The Diocese of Scala is 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 ...

of 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 ...

, currently held by Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams,

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to Great Britain.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 965"Diocese of Scala
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Titular Episcopal See of Scala"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 It was established in 987 as a regular

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 ...

with its

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

(seat) in Scala on the

Amalfi Coast The Amalfi Coast ( or ) is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Attracting international tourists o ...

of Italy. On 31 July 1603 it merged ''

aeque principaliter ''Aeque principaliter'' ("equally important") is a Latin term used by the Roman Catholic Church to indicate a merger of two or more dioceses in which – to avoid questions of predominance – the dioceses are all given equal importance. Such a ...

'' (Latin for "equally important") with the diocese of Ravello. On 27 June 1818 the Diocese of Ravello and Scala was suppressed by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

and all its territory was incorporated into the Archdiocese of Amalfi, now the Archdiocese of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni. In 1968 it was established as a titular see and has been held by

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. ...

s and

papal nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is a ...

s since then.

History

Scala is the oldest town on the

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...

coast, set about above sea level. According to tradition, it was founded in the 4th century AD by a group of shipwrecked Romans trying to make their way to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. A fortified bulwark, Scala was part of the defensive system of the territory of Amalfi. Its history is closely related to that of the Marine Republic of Amalfi. It was a

bishopric In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

from 987 to 1818. In 1073 during the

Norman conquest of southern Italy The Norman conquest of southern Italy lasted from 999 to 1194, involving many battles and independent conquerors. In 1130, the territories in southern Italy united as the Kingdom of Sicily, which included the island of Sicily, the southern thi ...

, after a strong siege, Scala was burned by

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

. Soon after, it was sacked by the

Pisan Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning To ...

s, by Ottone Brunswich (1210), and by the Sicilians (1283). With more than a thousand-year history, Scala during the height of its economic splendor had about 130 churches. It is also noted as the birthplace of Gerard Thom (Gerardo de Saxo), the founder of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, or the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Former cathedral

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 ...

of the diocese, dedicated to

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

, was built in its original form during the 12th century in

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

. It was modified in the 17th and 18th centuries, preserving only the original structure of the

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

. The interior is in the form of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and two aisles, with high-quality

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

es and a vault decorated with scenes from the saint's life (1748). In the Gothic-style crypt is the colored stucco

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

of Marinella Rufolo with a group of 14th-century wooden statues and other sculptures carved by her widower, Antonio Coppola, in 1332.

List of holders

Diocesan bishops

* Sergio (987 - ?) * Alessandro (1118 - ?) * Orso D'Afflitto (1144 - ?) * Alessandro II (1171 - after 1191) * Costantino D'Afflitto (1207 - after 1223) * Matteo D'Afflitto (1227–1269) * An anonymous bishop (mentioned in 1313) * Teodoro Scacciavento (1328 - ?) * Guglielmo Lombardo, O.P. (c. 1335 - 1342) * Guglielmo II, O.F.M. (1342 - 1349) * Giacomo Sazali, O.P. (23 June 1349 - 1369) ** Guillaume Vaysserie, O.P. (7 August 1384 - ?) (anti-bishop) * Andrea Fusco (January 1390 - 29 May 1397 - transferred to

Ravello Ravello (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) situated above the Amalfi Coast (exactly 782 stairs above the town of Atrani), in the province of Salerno, Campania, with approximately 2,500 inhabitants. Its scenic location makes it a popular ...

) * Pietro (c. 1394 - 1395 - transferred to

Termoli Termoli ( Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a ...

) * Petruccio da Penne, O.P. (1 December 1395 - 1418) * Natale Mastini D'Afflitto (23 November 1418 - 1450) * Evangelista Frioli, Bethlehemites (31 July 1450 - 1465) * Matteo Doti (20 February 1469 - 1499) * Giacomo Pisanelli (13 January 1500 - 1511) * Ferdinando de Castro (17 September 1511 - 1515) *

Baltasar del Río Balthazar, Balthasar, Baltasar, or Baltazar may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Balthazar'' (novel), by Lawrence Durrell, 1958 * ''Balthasar'', an 1889 book by Anatole France * '' Professor Balthazar'', a Croatian animated TV series ...

(22 October 1515 - 1 January 1540) * Lodovico Vanino de Theodoli,

Canons Regular of Saint Augustine The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious ...

(19 January 1541 - 7 May 1548 - transferred to

Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the ''Via Aemilia, Via Emilia''. History There ...

) *

Gaspare Ricciullo del Fosso Gaspare Ricciullo del Fosso, Order of the Minims, O.M. (1496–1592) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Reggio Calabria (1560–1592), ''(in Latin)'' Bishop of Calvi Risorta (1551–1560), ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Scala ...

, O.M. (17 May 1548 - 22 April 1551 - transferred to Calvi)"Archbishop Gaspare Ricciullo del Fosso, O.M."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 17, 2016"Archbishop Gaspare Ricciullo Del Fosso, O.M."
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 7, 2016 * Alfonso Romero, O.F.M. (10 July 1551 - 1551) (Bishop Elect) * Costantino Piccioni,

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine (), abbreviated OSA, is a mendicant order, mendicant catholic religious order, religious order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who ...

(27 April 1552 - 25 February 1577 - transferred to

Cortona Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Toponymy Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan language, Etr ...

) * Feliciano Ninguarda, O.P. (25 February 1577 - 31 January 1583 - transferred to

Sant'Agata de' Goti Sant'Agata de' Goti is a ''comune'' (municipality) and former Catholic bishopric in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about west of Benevento near the Monte Taburno. History Sant' ...

) * Francesco D'Afflitto (27 June 1583 - 11 October 1593)"Bishop Francesco D’Afflitto"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Giovanni Battista Serignano, O.P. (7 January 1594 - October 1594) * Floriano Nanni, Canons Regular of the Lateran (7 November 1594 - 19 September 1598) * Francesco Bennio De Butrio, O.S.M. (25 November 1598 - 31 July 1603 - transferred to Ravello and Scala)

Titular bishops

* Joseph Alphonse McNicholas (31 January 1969 - 22 July 1975 - became bishop of Springfield in Illinois) * João Alves (5 September 1975 - 8 September 1976 - became

bishop of Coimbra The Diocese of Coimbra () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Coimbra, Portugal. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga. From 1472, the bishop of Coimbra held the comital title of Count of Arganil, being thus called Bishop- ...

) * Marion Francis Forst (16 October 1976 - 23 December 1986) *

George Pell George Pell (8 June 1941 – 10 January 2023) was an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 2002, he faced recurring accusations of sexual abuse, although his subsequent sexual abuse conviction was quashed on appeal to the High Cour ...

(30 March 1987 - 16 July 1996 - became archbishop of Melbourne) * Edward Joseph Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to

United Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...

, with personal title of Archbishop (since 24 August 1996)

References

External links

* *
Titular Episcopal See of Scala
on gcatholic.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Scala Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Italy Catholic titular sees in Europe