The Italian Catholic Diocese of Locri-Gerace ( la, Dioecesis Locrensis-Hieracensis ) is in

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. It is a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova. Historically it was the Diocese of Gerace, becoming in 1954 the Diocese of Gerace-Locri and taking the current name in 1986."Diocese of Locri-Gerace (-Santa Maria di Polsi)"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 8, 2016"Diocese of Locri–Gerace"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved June 16, 2016

History

Gerace probably owes its origin, or at least its importance, to the ruin of the town of

Locri Epizephyrii Locri is a town and '' comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural centre on the Io ...

, one of the earliest Greek colonies in Lower Italy, founded by the Ozolian

Locrians The Locrians ( el, Λοκροί, ''Locri'') were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Locris in Central Greece, around Parnassus. They spoke the Locrian dialect, a Doric-Northwest dialect, and were closely related to their neighbour ...

(684–680 B.C.) and endowed with a code of laws by

Zaleucus Zaleucus ( grc, Ζάλευκος; fl. 7th century BC) was the Greek lawgiver of Epizephyrian Locri, in Italy. According to the Suda, he was previously a slave and a shepherd, and after having been educated he gave laws to his fellow-citizens. Some ...

. The town was in a favorable position for the exploitation of the rich fields along the coast of the Gulf of Taranto, and sharing in the commerce of the east-west trade route. Locri, however, was a beachfront town, wide-open to attacks by pirates and then by Arabs, Moors, and Saracens. Before its total ruin, Locri Epizephrii had a bishop of its own; but in 709, under Bishop Gregory, the see was transferred to Gerace. Gerace had the advantage of being a fortifiable hilltop, where the population could protect itself from raiders. There was only one bishop and one diocese, however, first called Locri and then called Gerace. These were not two dioceses. In 731, Gerace and all the towns of Calabria suffered from a major earthquake, which devastated many of the cities of the region. There was another major earthquake in 1783, and one in 1908. The name Gerace is probably derived from Saint Cyriaca, whose church was destroyed by the Saracens in 915. They captured the town in 986, but in 1059 it fell into the hands of the Normans. The Normans began the turn away from Greek affiliations toward Rome, aided by the policies of Gregory VII and Urban II. Until 1467 the Greek Rite was in wide use at Gerace, and such had probably been the custom from the beginning. As early as the thirteenth century efforts were made to introduce the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language onc ...

, which accounts for the schism between Latins and Greeks about 1250–1253. The latter demanded as bishop the monk Bartenulfo, a Greek, whereas

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

, in 1253, appointed

Marco Leone Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish ...

. In 1467, bishop

Atanasio Calceofilo Atanasio is a masculine given name which may refer to: *Atanasiu di Iaci (Atanasio in Italian), 13th century Italian Benedictine monk and historiographer * Atanasio Aguirre, President of Uruguay from 1864 to 1865 * Atanasio Bello Montero (1800–1 ...

introduced the Latin Rite. In 1749 Gerace was a town whose population was estimated at 3,000. It was divided ecclesiastically into thirteen parishes. There were forty-five ecclesiastical parishes in the diocese. In 1890 the population of the diocese was given as 106,335, and the number of parishes was seventy one; there were 393 priests. The Chapter of the Cathedral had eight dignities and sixteen Canons. Among the dignities were: the Cantor, the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, the Primicerius, the Dean, the Protonotary, the Treasurer, and the Master of Ceremonies The seminary of the diocese was founded by Bishop Candido, in obedience to the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

, and completed by his successor Bishop Pasqua. The population of the town of Gerace in 2012 was 2,715. The population of the town of

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural centre on the Ion ...

was 12,845 in 2010.

Bishops

Diocese of Gerace

''Latin Name: Hieracensis''
''Erected: 5th Century''

to 1300

:... * asilius (attested 451)*Dulcinus *Marcianus (attested 597, 598, 599) *Crescens (649) *Stephanus (attested 679) *Christopher (attested 687) :... *Georgius (attested 869) :... *Leontius (attested 1100) :... *Constantinus (attested January 1179 – March 1179) *Leo (attested December 1194) :... *Nipho (attested 1211) *Nicolaus (1219 – 1225/1226) :... *Barsanufius, O.S.Basil. (December 1250 – 18 October 1254) *Leo (18 October 1254 – 8 July 1255) *Paulus, O.S.Basil. (9 August 1262 – 29 July 1280) *Jacobus *Barlaam, O.S.Basil. :...

1300 to 1600

* Barlaam II (2 October 1342 – 1347) *

Simon Atumano Simon Atumano (Greek: ''Σίμων ὁ Ἀτουμάνος'') was the Bishop of Gerace in Calabria from 23 June 1348 until 1366 and the Latin Archbishop of Thebes thereafter until 1380. Born in Constantinople, Atumano was of Greco- Turkish ori ...

