug 1605 - 1610 Died)
• Andrea Pierbenedetti (14 Mar 1611 - 1634 Died)
• Bartolomeo Frigerio (17 Sep 1635 - 13 Nov 1636 Died)
• Gaspare Conturla (15 Jan 1638 - Apr 1640 Died)
• Sallustio Pecólo (Pecoli) (3 Dec 1640 - 13 Mar 1648 Resigned)
• Antonio Pavonelli, O.F.M. Conv. (18 May 1648 - 23 Sep 1653 Died)
• Giacinto Tarugi (Torisi), O.P. (5 Oct 1654 - 25 Mar 1674 Died)
• Giovanni Battista Desio (7 May 1674 - Aug 1677 Died)
• Francesco Maria Neri (10 Jan 1678 - Dec 1684 Died)
• Giovanni Francesco de Lorenzi (14 May 1685 - Oct 1698 Died)
• Placido Scoppa (Stoppa), C.R. (11 Apr 1699 - Dec 1710 Died)
• Giovanni Michele Teroni, B. (10 Jan 1718 - Jul 1726 Died)
• Felipe Itúrbide (Yturibe), O. Carm. (31 Jul 1726 - 13 Mar 1727 Resigned)
• Pietro Antonio Corsignani (17 Mar 1727 - 22 Jul 1738 Appointed, Bishop of Valva e Sulmona)
• Francesco Antonio Salomone (Salamone) (3 Sep 1738 - 17 May 1743 Died)
• Giuseppe Giusti (20 May 1743 - 1764 Died)
• Gaspare Barletta (17 Dec 1764 - 1778 Died)
• Pietro Silvio di Gennaro (12 Jul 1779 - 1786 Died)
• Salvatore Gonnelli (18 Jun 1792 Confirmed - 23 Sep 1801 Died)
• Nicola Caldora (26 Jun 1818 Confirmed - 10 Dec 1825 Resigned)
• Luigi Maria Parisio (Canisio) (9 Apr 1827 Confirmed - 25 Jun 1827 Confirmed, Bishop of Gaeta)
• Federico Guarini, O.S.B. (23 Jun 1828 Confirmed - Sep 1837 Died)
• Michele de Gattis (2 Oct 1837 Confirmed - 23 Apr 1847 Died)
• Antonio Michele Vaglio (22 Dec 1848 Confirmed - 28 Jul 1865 Died)
• Nicola de Martino (22 Dec 1871 - 9 Jul 1878 Resigned)
• Girolamo Volpe (15 Jul 1878 Succeeded - 27 Feb 1880 Appointed, Bishop of Alife)
• Francesco Maria Imparati, O.F.M. (27 Feb 1880 - 23 Jun 1890 Appointed, Archbishop of Acerenza e Matera)
• Lorenzo Antonelli (1 Jun 1891 - 13 Jul 1905 Died)
• Felice del Sordo (12 Aug 1907 - 12 Oct 1911 Appointed, Bishop of Alife)
• 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 (1 Apr 1935 - 5 Oct 1966 Retired)
• 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 United with the Diocese of Melfi e Rapolla to form the Diocese of Melfi-Rapolla-Venosa

Notes

1. "Diocese of Venosa" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016
2. "Diocese of Venosa" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016
3. Catholic Encyclopedia article
4. "Bishop Francesco Rusticucci" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
5. "Bishop Baldassarre Giustiniani" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
6. "Bishop Pietro Ridolfi, O.F.M. Conv." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "^{article name needed}". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.