Oschiri (

Gallurese Gallurese () is a Romance languages, Romance dialect of the Italo-Dalmatian languages, Italo-Dalmatian family spoken in the region of Gallura, northeastern Sardinia. Gallurese is variously described as a distinct southern dialect of Corsican lang ...

: ''Óscari'', ) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) and former bishopric in the

Province of Sassari The province of Sassari (; ; ; ; ) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital was the city of Sassari. On 1 April 2025, the province was suppressed in favor of the new Metropolitan City of Sassari, which corres ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

, located about north of

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

and about southwest of

Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,696 and an area of .All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute

Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics (; Istat) is the primary source of official statistics in Italy. The institute conducts a variety of activities, including the census of population, economic censuses, and numerous social, economic, a ...

. The municipality of Oschiri contains the ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') 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 consolidat ...

'' (subdivision) San Leonardo. Oschiri borders the following municipalities:

Alà dei Sardi Alà dei Sardi () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southwest of Olbia. Alà dei Sardi borders the following municipalities: Berchidda, Bitti, Bud ...

Berchidda Berchidda (; ; ) is an communes of Italy, Italian commune in the province of Sassari, region and island of Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southwest of Olbia. It is located near Lake Coghinas in a hilly area bordered on the ...

Buddusò Buddusò (Gallurese: ''Buddusò'', ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southwest of Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commu ...

Ozieri Ozieri () is a ''comune'' (municipality) of approximatively 11,000 inhabitants in the province of Sassari, in the Italian region of Sardinia, in the Logudoro historical region. Its cathedral of the Immacolata is the episcopal see of the Roman C ...

Pattada Pattada ( Sardinian: ''Patàda'', ''Pathàda'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southeast of Sassari. Pattada is known for the production of ...

Tempio Pausania Tempio Pausania (; ) is a town of about 14,000 inhabitants in the Gallura region of northern Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Sassari. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History Cultural and de ...

, Tula.

Ecclesiastical history

:''See Castro for namesakes''

Bishopric of Castro (di Sardegna)

Within the ''comune'' of Oschiri is the church of Nostra Signora di Castro, which was once the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

, centred on the now disappeared town of Castro. It was

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

of the Metropolitan

Archdiocese of Sassari The Archdiocese of Sassari () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Sardinia, Italy. Its see was initially at Torres. It was elevated to an archdiocese in 1073. Its suffragan sees are the diocese of Alghero-Bosa, the diocese of Ozi ...

. The bishopric dates back to

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

times (circa 1000 AD), but the earliest mention of a bishop of Castro is of 1116, when an unnamed bishop of the see assisted at the dedication of the

Basilica di Saccargia The Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia () (English: "Basilica of the Holy Trinity of Saccargia") is a church in the ''comune'' of Codrongianos, northern Sardinia, Italy. It is one of the most important Romanesque architecture, Rom ...

. In 1164, its bishop Atto dedicated a church in the locality of Aneleto and granted it in the following year to

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

monks. Castro later decayed, and the bishop's residence was transferred to

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

. On 8 December 1503, the territory of Castro and that of two other dioceses were combined to form the new diocese of Alghero (now Alghero-Bosa). Today what was the territory of Castro is part of that of the diocese of Ozieri

Titular see

Castro itself, no longer a residential bishopric, is listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

as a

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 archbi ...

''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 863 since its nominal restoration as a Latin Catholic

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 ...

in 1968, initially simply as Castro, since 1976 as Castro di Sardegna, avoiding confusion with sees named Castro in Lazio and in Puglia. It has had the following incumbents, both of the lowest (episcopal) and intermediary (archiepiscopal) ranks : Titular Archbishop Giuseppe Pittau,

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

(S.J.) (1998.07.11 – 2014.12.26) Titular Bishop Alfonso Sánchez Peña,

Claretians The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (; abbreviated CMF), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was f ...

(C.M.F.) (1969.07.28 – 1997.07.11) Titular Bishop (2015.07.15 – ...) Dominicus Meier,

Benedictine Order The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

(O.S.B.),

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

(Germany)

Demographic evolution

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References

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links
{{authority control Cities and towns in Sardinia