(June 1348 – 17 April 1366) *Nicolaus Mele (3 August 1366 – 1382) *Jacobus (1382 – 2 June 1400) *Angelo del Tufo (5 July 1400 – 7 May 1419) *Paulus (12 June 1419 – 4 February 1429) *Aimericus (1429 – 1444) *Gregorius Diositani (10 July 1444 – 3 August 1461) *

Athanasius Calceofilo Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

(21 Oct 1461 – 4 Nov 1497 Died) *Troilus Carafa (27 November 1497 – 1504?) *

Jaime de Conchillos Jaime de Conchillos, O. de M. (died 4 Aug 1542) was a Roman Catholic priest who served as Bishop of Lérida (1512–1542), ''(in Latin)'' Bishop of Catania (1509–1512), ''(in Latin)'' Bishop of Gerace (1505–1509), ''(in Latin)'' and Prel ...

, O. de M. (23 Feb 1505 – 25 Feb 1509) *

Bandinello Sauli Bandinello Sauli (c. 1481 – 28 March 1518) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Bandinello Sauli was born in Genoa, ca. 1481, the son of nobles Pasquale Sauli and Mariola Giustiniani Longhi. .Hyde, Cardinal Bendinello ...

(1509 – 19 Nov 1517 Resigned) *

Francesco Armellini Pantalassi de' Medici Francesco Armellini Pantalassi de' Medici (13 July 1470 – 8 January 1528) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was a member of the Roman Curia. Life Medici was born in Perugia, Umbria. He was made a cardinal on the 6 July 1 ...

(19 Nov 1517 – 6 Jun 1519 Resigned) *

Alessandro Cesarini Alessandro Cesarini (died 13 February 1542), bishop of Pistoia, was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Life Born in Rome, the son of Agabito Cesarini, he became close to the Medici family, particularly Cardinal Giovanni di Lore ...

(Sr.) (6 Jun 1519 – 15 Jun 1519 Resigned) * Girolamo Planca (15 Jun 1519 – 21 Aug 1534 Died) *

(Sr.) (21 Aug 1534 – 20 Feb 1538 Resigned) * Tiberio Muti (20 Feb 1538 – 9 Mar 1552) * Giovanni Andrea Candido, O.S.Io.Hieros. (19 Mar 1552 – 6 Sep 1574 Died) *

Ottaviano Pasqua Ottaviano ( nap, Uttajano) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about east of Naples and is located in the Vesuvian Area. Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within ...

(17 Sep 1574 – 8 Jan 1591 Died) *

Vincenzo Bonardo Vincenzo is an Italian male given name, derived from the Latin name Vincentius (the verb ''vincere'' means to win or to conquer). Notable people with the name include: Art *Vincenzo Amato (born 1966), Italian actor and sculptor *Vincenzo Bella ...

, O.P. (20 Mar 1591 – 11 Mar 1601 Died)

1600 to 1920

Orazio Mattei Orazio is a male given name of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name ( ''nomen'') Horatius, from the Roman gens (clan) Horatia. People so named include: *Orazio Alfani (c. 1510–1583), Italian painter *Orazio Antinori (1811–1882), Itali ...

(19 Nov 1601 – 13 Jun 1622 Died) * Alessandro Boschi (8 Aug 1622 – 29 Jan 1624 Resigned) *

Stefano de Rosis Stefano is the Italian form of the masculine given name Στέφανος (Stefanos, Stephen). The name is of Greek origin, Στέφανος, meaning a person who made a significant achievement and has been crowned. In Orthodox Christianity the ach ...

(29 Jan 1624 – 15 Aug 1624 Died) * Giovanni Maria Belletti (27 Jan 1625 – 25 Feb 1626 Died) * Lorenzo Tramallo (16 Sep 1626 – 8 Oct 1649 Died) *

Michele Angelo Vincentini Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

(2 May 1650 – 20 Dec 1670 Resigned) * Stefano Sculco (22 Dec 1670 – 20 Apr 1686 Resigned) *

Tommaso Caracciolo Tommaso Caracciolo, Count of Roccarainola (10 March 1572 – 5 December 1631), was among others a Field Marshal who commanded parts of the Spanish forces in the Thirty Years' War. Biography His father, Tristano Caracciolo, was the son of Michel ...

