Colfiorito is a village in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, central Italy, former Catholic bishopric under its Roman name Plestia, now a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of Foligno and a Latin Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

Geography

It is located on a plateau at 760 m over the sea level, on the road from municipal seat Foligno to

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza ...

, which houses a total of c. 5,000 inhabitants (part of it is under the jurisdiction of

Serravalle di Chienti Serravalle di Chienti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. It is crossed by the Chienti river. The communal territory is large ...

, Marche). The village contains Umbria's smallest natural park.

History

In the plateau tombs from the 10th century BC and an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

village (9th century BC) have been found. In 178 BC existed here the Roman city of ''Plestia'', which had a forum, a temple and other edifices and shortly was a bishopric. The town was abandoned in the 10th century: the site is now marked by the church of ''Santa Maria in Plestia''. The area was repopulated by the ''

'' of Foligno, who built here the castle (1269) from which originated the modern village. Colfiorito was heavily damaged by the

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

which rocked

and Marche regions on September 26, 1997.

Ecclesiastical History

In the 5th century AD a Bishopric of Plestia was established, which was suppressed in 560, its territory being reassigned to the Diocese of Camerino. In 950 it was restored as Diocese of Plestia, regaining its territory from the above bishopric of Camerino. In 1006 it was again suppressed, its territory now being divided between the then dioceses of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

, Foligno and Nocera Umbra. No residential incumbents available.

Titular see

In 1966 it was nominally restored as a Latin

Titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

, which has had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank ''except the archiepiscopal first one :'' *'' Titular Archbishop Leo Christopher Byrne (1967.07.31 – 1974.10.21)'' * Bruno Foresti (1974.12.12 – 1976.04.02) (later Archbishop) * Bolesław Filipiak (1976.05.01 – 1976.05.24); previously Dean of

Sacred Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota ( la, Tribunal Apostolicum Rotae Romanae), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin-r ...

(1967.06.26 – 1976.05.01), later created

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Giovanni Bosco in Via Tuscolana (1976.05.24 – death 1978.10.14) * John Nicholas Wurm (1976.06.25 – 1981.09.19) * Anthony Michael Milone (1981.11.10 – 1987.12.14) * Thaddeus Joseph Jakubowski (1988.02.16 – 2013.07.14) * Francisco José Villas-Boas Senra de Faria Coelho (2014.04.17 – 2018.06.26), Auxiliary Bishop of

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

(Portugal) * Thomas Joseph Neylon (2021.07.06 – incumbent), Auxiliary Bishop of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Main sights

* Church of Santa Maria in Plestia (5th century - see description here). * Castle of Colfiorito. * ''Castelliere'' of Monte Orve. * Archaeological Museum of the

Umbri The Umbri were an Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were settled in the 9th-4th centuries BC on ...

Plestini

Notes and references

Sources and external links

GCatholic with titular incumbent bio links
{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Perugia Hilltowns in Umbria Castles in Italy Foligno