Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto

Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto
Archidioecesis Barensis-Bituntinus

Cathedral in Bari
Location
Country Italy
Ecclesiastical province Bari-Bitonto
Statistics
Area 1,264 km2 (488 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2006)
740,900
732,277 (98.8%)
Parishes 125
Information
Denomination Catholic Church
Rite Roman Rite
Established 4th Century
Cathedral Cattedrale-Basilica di S. Maria
Co-cathedral Concattedrale di Maria SS. Assunta
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Archbishop Francesco Cacucci
Website
www.arcidiocesibaribitonto.it
Co-cathedral in Bitonto

The archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto (Latin: Archidioecesis Barensis-Bituntinus) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Apulia, southern Italy, created in 1986, when the historical archdiocese of Bari was united to the diocese of Bitonto.[1][2]

History

The first known Bishop of Bari was Gervasius, who, in 347, was at the Council of Sardica. In 530 Bishop Peter held the title of Metropolitan under Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople. In 780 Bishop Leontius was present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second of Nicaea.

In the ninth century the Saracens laid waste Apulia, destroyed the city of Canosa (Canusium) and captured Bari. In 841, however, the Byzantine army reconquered Bari, and in 844 Saint Angelarius, Bishop of Canosa, then in ruins, brought to Bari the relics of Saint Rufinus, Saint Memorus, and Saint Sabinus, which he had rescued from the ruins. Pope Sergius II conferred on him the title of Bishop of the two dioceses of Bari and Canosa, a title which the Archbishops of Bari retain to the present time.

In 933 Pope John XI granted the Bishops of Bari the use of the pallium. It seems that the Bishops were dependent on the Patriarch of Constantinople until the tenth century. Giovanni II (952) was able to withdraw from this influence, refusing to accept the prescriptions of the patriarch concerning liturgical points. All connection was finally severed in the eleventh century, and Bari became a direct dependency of Rome. Archbishop Bisanzio (1025) obtained from the pope the privilege of consecrating his suffragans; he also began the construction of the new cathedral, which was continued by his successors, Nicolo (1035), Andreas (1062), and Elia (1089) of the Benedictine Order.

Andreas was the archbishop from 1062 to at least 1066, when he journeyed to Constantinople and at some point converted to Judaism. Andreas then fled to the Muslim-dominated Egypt, where he eventually died in 1078.[3]

Remarkably, the next archbishop Urso (1080–1089)[4] was captured by the Muslim forces and converted to Islam.[5]

Other archbishops were:

In 1087 some Bari sailors, on their return from the East, brought with them the relics of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, for which Roger, Duke of Apulia, built a church, the Basilica of San Nicola, Bari; this became the object of veneration and of pilgrimages.

In the reorganization of the dioceses of the Kingdom of Naples, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the diocese of Bitetto was suppressed and made a part of the Diocese of Bari. The suffragan sees under Bari historically were: the diocese of Conversano, diocese of Ruvo, and diocese of Bitonto.[6]

Sufragan sees

Bishops and Archbishops

Diocese of Bari

Erected: 4th Century
Latin Name: Barensis

Archdiocese of Bari (-Canosa)

Elevated: 6th Century to Metropolitan See
Latin Name: Barensis (-Canusinus)

1200 to 1600

1600 to 1800

since 1800

Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto

30 September 1986 United with the Diocese of Bitonto to form the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto
Latin Name: Barensis-Bituntinus

References

  1. "Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. retrieved March 24, 2016
  2. "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bari–Bitonto" GCatholic.org. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved March 24, 2016
  3. Norman Golb (1987) Jewish Proselytism — A Phenomenon in the Religious History of Early Medieval Europe, pp. 10–11
  4. Thomas Forrest Kelly (1996) The Exultet in Southern Italy, p. 215 google books preview
  5. Steven Epstein (2007) Purity Lost: Transgressing Boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1000–1400, p. 145 google books preview
  6. Catholic Encyclopedia article
  7. "Archbishop Giulio Cesare Riccardi" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  8. "Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  9. "Archbishop Decio Caracciolo Rosso" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  10. "Patriarch Ascanio Gesualdo" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  11. "Archbishop Diego Sersale" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  12. "Archbishop Giovanni Granafei" Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
  13. Andrea Riccardi, ed. (1989). Enrico Nicodemo a Bari, 1953-1973: un vescovo meridionale tra modernizzazione e concilio (in Italian). Bari: Edipuglia srl. ISBN 978-88-7228-052-2.

Books

Acknowledgment

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

Coordinates: 41°07′42″N 16°52′06″E / 41.12833°N 16.86833°E / 41.12833; 16.86833

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