, O.S.B. (28 Apr 1687 – 31 Mar 1689 Died)"Bishop Tommaso Caracciolo, O.S.B."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 8, 2016 * Domenico Diez de Aux (7 Nov 1689 – 5 Nov 1729 Died) *Ildefonso del Tufo, O.S.B. (8 Feb 1730 – 7 May 1748 Resigned) *Domenico Bozzoni (3 Mar 1749 – 21 Dec 1749 Died) *Cesare Rossi (23 Feb 1750 – 14 Nov 1755 Died) *Pietro Domenico Scoppa (5 Apr 1756 – 14 Nov 1793) :''Sede vacante'' (1793–1797) *Vincenzo Barisani, O.S.A. (18 Dec 1797 – 4 Feb 1806) *Giuseppe Maria Pellicano (21 Dec 1818 – 19 Jun 1833 Died) *Luigi Maria Perrone, C.O. (19 Dec 1834 – 14 Mar 1852 Died) *Pasquale de Lucia (27 Sep 1852 – 11 Jun 1860 Died) *Francesco Saverio Mangeruva (6 May 1872 – 11 May 1905 Died) *Giorgio Francesco Delrio (6 Dec 1906 – 16 Dec 1920 Appointed,

Archbishop of Oristano The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oristano ( la, Archidioecesis Arborensis) is a metropolitan see of the Roman Catholic Church in Sardinia, Italy. It was created in the eleventh century. Its only suffragan is the Diocese of Ales-Terralba. Si ...

)Delrio was born in Silanus (diocese of Alghero, Sardinia) in 1865. He had been a diocesan priest of Alghero, and was a Doctor of theology. He was appointed to the theological college at Sassari. He was named Canon Penitentiary of the Cathedral Chapter of Alghero, and pro-Vicar-General of Alghero.

Diocese of Gerace (-Santa Maria di Polsi)

''Latin Name: Hieracensis (-Sanctae Mariae de Pulsi)''
''Name Changed: 8 April 1920''
''Metropolitan:

Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria The Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova ( la, Archidioecesis Rheginensis-Bovensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria, southern Italy. It received its current title in 1986, when the indepen ...

'' *Giovanni Battista Chiappe (4 Oct 1922 – 26 Aug 1951 Died) *Pacifico Maria Luigi Perantoni, O.F.M. (31 Jan 1952 – 21 Aug 1962 Appointed, Archbishop of Lanciano e Ortona)

Diocese of Gerace-Locri (-Santa Maria di Polsi)

''Latin Name: Hieracensis-Locrensis (-Sanctae Mariae de Pulsi)''
''Name Changed: 22 February 1954''
''Metropolitan:

'' *Michele Alberto Arduino, S.D.B. (21 Oct 1962 – 18 Jun 1972 Died) *Francesco Tortora, O.M. (21 Oct 1972 – 22 Sep 1988 Resigned)

Diocese of Locri-Gerace (-Santa Maria di Polsi)

''Latin Name: Dioecesis Locrensis-Hieracensis (-Sanctae Mariae de Pulsi)''
''Name Changed: 30 September 1986''
''Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova'' * Antonio Ciliberti (7 Dec 1988 – 6 May 1993 Appointed, Archbishop of Matera-Irsina) *Giancarlo Maria Bregantini, C.S.S. (12 Feb 1994 – 8 Nov 2007 Appointed,

Archbishop of Campobasso-Boiano The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Campobasso-Boiano ( la, Archidioecesis Campobassensis-Boianensis) became an archdiocese in 1973 and a metropolitan see in 1976. The historical diocese of Boiano was renamed diocese of Boiano-Campobasso in 192 ...

) *Giuseppe Fiorini Morosini, O.M. (20 Mar 2008 – 13 Jul 2013 Appointed, Archbishop of Reggio Calabria-Bova) * Francesco Oliva (5 May 2014 – )

References

Bibliography

Reference works

* p. 882-883. (Use with caution; obsolete) * p. 263. (in Latin) * p. 159. * pp. 209. * p. 202. * p. 219. * p. 235. * * *

Studies

* * * *Gemelli, S. (ed.) (1986). ''La Cattedrale di Gerace. Il monumento, la funzione, I corredi''. Carical, Cosenza. *Kamp, Norbert (1975). ''Kirche und Monarchie im staufischen Königreich Sizilien
I. Prosopographische Grundlegung, Bistumer und Bistümer und Bischöfe des Konigreichs 1194–1266: 2. Apulien und Calabrien
' München: Wilhelm Fink 1975. *Kehr, Paulus Fridolin (1975). ''Italia pontificia. Regesta pontificum Romanorum.'
Vol. X: Calabria–Insulae
Berlin: Weidmann. (in Latin) * * * Russo, Francesco (1982). ''Storia della Chiesa in Calabria dalle origini al Concilio di Trento,'' 2 vols. Rubbetino: Soveria Mannelli 1982. * * * * (contains a list of bishops)

Acknowledgment

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locri Roman Catholic dioceses in Calabria Dioceses established in the 5th century